After completing this seminar and discussing its content, participants will be able to:

• Understand why volunteers sometimes behave poorly or challenge organization authority.
• Analyze problem behavior situations to determine their likely true causes.
• Develop a system in which models of good behavior are set forward for volunteers.
• Explore examples of challenging behavior and see ways to channel that behavior into positive actions
• Understand how to deal with volunteers whose behavior cannot be corrected and is potentially detrimental to the organization.

Working effectively with volunteers requires not only working with those whose behavior is exemplary, but also dealing with those whose behavior may challenge the supervisor of volunteers, other volunteers, and the organization itself. The act of volunteering does not confer angelic status and volunteers engage in the entire range of problematic behavior – from the under-motivated to the all-too-highly motivated. This session will examine both the theory of handling challenging behavior and a series of case examples of what to do when you confront difficult behavior.

The central question of this Online Seminar is : How can volunteers be encouraged and enabled to behave in ways that effectively serve the organization’s clientele and productively engage with co-workers and others?

Dealing with difficult volunteers is not an easy or pleasant task, and is one that is often uncomfortable for volunteer program managers who are more accustomed to “mothering” volunteers than reprimanding them.

If you’ve encountered challenging behavior from volunteers, don’t miss this opportunity to take a closer look at methods and examples for improving the situation.

Topics to be covered include:

• What causes difficult behavior by volunteers?
• How can we develop a system for modeling good behavior in volunteers?
• What approach will enable us to analyze problem situations to determine what is really going on?
• What can I do with some of the common types of challenging behavior by volunteers, including:
• Volunteers who don’t perform on task or on time
• Volunteers who knowingly break policies or rules
• Volunteers who try to usurp authority
• Volunteers who cause conflict with others
• Volunteers whose age and capacity present a problem
• How can I engage in positive corrective action toward a volunteer?
• What can I do when all attempts to correct problem behavior fail?