Tumult
When the volunteer team becomes out of balance, the operation is also under pressure. Tumult vzw chose not to panic, but to understand and make adjustments. Together we investigated who joins, who drops out and what each group needs. This led to a sharper volunteer profile, better recruitment and an unexpected compensation system that really matches reality. The result is a team that knows exactly what to do, why and with whom.
Tumult vzw is a youth work organization that wants to combat the exclusion of children and young people. They do this by organizing years of camps, courses, immersion trips and activities for children and young people in a socially vulnerable situation, but also by training supervisors of children and young people in their free time. They are particularly strong in working with young people with a refugee story, although they never want to be reduced to an organization only for newcomers. Their core remains: realizing meetings between young people, in order to strengthen young people's talent for living together.
Although the organization had built up a strong volunteer team in recent years, it felt less stable in practice. There was a strong flow of participants into animator roles, but the share of volunteers with a classic youth work profile or experience in a youth movement was too low. Last summer the pressure was too great on some shoulders and therefore Tumult's strength was somewhat lost.
And so they approached S&L with a clear question: how can we rebalance our volunteer mix and thus increase our capacity again?
From individual symptoms to a coherent strategy
Together we looked at all the building blocks of their volunteer strategy. It was about vision, recruitment, welcome, coaching, evaluation and farewell. We made these building blocks clear and usable in six working sessions. The emphasis was mainly on recruitment, even though a solid volunteer strategy is never just an answer to your recruitment question.
We held the sessions together with the core team that we had deliberately put together in a broad manner. In parallel, there were 1-on-1 conversations with volunteers. That turned out to be a crucial step. While professional employees are sometimes inclined to nuance problems, volunteers often speak very directly about what is going on. They brought issues to the table that would otherwise have remained under the radar. They mentioned differences in motivation, expectations that were never expressed and tensions between frames of reference.
That honesty sharpened the analysis and helped to get past the taboos. Tumult also had a student study underway, with in-depth interviews with a broad group of volunteers, and that was also absolutely valuable input. The combination of the two gave us access to voices that we would otherwise never hear.
“What I found particularly strong is that volunteers say much more directly what is really going on. Professionals sometimes dare to add nuance, but volunteers simply present it as it is. That helped us to finally name a few things.”
Three breakthroughs
There are certainly golden rules or general wisdom in a volunteer strategy, but every process is also tailor-made. Three breakthroughs crystallized at Tumult that now allow them to strengthen volunteer work in their own unique way.
1. A sharper volunteer mix
We made the diversity in the volunteer team explicit. Instead of one broad category such as 'young people with a migration background', we worked with different profiles, each with different needs. By identifying this nuance, Tumult can recruit more specifically, provide better support and work on balance again.
2. Communication that starts from motivation
Tumult worked with purely supply-oriented recruitment: participate, register, become a volunteer. Instead, the why of their work takes on a more central role, because volunteers come because they want to make a difference, not because a camp is open. This shift makes it clear which message will work.
3. A fairer and self-selected compensation system
The classic system in which main animators or volunteers with the most responsibility receive the highest compensation turned out not to match the needs. Entrants often have the greatest financial barriers, not the first-timers. Tumult is therefore considering introducing a system where volunteers choose which compensation suits their situation. This gives them more ownership and ties in better with the diverse group on which the organization is based.
From strategy to working document
While at S&L we often conclude with a PowerPoint and core advice, we consciously opted for a fully written document. Not as a report that disappears in a drawer, but as a manual. For each building block it states what the vision is, what choices have been made, what everyone's role is and what internal levers and resources are needed. The action plan linked to it makes the strategy concrete for the coming year and provides direction for communication, supply, recruitment and support. Based on our recommendation, one employee was also given time for volunteer coaching, based on our action plan.
Tumult will provide feedback again within six months. Then we look together at what works, what requires adjustment and what has grown spontaneously in the meantime. This way the strategy remains a living thing.
“In addition to our volunteers, the S&L supervisors also dared to challenge us. They asked sharp questions and pushed hard when they noticed that we had to make more room for something than initially anticipated. Jihad and Koenraad know our sector, have a range of relevant theories, methodologies and network contacts, but above all dare to challenge - which we could use.”
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