Volunteers are the heart of our events, but managing them takes a lot more than finding people and giving them a job. This TEMI course will walk through the volunteer experience from recruitment and onboarding to training, communication, recognition and retention. We’ll talk about what works, what doesn’t and share some practical ideas you can take home and actually use.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Look at the entire volunteer experience — from recruitment and onboarding to training, recognition and retention.
- Find the right volunteers and, just as importantly, give them a reason to stick around.
- Create an onboarding and training process that gets volunteers ready to go without making it more complicated than it needs to be.
- Communicate with volunteers in a way that keeps them informed, engaged and connected.
- Take home practical ideas and tools that can actually be put to work at their own events and organizations.
Alex McNulty is senior manager of Member Services for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, where he helps keep more than 1,500 volunteers organized, engaged and moving in the same direction — which is sometimes an event all by itself. With a background in hospitality, customer experience and large-scale event operations, Alex believes great volunteer programs should be well-organized, welcoming and, above all, fun. He is an IFEA Certified Festival & Event Executive (CFEE), a Leadership Pasadena graduate and chair-elect of the IFEA Foundation Board.