Most Important Skills for a Volunteer Programs Manager at Adler Planetarium
Grace, Adler Planetarium's Manager of Volunteer Programs, emphasizes the critical importance of "actively listening" in her role, noting that this skill is essential for navigating interpersonal relationships, addressing conflicts, and incorporating both positive and negative feedback to improve the volunteer experience. The ability to empathetically understand "volunteer's experience" is key to preventing potential negative situations and fostering a successful volunteer program.
Communication, Problem-Solving, Active Listening, Empathy, Interpersonal Skills
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Grace Souza
Manager of Volunteer Programs
Adler Planetarium
Loyola Marymount University
N/A
English, Writing & Education
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Human Resources (HR)
Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. Active listening is crucial for effective communication with volunteers and staff, resolving conflicts, and fostering positive relationships.
2. Empathy is vital for understanding diverse perspectives and experiences of volunteers and staff, leading to better conflict resolution and program improvement.
3. The ability to incorporate feedback, both positive and negative, into daily work is essential for continuous improvement and program success.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
I would say the ability to actively listen is incredibly important in what I do. This applies both to interacting with the volunteers themselves and with the staff who more directly supervise them.
Day to day, I have to have an open door policy. Anyone can come into my office and express concerns about a volunteer's behavior, or perhaps a volunteer expresses concern about their staff supervisor.
There's a lot of detail that goes into these interpersonal relationships, which make a volunteer experience successful. If I'm not truly listening and empathizing with a volunteer's experience, it has the potential to spiral out of control and become a negative situation for both the volunteer and the staff supervisor.
So, in moments of conflict, or even when things aren't necessarily conflict, being able to truly be present and listen is crucial. This includes taking feedback, whether positive or negative, and incorporating it into my work going forward.
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