Lessons from Leading the Raleigh Parks Volunteer Service Department

A large group of volunteers alongside the Raleigh Parks Youth Conservation Corps are posing behind bags of litter in a field after a cleanup event. They are wearing reflective vests, purple t-shirts, and gloves. Some are holding tools. There are trees and park buildings in the background.

When I started working as a manager for Raleigh Parks, with part of my portfolio as overseeing the volunteer service department, my first thought after starting this role was, “I know about volunteerism. I got this! I can do this in my sleep.”

I have volunteered for meaningful causes such as STEM education, youth mentoring, and sports coaching. I have led volunteers in a variety of settings.

Shortly after, I realized the complexity of our team’s operations. I lead five staff members who coordinate with over 13,800 volunteers annually. Volunteers serve in a variety of ways, like coaching sport teams, cleaning trails or parks, participating in garden clubs, and supporting events.

My confident initial thoughts became more doubtful and changed fairly quickly to, “I may or may not have this?”

One of my first shifts in thinking came from learning to enjoy and celebrate the impact of a highly professional team. Having staff focused on volunteerism multiplies organizational impact through coordinated volunteer efforts.

Our park system offers a wide variety of leisure opportunities at more than 200 sites throughout the city, which include: 8,100 acres of park land and over 100 miles of greenway. We have a large maintenance team, but thousands of volunteers serve 55,000 hours each year, helping to keep our parks and trails clean and presentable. Our volunteer services team is critical across all stages of the volunteer engagement cycle, and my job as a leader includes building connections across the team, advocating for them, and cheering them on.

One way we celebrate is through a monthly breakfast that I host, where we focus on building rapport and catching up. I have found that when I initiate a conversation and share personally around common interests like anime and travel, others are willing to do the same.

Members of my team were surprised that I watch the Demon Slayer series on a streaming service. Because the show’s storylines explore teamwork, it’s a great commonality for us to have as a topic of conversation that is both social and development-related.

A member of my team recently created a digital tour and history page for the Rose Garden & Raleigh Little Theatre. This is a very popular spot for wedding photos and an iconic landmark in our city, so having this information online and easily accessible to visitors makes park services more attractive. Once I learned of this feat, I thanked the staff member personally, briefed our senior leaders on their excellent work, and shared it across our department to raise their visibility.

 Want to enjoy and celebrate your team as a staff manager? Try these tips:

·       Implement systems to keep track of metrics

·       Schedule time for connecting with your team

·       Celebrate staff members when they achieve excellence

A second shift in my thinking in this role came when I realized the depth of relationships that my team members have in the community. As in most large metro areas, there are a number of garden clubs, Rotary groups, “friends of” groups, and unique non-profit organizations in Raleigh.

We find it valuable to have a specific staff member on our team who focuses on sustainability-related projects where they collaborate regularly with these groups. In addition, all other staff members on our team have a portfolio of external groups where they are the key relationship manager and liaison.

Our survey feedback shows that corporate volunteering projects led by volunteer service department staff have an almost-perfect score. We partner with companies like Red Hat, SAS, and BASF, and nonprofit organizations like Triangle Trails Initiative, Partners for Environmental Justice, and Urban Farm.

Having a staff lead who is deeply familiar with Raleigh Parks landscape and maintenance staff members helps to right-size the volunteer projects and recruitment efforts. Also, deep connections minimize misconceptions and increase effective communication with partner community groups and nonprofits.

Want to facilitate more connections between your organization and external partners as a staff manager? Try these tips:

·       Hire staff members with high emotional intelligence skills

·       Manage external relationships with authenticity

Finally, dealing with conflict and managing expectations is a part of every job, and this is especially true when leading volunteers. Our organization provides detailed information about all volunteer opportunities and has a standard code of conduct that volunteers agree to follow.

For every staff-managed project, we conduct a brief orientation to level set expectations. We occasionally have a situation where we must dismiss a volunteer or provide them with some very direct feedback. Unfortunately, this is part of the job.

To better equip the staff, I lead regular discussions on customer service topics and utilize resources on LinkedIn Learning. I am also ready to step in when situations get messy, having my team’s back and reminding them I’m here to help.

Want to be prepared for conflict messiness that affects your team as a staff manager? Try these tips:

·       Have an in-depth code of conduct policy

·       Provide training and support on customer service

I’m proud to lead a high-performing team of volunteer engagement professionals through challenging and exciting work at Raleigh Parks. It’s very rewarding.

I hope that by sharing some of the systems we use and tips I’ve learned, you will make your leadership and operations more effective. We got this!