Lynch Associates offers a unique blend of
proven instruction for first-line supervisors,
mid-level managers, and top executives. Our
workshops are known for a combination of thought-provoking
concepts, practical applications, and entertaining
stories whose lessons stick with people for
years after the session ends.
Lead With Your Words: The Language of Leadership
Learn to communicate in ways that inspire
commitment and create confidence. Participants
will learn six skills that will allow you
to lead your staff more effectively, improve
productivity, and create better results for
your organization.
Effective Teams: Creating a Positive Organizational
Climate
Help your organization create an environment
that encourages enthusiastic performance!
Learn the tips and tools you'll need to diagnose
and nurture an organization and a team that
is rich in positive values, motivation, and
teamwork.
Motivation: Empowering Those You Supervise
“Letting go” doesn't mean losing control — it
means giving yourself, and your team, the
tools you need to get the job done. Learn
how to motivate your employees by giving them
more authority and control over their work,
while building confidence and self-reliance.
Streamlining: Get More Done!
Weed out the inefficiencies in your organization.
If you are responsible for a work team and
have the authority to make changes in the
way the work gets done, this workshop is for
you! Learn to spot inefficiencies, reduce
costs, improve service, and increase employee
motivation.
Encouraging Legendary Performance: What
Gets Measured Gets Done
Unleash the hidden potential of your staff — establish
performance measures, and watch them excel.
Healthy organizations encourage their employees
to “keep reaching” for the next target. Learn
how to use performance measures as a method
for improving employee productivity.
Taking Charge: The Art of Leadership
Learn the sources of leadership influence,
and what successful leaders do to encourage
others to follow their lead. Explore the five
creative tasks of leadership, and the skills
necessary to discover your organization's
core purpose.
Volunteer Management
Workshops
The following workshops are based on material
from Rick Lynch and Steve McCurley's book Volunteer
Management , the best selling book in
the field. Each can be presented in a variety
of time frames.
The Key to Retention
Volunteer turnover creates a constant, time-consuming
need to recruit, interview, and train new
people. In this session, Volunteer Program
Managers learn how to create a positive motivational
climate that keeps volunteers coming back.
Participants learn management and communication
skills that enhance volunteer self-esteem,
create a strong sense of volunteer loyalty,
and create an environment that helps volunteers
look forward to going to work.
High-Impact Recruiting
In this workshop, participants learn to create
a powerful recruitment message that attracts
motivated and competent volunteers. Participants
will learn to use marketing techniques to
diversify their volunteer force. In the workshop,
they will create messages that will increase
the proportion of qualified candidates they
attract.
Designing Volunteer Jobs for Results
Although most managers are unaware of it,
many volunteer jobs are designed so that they
make communication and supervision difficult,
obscure the quality of performance, and even
lead to volunteer alienation. In this workshop,
participants will learn how to create a job
that is intrinsically motivating. Participants
learn to design volunteer work so that volunteers
feel pride, accomplishment, and a sense of
personal effectiveness. Following the four
principles laid out in the workshop, participants
will be able to develop jobs for volunteers
(or staff) so that results are achieved as
economically as possible and so that the volunteer
gets maximum satisfaction from his or her
work. Participants also learn how to design
high-impact work for volunteers and to make
the volunteer program an intrinsic part of
the agency's strategic plan.
Empowering Volunteers and Staff
Too often, supervisors unintentionally produce
resistance or apathy in the people they supervise
by attempting to control their behavior. This
is particularly true of those who supervise
volunteers who are not in the workplace every
day. This session explores how managers can
motivate volunteers and staff by giving them
more authority and more control over the work
they do. Managers learn techniques of building
volunteer or staff confidence and self-reliance
by empowering them without losing control.
The Customer Service Principles of Volunteer
Management
Excellent volunteer programs treat their
volunteers in much the same way that outstanding
customer service organizations treat their
customers. In this workshop, participants
will learn some of the basic principles of
customer service and will learn how to apply
these techniques to enhance their retention
of committed volunteers.
Communicating with Volunteers
Communication is vital to maintaining a successful
volunteer program. The way you talk to volunteers
and keep them informed will impact their decision
to stay or leave. This extremely practical
workshop answers questions that commonly occur
in the minds of volunteer program managers,
such as: ”How frequently should I contact
my volunteers?” “How do I give volunteers
bad news?” “What information should be included
in a newsletter?” “How do I determine what
information is vital for volunteers to have?” and “What
are the major methods of communicating with
volunteers?”
Developing an Environment that Supports
Volunteers
This highly interactive, advanced level session
builds on the knowledge participants will
have acquired in past workshops and in their
careers. This unique session equips participants
to create a work environment in which volunteers
are welcomed and valued and make the maximum
contribution to the agency. In the session,
the instructor will help participants take
a holistic approach to the involvement of
volunteers, bringing together learning on
customer service, leadership, self-esteem,
and volunteer-staff relationships.
Volunteer Interviewing: Selecting the
Right Person for the Right Job
The biggest difference between volunteer
management and managing paid employees lies
in the interview process. In fact, the principles
of effective volunteer interviewing are in
some sense the opposite of those that work
for paid people. In this highly interactive
workshop, participants learn the techniques
of effective interviewing and learn to insure
the motivation of their volunteer force by
selecting the right person for the right job.
Involving Professionals as Volunteers
Charities can achieve much more of their
potential through the systematic involvement
of volunteers with professional skills. Doing
so enables an organization to escape many
of its financial constraints. By engaging
volunteers in non-traditional roles — as graphic
designers, marketing experts, web site designers,
or management coaches, for example — a charity
can take advantage of skills it could never
afford to buy. This workshop equips volunteer
managers with the ability to identify jobs
for professional volunteers, recruit them,
and work with staff to overcome barriers to
involvement.
Coaching Volunteers for Performance Improvement
Sometimes, volunteers may need a little coaching
to do their roles well. Too often, the attempt
to help volunteers learn their role happens
in a way that seems like criticism to the
volunteer, and volunteer discouragement or
turnover may result. In this workshop, participants
learn and practice skills in improving volunteer
performance through the application of coaching
techniques.
Failure-proofing
The difference between success and failure
often lies in a person's ability to keep going
in the face of life's inevitable setbacks.
This workshop presents a method for maintaining
an optimistic attitude in the face of adversity.
The four components of a positive attitude
are presented, and participants learn the
steps to go through to keep life's setbacks
from overwhelming them. The skills leaned
in this workshop help people to be positive
with themselves and others, even in difficult
times.
Maintaining a Positive Attitude
Leaders of volunteer programs are more effective
when they exemplify a positive outlook to
their people. This workshop equips participants
with skills in maintaining a positive attitude,
even when things go very wrong. By possessing
these skills, participants will be able to
motivate their people to keep trying in the
face of adversity and will be able to establish
a positive atmosphere in their charities.
Basics of Volunteer Management
This workshop, which can be presented in
either three or four day formats, is conducted by two of
the world’s leading authors and trainers in the field
of volunteer management. The seminar is a
comprehensive, skill-building experience that prepares
participants to succeed in all aspects
of managing a volunteer program within an organization.
Who Should Attend
The content is aimed at people new to the
field and people who would like to enhance and deepen
their skills in managing a volunteer program. Both
new and experienced people will gain valuable insights
into what makes a volunteer program a success.
What You’ll Learn
Participants will learn the gain insight into
the basics of what makes people want to volunteer, how
to attract them, and how to keep them involved.
Participants will master the six major skills in
managing a volunteer program.
Sample Topics Covered
- Trends in the field and their implications for
today’s volunteer program manager;
- How to design motivating jobs for volunteers;
- Three methods of volunteer recruitment and when to
use each;
- The biggest difference between managing volunteers
and paid people;
- How to prepare volunteers for success;
- Making volunteers feel like part of the team;
- Dealing with difficult volunteers;
- How to reward volunteers;
- Four styles of supervising volunteer and when to use eachs;
- Evaluating your volunteer program;
- Gaining staff support for the volunteer program.
Includes:
- Case studies of real volunteer management situations;
- Opportunities to practice the skills taught
in the workshop;
- Free telephone or e-mail assistance after the class.
Workshops for Non-Profits
Increasing Board Effectiveness
An agency's board is the key to its success.
Where boards are active and sure of their
role, typical agency problems such as inadequate
funding, poor public image, and unfocussed
program direction disappear. In this workshop,
board members learn what their role should
be and how best to carry it out. Workshop
topics include: board responsibilities; the
board's role in managing the agency; controlling
through policies; optimum size and composition
of the board; recruiting board members for
results; how to make committees effective;
how the board raises funds for the agency;
and building a productive relationship with
the executive director.
Empowering Volunteers and Staff
Too often, supervisors unintentionally produce
resistance or apathy in the people they supervise
by attempting to control those people's behavior.
This is particularly true of those who supervise
volunteers because volunteers are not in the
workplace every day. This session explores
how managers can motivate volunteers and staff
by giving them more authority and more control
over the work they do. Managers learn techniques
of building volunteer or staff confidence
and self-reliance by empowering them without
losing control. As a consequence, the job
of the supervisor is made easier, the volunteer
or staff person being supervised is more enthusiastic,
and the work gets done in an increasingly
effective manner.
Designing Motivating Jobs for Volunteers
and Staff
Many problems of modern organizations have
their roots in poorly designed jobs. Although
most managers are unaware of it, most jobs
are designed so that they bring out the worst
in people, make communication and supervision
difficult, obscure the quality of performance,
lead to worker alienation, and increase the
amount of management effort and cost necessary
to achieve results through people. In this
workshop, participants learn to design jobs
for volunteers or staff so that results are
achieved as economically as possible and so
that the worker gets maximum satisfaction
form the work. Using the techniques learned
in this seminar, managers are able to draw
on the vast reserve of untapped employee and
volunteer potential, focusing the power of
that resource in an efficient and rewarding
manner on accomplishing meaningful goals.
Developing a High-impact Volunteer Program
Non-profit organizations will never get all
the funding they need to bring together all
the skills necessary to fully accomplish their
missions. To be as effective as possible,
agencies must involve significant numbers
of volunteers in professional and non-traditional
capacities. In this workshop, participants
learn how to identify ways in which volunteers
can make a significant contribution toward
achieving their agencies' missions. Volunteer
programs grow in stature and effectiveness
when utilizing these simple techniques.
Building Effective Teams
This workshop equips managers with skills
to build a sense of commitment and connection
in their people. It enables participants to
unleash the synergistic power of the collective
energies of their workforce, a power that
is greater than the sum of its parts. Managers
learn when teams are an appropriate work group
model and how to develop people to take team
responsibility. The ten characteristics of
effective teams are presented. Participants
learn how to turn groups of isolated individuals
into a cohesive working group by focusing
them on the purpose of the organization and
tapping their motivational needs. Participants
also learn skills in managing group interaction.
Helping Staff Work Effectively with Volunteers
This workshop is for those who work in agencies
where volunteers are supervised by staff who
may lack volunteer management skills. As a
consequence, volunteer turnover may by high.
In Some cases, volunteers who leave may have
a negative view of the agency, thus creating
a public image problem. This session show
volunteer directors how to influence staff
over whom they have no direct authority. It
equips participants with the ability to develop
a volunteer program that is supported strongly
by staff and in which volunteers have are
rewarding experience.
Managing Your Agency from A Marketing
Perspective
In this seminar, participants learn how non-profits
can increase the effectiveness of their service
to clients by adopting a marketing perspective.
Participants examine their agency from the
points of view of the people they want to
influence and learn how to increase the number
of favorable transactions with such people.
Participants learn how to apply marketing
principles to the recruitment of volunteers,
attraction of clients, raising of resources,
and enhancement of the agency's public image.
Essential Volunteer Management
This workshop presents an overview of the
main skills involved in managing a successful
volunteer program. The workshop covers
skills in recruiting volunteers, designing
effective jobs, creating a positive motivational
atmosphere, and identifying resources in
this growing field. The workshop uses a
number of powerful analogies to help participants
understand what works and how to insure
that volunteers receive their “motivational
paycheck.”
Strategic Planning
Often conducted in a retreat setting, this
seminar enables an agency to chart a prosperous
course through the often troubled waters of
the future. Participants will re-examine the
agency's mission, identify current and potential
obstacles to fulfilling that mission, and
set goals which are most likely to make a
significant impact. In doing so, participants
learn to avoid the common pitfalls of agency
planning efforts. Participants also learn
to manage the agency so that all the energies
of volunteers and staff are focused on achieving
important goals.
The Key to Volunteer Retention
Volunteer turnover is a major problem in
many organizations. It creates a constant
need to recruit additional volunteer help
and to train and orient new people. In this
session, volunteer directors learn how to
create a positive motivational climate that
volunteers are unlikely to experience anywhere
else in life. It is a climate that bolsters
and builds the volunteer's self esteem while
at the same time developing a strong sense
of loyalty to the organization. Using these
methods, volunteer managers create an environment
which makes people feel good about themselves
and the agency, a climate that helps volunteers
look forward to going to work.
Managing Quality Service
Sometimes agencies with high caliber people
fail to deliver high-quality service to
clients because of the way the service delivery
system is designed and managed. This workshop
equips managers of non-profit agencies with
skills to remove barriers to high quality
service. Topics include: the elements of
outstanding customer service, how to ensure
service quality, designing jobs for quality
service, creating a system of quality service,
empowering the front line, measuring service
effectiveness, and establishing quality
service values.
Empowering Your People:
How Not to Micromanage
When people feel overly controlled by their
manager, they tend to develop feelings of
resentment, anger, and apathy. In extreme
cases, this results in passive aggressive
behavior. In all cases it results in low morale
and low productivity. And it leads to overwork
and burnout on the part of the manager.
Micromanagement occurs because people in
management positions are often more capable
and experienced at doing the work than the
people they supervise. Their very experience
and ability leads them to micromanage, to
attempt to get their people to do the work
the way they would do it themselves. They
only option they see to doing this is to turn
people loose to do things their own way, an
option they correctly believe will lead to
chaos. By mastering the skills presented in
this lively workshop, participants will be
able to keep things under control without
controlling things.
Who should attend
This class is helpful for all people who
supervise others. It is particularly important
for those who face disgruntled or resistant
employees and those who feel overwhelmed by
their workloads.
What you'll learn
This session explores how managers can motivate
staff by giving them more authority and more
control over the work they do. Managers learn
techniques of building staff confidence and
self-reliance by empowering them while maintaining
insurance of the quality of the work. As a
consequence, the job of the supervisor is
made easier, the staff are more enthusiastic,
and the work gets done in an increasingly
effective manner.
Sample topics covered:
The negative consequences of not empowering
employees
- How poor morale leads to management overload
- Why employees sometimes engage in passive-aggressive
behavior to defend their egos
How to keep things under control without
controlling people
- Delegating by defining results
- The four levels of authority and how to
move people up the scale
How to avoid reverse delegation
How to increase management ‘leverage' by
defining work in terms of outcomes
Coaching skills to help employees grow
- Using powerful questions
- Helping people
learn from experience
Includes:
- An exclusive, four-step approach to empowerment
developed by Richard Lynch
- Opportunities to practice the skills demonstrated
in the workshop
- Free telephone assistance after the workshop
ends
Building Better Boards
The Board of Directors can be a non-profit's
most precious resource. Frequently, however,
board members have little experience, knowledge
or appreciation of how to play their role effectively.
This workshop helps board members learn how
to avoid two very common mistakes. The first
is that the board seeks to manage the agency
by making decisions about every little thing
that comes before it, sometimes even seeking
out opportunities to do so. No board has the
time to manage effectively in this way. The
second common mistake is that the board is not
involved enough, passively approving whatever
the executive director wants. In the workshop,
participants will learn a third way that frees
them from the minutiae that consume so much
board time and enable them to play a powerful
governing role.
Who should attend
This class is helpful for board members and
executive directors who want to establish a
more effective governing body.
What you'll learn
This session provides board members with answers
to common questions, such as:
- What is the proper role between the
board and the executive director
- What is the legal liability of individual
board members for actions of the staff
- How many people should be on the board
- What is the board's role in fundraising
and supporting the agency
- How can a board insure proper performance
of agency staff
- How does the board set the strategic
direction of the agency
- What is the role of the board in creating
a vision of the agency's future
Sample topics covered:
The role of the board
- Legal responsibilities of the board
- Relations with the Executive
- Ideal size and composition of the
board
How to keep things under control without controlling
people
- Governing by policies
- Holding the Executive accountable
Setting a strategic direction
- Defining a motivating mission
statement
- Defining a compelling vision
of the future
- Defining strategy for the future
The board's role in raising resources
- Asking for money
- Representing the agency
in the community
Includes:
- Opportunities to practice the skills
demonstrated in the workshop
- Free telephone assistance after the
workshop ends
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