Over the past 12 months, I have been part of an amazing group, a first time cohort of Points of Light affiliates who are conducting volunteer engagement and Service Enterprise training across the country, while introducing a new framework called Supportive Environments for Effectiveness, or SEE.

Being a part of this group has provided a number of “ah-ha!” opportunities that continue to strengthen our training programs here at Jersey Cares and the Volunteer Center of South Jersey. It has been an incredible experience to watch how others in the group are successfully, as we say, “building the bike and riding at the same time.”

As a trainer, I know that we cannot effectively communicate a message by simply introducing new content without being mindful of how others receive the information.  It is our job to be sure they are connecting with us and understanding the information that we are sharing. It is equally important that they are responding and are comfortable asking for clarification when needed. With the SEE (Supportive Environments for Effectiveness) Framework, it is what we call helping participants build their mental models. For me personally, it has looked like providing that space for individuals to visualize the concepts as I speak, often by giving context to those concepts from my own experience. This space to build from their own understanding also helps to make them feel capable in their work as they go on to engage others (volunteers, staff and members of the communities that they serve). 

In our organization’s work to increase volunteer involvement, my focus has become to show others how to familiarize volunteers with the work more effectively. These are individuals who are not looking for a reward, but want to feel good, enjoy the experience and more importantly, know the impact of their contribution. If it is a good experience, they’ll come back and look for more opportunities to be involved.

I often hear “how and where do we find ‘good’ volunteers?” from nonprofits who are struggling with recruitment and retention. My response is a suggestion that we take an honest look at how an organization is engaging volunteers to achieve their mission-critical work. Are they taking advantage of this as a capacity-building opportunity or are they just looking for bodies to serve an immediate need? Are they putting the needs of volunteers first? How are they attracting volunteers at the outset? How are they setting them up for success? How are they finding truly meaningful work for volunteers, while making sure that it is aligned with their mission?

The components of SEE are really quite straight-forward and they include: building a mental model, being capable in our work, and making every part of the work feel meaningful. All three are equally important in the volunteer engagement cycle, as the focus becomes more about the person and their informational environment, not just how many people we are bringing in to complete a project. What is less straight-forward, is continuing to be intentional about how we apply the components of SEE. This approach helps change the paradigm of volunteer engagement, in that, we are no longer just posting the numbers and hours of volunteer work, but we are building the necessary relationships to make room for more of the great work to get done.

In addition to the work context, I am also integrating SEE components into other projects and relationships in my personal life, enabling me to communicate more effectively, and in turn, successfully achieving the results that I want and need. Before being a part of this group, and before I was introduced to SEE, I was often focused on the finish line, not spending enough time on the details because checking things from the list seemed more important. I believed that this approach worked for me. But did it really? Looking at my project list, there were programs, processes and training to develop, launch, implement and manage. I realized that I wasn’t asking for help because I wasn’t communicating and crafting a clear message in my ask. Utilizing the tools of the SEE framework helped to redirect the focus to be mindful of the thought process of others; allowed me to make space for others to answer that call.

When we ask for help across a variety of settings, what we sometimes miss is how others are actually processing that information, how they might perceive themselves in doing something, and how this might differ from our own view of the task at hand. We overlook key questions like, “Did we give them enough information to visualize themselves helping us?” or “Did we give them the necessary freedom to come up with their own ideas?”. What works for one person doesn’t always work for another, and this is particularly apparent in how we complete tasks, because we each have our own lived experiences that inform our approach to problem-solving.

Making the time and space to allow people to build their mental models, providing people with the tools to make them feel capable, and showing others how meaningful their contribution is, is now my focus. Re-envisioning our work through this lens can empower us, and allow us to open more doors by supporting others.

Michele Francesconi-Epifani is the Vice President of Capacity Building, Training and Strategic Initiatives at Jersey Cares and the Volunteer Center of South Jersey, and was a member of our Points of Light Affiliate grantee cohort. Jersey Cares works to connect volunteers with meaningful opportunities to serve, while empowering nonprofits by providing resources and education in best-practice volunteer engagement and board development.