Dismissing a Volunteer

In today's volunteer sector, dismissals are a fact of life. But dismissing a volunteer in an unprofessional way only makes the situation unnecessarily traumatic for the volunteer, and can invite a lawsuit and negative media coverage that damages individual reputations, as well as shadows the public image of the Extension Service.

How can an Extension professional or 4-H Council dismiss a volunteer appropriately? It's necessary to have a process, including a probationary system, in place before termination for inadequate performance problems occur. In this regard, probationary periods may be any length, but a 4-H season may be the most practical.

The steps associated with termination of a volunteer are: (1) an official warning letter indicating specific information or areas that need improvement sent by the 4-H Council (or board), (2) follow-up counseling along with a letter of documentation, (3) probation with explicit goals, and (4) termination.

The goal of the probationary system is to give volunteers an opportunity to improve their performance and help them be effective 4-H volunteers. Given specific objectives, volunteers should be objectively evaluated routinely and given a reasonable number of opportunities to improve in areas of marginal achievement. A person on probation should have his or her progress monitored through monthly meetings. A letter reiterating the meeting's discussion must be given to the volunteer.

Grounds for dismissal must be well-documented. The terminated volunteer's file should clearly state how Extension/4- H policy was violated or how performance was substandard. At least three or more examples of misconduct or inappropriate performance should be cited.

Terminated volunteers should be given help in the form of reliable references and information about other areas of interest and program needs in the community. Often, the volunteer's performance is substandard because the person and task aren't a workable match or the person really doesn't know what's expected. It's better to remove a volunteer from an area of unsatisfactory work into another area of interest than to turn the volunteer out with negative feelings about Extension and the 4-H program that he or she will share with others. Finding the right "niche" for people is an important professional responsibility in volunteer management. Leader contracts and job descriptions are a necessity. Creation of a workable, easily understandable job description for volunteer tasks is one of the most useful tools and training aids available to the Extension professional, the 4- H Council, and the volunteer.

Dismissal is no doubt one of the worst and most undesirable things to experience. But if the Extension professional and 4-H Council are fair and helpful, a dismissed volunteer later may realize and appreciate that leaving one task only to accept another, which brings more success and satisfaction, was a positive experience.