Value Time: Expectations

Have you ever worked hard on something, only to find out it wasn’t what your leader wanted? Expectations are critical to making the most of the time your volunteers have.

By setting expectations, you are creating a contract between you and your volunteer. Consider:

• “John, could you find out what it will take to go to HD video?” vs. “John, I would like a list of equipment, tasks, and pricing estimates for coverting our video capture and overhead system to HD throughout our building. How long do you think that will take for you to do the research?”
• “Linda, could you make sure we have coffee setup for our guests every week?” vs. “Linda, we want our guests to have access to 3 different types of coffee: light, medium, and dark. Let’s also provide a decaf coffee for those that want it. I’d like to be sure that all types are available before and after service. Can you tell me what it will take to ensure we have a supplier, people to cover the area, and equipment?”
• “David, would you make us a new logo for our church?” vs. “David, we need a logo for our church. We want something that uses colors from this palette, is in a format that can be used for large signs and t-shirt logos. Could you put 3-5 ideas to us and we’ll select one that best fits our needs? We have a budget of $500 to get the initial work done.”

What a difference! The first set is probably what you get from someone in the hallway as they are rushing to deal with a problem. The second is from someone who thought about what was important and set those expectations with the volunteer.

Before asking a volunteer to spend their valuable time, consider the expectations you are going to give them (or not give them). Are you helping them to spend their time wisely and succeed, or just waste time?

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