Would you like to be an organization that attracts and retains interns and volunteers?

Why are some organizations more successful than others in attracting and retaining 'volunteers,' or 'interns'? I'm going to answer that question by relating a personal experience I had working for a Fortune 500 company. One of the first volunteers I had the pleasure of working with was a student named Ellen. The company I was working for at the time had established a good rapport with colleges and universities throughout the United States. These institutions were the company’s chief source of “volunteers.” “Could you use a student intern for the summer?” the company headquarters asked. “Yes!” I said instantly. “I have at least a dozen projects for a good project coordinator.” “Could a student handle the work?” asked headquarters. “I happen to have a job description. I’ll fax it to you and you can have the student decide for herself if she can handle it,” I replied. Now think about this. A person was volunteering help. And I was ready to accept it (1). I had a list of tasks (2). I had a job description (3), and even a job title (4). Before the student reported for work, I alerted her co-workers that we were going to have an intern (5). I didn’t want anyone to feel threatened by a new person. In fact, I asked members of my staff to conduct parts of the student’s orientation (6). When the student reported for work, she was introduced to co-workers (7). She was given a work area (8). And the work area was set up with all the tools she needed to do her job (9). We gave her a schedule for her first day (10). It included a tour of the facility (11) and time to look over a list of people (12) she would be working with. The list identified who the people were, why they were important to her, and it had their phone numbers. There also was time on the schedule for her to read publications describing our operation (13). As a volunteer, she was interested in gaining job experience to list in her resume that would eventually help her get established in the job market. With the job title we gave her, she could say on her resume that she worked one summer as project coordinator for a Fortune 500 company. There was no question in her mind about what we expected her to do. The job description identified who she reported to, what standards were expected, how her internship was to contribute to our overall goals, and it outlined 12 specific assignments. When I reviewed it with her, I asked about her professional ambitions (14) and explained how her assignments would contribute to her personal goals (15). I said to myself at the time, if she completes half of the 12 assignments, it would be quite an accomplishment for an intern and of significant value to the company. During the internship, we gave our volunteer periodic critiques (16) of her work and personal written notes of praise that she could attach to her resume (17). Work was always delegated (18). People want to be given an assignment with all the information, authority, support and resources to get the job done (19). And they want to be recognized and rewarded for good work when it is deserved (20). To my delight, Ellen completed all 12 assignments in an outstanding manner. And guess what? I just gave you 20 ways to be an organization that attracts and retains interns and volunteers.