How can we retain employees in the time between projects?

Being a project based company there are times when our call center is quiet. Knowing that more work is right around the corner and wanting to retain our experienced interviewers we have decided to pay them to volunteer around Bellingham.

I contacted the Whatcom Volunteer Center and spoke with Dan. He directed me to a PDF on their website that lists possible volunteer opportunities by category. I contacted a few organizations and explained that we had four people with excellent phone skills and experience with data entry and filing.

Katherine and Angela helped out at Mother Baby Center. They called different companies and asked for them to donate money or items to be bid on for the center's annual auction and catalogued the items as they came in. Katherine attended the event and helped at the silent auction tables.

Carol vistited the Bellingham Area Senior Center where she was asked to walk around and ask members to fill out a feedback survey. After doing so, she asked the Center's coordinator, Cam Oliver, if they had received many completed surveys. They had not. Carol suggested that she call those who had not returned the surveys. She got 20 completes in 3 hours!

Harrison worked with Elizabeth Page, the volunteer coordinator for the Puget Sound Blood Center in the area. He helped organize volunteer records and entered appropriate data into the computer program they use to keep track of volunteers.

The interviewers like the change of pace, important work is accomplished, and we retain our expert interviewers. Giving them volunteer opportunities is a win, win, win situation!