9 Stress-Busting Strategies for Recruiting Chapter Leaders

When burnout and stress take hold of your members at work, they carry the resulting emotional exhaustion and tension everywhere they go, including their local chapters. These emotions affect their decisions about how to spend their limited time and mental bandwidth. It’s no wonder many members are choosing to guard their time, especially if they’re unsure about the value of volunteering.

In our webinar, Spark Joy, Not Burnout: Tips to Increase Volunteer Satisfaction, Peggy Hoffman of Mariner Management shared strategies for recruiting chapter leaders by reducing the stressful aspects of leadership responsibilities. If you’re willing to help chapters shake things up, you can turn volunteer leadership into an enjoyable, meaningful, and attractive experience.

The scary consequences of stressed chapter leaders

When chapter leaders are dealing with stress or burnout, they stop opening emails and showing up for meetings. They don’t feel like they have the mental space for anything new. Doing the same old thing is the only manageable option.

And what happens?

• Chapter programming goes on autopilot.
• Chapter members don’t get the value they expect.
• The leadership pipeline empties out.
• With no one on deck to take over officer roles, the chapter is at risk of dissolving.
• Members lose access to local education, networking, and community.

9 stress-busting strategies for increasing chapter leader recruitment

Here are Peggy’s strategies for helping chapter leaders eliminate practices that exacerbate stress and burnout and hurt volunteer recruitment efforts.

#1: Put your oxygen mask on first

In our webinar chat, many attendees admitted feeling burned out themselves. “Firefighting while building a ship is exhausting.”

The component relations professional’s (CRP) job is not an easy one. Yet many of you have told us it’s one of the most satisfying jobs you’ve had. You help create communities and transform members into leaders. I mean, come on! How cool is that? But you’re only human. Before you help others with their stress, make sure you take care of yourself.

#2: Destigmatize burnout and stress

Create an environment where volunteer leaders can openly talk about burnout and stress. Reassure them it’s not unusual to feel this way. Many of their peers are struggling too, which is why it’s best to address these issues as a community.

Schedule individual quarterly check-ins with chapter leaders to assess their burnout or stress level. Suggest ways to adjust their workload if they’re overwhelmed. Maybe they need to take a break or switch to a role that gives them more joy.

Help them relight their inner spark if their role has become stale. What drew them initially to volunteering? Is that still a draw or is there something they’d like to do instead?

These conversations offer insight into chapter culture while building trust in your relationships.

Every quarter, cue officers to check in with their boards. Then, chapter officers cue their boards to check in with committee chairs, who in turn check in with committee members.

Encourage the chapter leader community to share tips and takeaways from these check-in conversations so the practice stays top of mind.

#3: Revamp chapter volunteer groups and roles

Members who are reluctant to serve on a committee are often willing to serve on a less onerous-sounding task force or work group. Encourage chapters to rethink their committee structure. Which ones do bylaws require? Which ones have meaningful work to do year-round?

Suggest they turn some of their committees into task forces, work groups, and ad hoc groups that work on temporary assignments and disband when they achieve their goals.

Every committee and governance group must have a charge document from the board that outlines the group’s purpose, goals, and success metrics. A charge gives direction to the committee’s work and holds it accountable.

Take the mystery out of what’s required to serve, what it’s like to serve, and what difference volunteers make. Volunteer roles and responsibilities must be documented, transparent, and easily understood. Post these descriptions on the chapter website along with each group’s charge.

#4: Help chapters build a leadership pipeline

A healthy leadership pipeline prevents members from getting stuck or overstaying their time in leadership roles. Leaders must think about their chapter’s future and help replace themselves.

Beware chapter martyrs who don’t think the chapter can run without them. By remaining in the role too long, they send the wrong volunteering message to members.

Teach chapter volunteers how to scout, recruit, and prepare upcoming leaders. Don’t assume they know how. Show them how to spread work around through temporary assignments and microvolunteering. Give chapters a list of typical microvolunteering jobs. Advise leaders and committee chairs against hoarding the benefits of volunteering to themselves.

#5: Reduce the chapter volunteer workload

Time-consuming leadership roles scare off members from volunteering. Members don’t want to manage a part-time chapter job while working their full-time real job.

Offer technology to lessen the burden of chapter financial and administrative tasks. For example, Billhighway significantly reduces the time volunteer leaders have to spend on banking, finance, and membership processes.

Coach chapter leaders on juggling responsibilities. A webinar attendee said, “Some balls are glass, some are plastic.” Help leaders understand the difference so they know how to identify and prioritize critical tasks.

Hold chapter leaders accountable for sharing the workload. Encourage them to get members involved in volunteering, build their leadership pipeline, and send members to HQ leadership training.

#6: Help volunteers build their skills and prepare for chapter, association, and industry leadership

Remind members about an exclusive benefit of chapter leadership: skills training they can apply at work. Deliver this training via multiple channels:

• In-person and online
• On-demand recordings and live sessions
• Staff and member instructors

Offer role-specific training for membership chairs, education/program chairs, and treasurers. Build the curriculum once and update it regularly.

In our webinar chat, an attendee relayed the frustration chapter leaders have with peers who don’t do the work they’re supposed to. Teach members how to hold their fellow leaders accountable.

Invest in leaders early. Encourage chapter committee and governance group volunteers to take advantage of leadership training. Many associations offer an emerging chapter leader cohort program that lasts several months.

#7: Create a supportive environment for volunteers

Treat volunteers like the VIPs they are. Keep them in the loop so they know what HQ is doing. Ask for their opinions on chapter resources, membership issues, competing organizations, and industry hot topics.

Besides leadership training, provide resources such as templates and checklists. Give them access to technology, like Billhighway, that lessens the time they have to spend on chapter responsibilities.

Host regular online office hours for leaders to pick your brain—or the brains of their peers who show up too. Use a calendar tool for leaders who want to schedule a private meeting.

#8: Connect chapter leaders with their community of peers

Let chapter leaders know they’re not alone. A private online community or channel for chapters leaders will nurture a sense of belonging. They’ll soon see other chapter leaders in their “community on call” who are juggling similar chapter/work/life responsibilities.

Pair new chapter leaders with veterans for regular conversations throughout the year. Give them talking points to help spark these discussions. When new leaders attend your annual conference, match them with veteran conference buddies.

Recruit seasoned chapter leaders with expertise in areas, such as:

• Newsletters
• Membership marketing
• Finance
• Social media
• Strategic planning
• New member onboarding

When a chapter leader needs help, they fill out a form to get matched with a chapter subject matter expert.

#9: Spark joy and rekindle their purpose

Delight chapter leaders with an unexpected perk now and then, like a free webinar promo code or discount on a conference or online course.

You can never provide enough recognition. Look beyond officers who usually are the focus of recognition efforts. Shine the light on other emerging leaders who contribute their time and talent, either officially as committee members or unofficially as roundtable facilitators or event ambassadors.

You can never share enough thanks either. One webinar attendee sent thank-you succulents and chocolates to her leaders. Consider exclusive swag clothing or conference lanyards. If your budget is tight, get help from sponsors.

Start a chapter awards program to honor innovative programs and practices—and the leaders who took a chance on change. Share success tips and stories in chapter leader newsletters—brief emails that are easy to open and read in one minute.

Encourage chapter leaders to choose one of these strategies to implement at a time. By helping them create more fulfilling volunteer experiences, they’ll increase volunteer recruitment and retention, and rejuvenate their chapters.

Chapter leaders are more willing to consider change when they don’t have to worry about their volunteer workload. Learn how Billhighway is helping associations automate and simplify chapter operations, so volunteer leaders have the time to focus on their mission.