Team Building Activities for Volunteers
Many non-profit organizations depend upon volunteers to run efficiently. Although volunteer recognition such as awards and honorary dinners helps maintain morale, teambuilding activities are an essential component in constructing an effective, cohesive team, especially with new volunteers. Teambuilding activities will help your volunteers to get to know each other better and bond with each other, reinforcing their common goals and increasing their commitment to the organization.
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Ice Breakers
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With a new group of volunteers, it is worthwhile to engage in some getting acquainted activities early on to enable the volunteers to learn each others' names and something about each other. Divide the volunteers into groups of four or five and ask each person to write down two true statements about themselves and one untrue statement. The rest of the group will take turns guessing which statement is false. Having the volunteers complete short sentences such as, "My most embarrassing moment," or "my favorite movie" also opens discussion as they get to know each other.
Indoor Games
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Place a rope on the floor forming a large circle with a line down the middle. Select two volunteers and have each one stand on one half of the circle facing each other. Their task is to use their powers of persuasion, including bribery and trickery to convince the other to cross over the rope line. Tell the spectators to offer words of encouragement. Debrief after several pairs have had their turn. Which methods seemed to work most effectively?
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Outdoor Games and Retreats
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Physical sports and games such as tug-of-war help build camaraderie and develop a sense of cohesiveness among the volunteers. Rock-climbing walls where one volunteer is depend upon the other to safely hold the rope also fosters trust and dependence. The investment in an overnight retreat usually pays off because people are more likely to relax in a new environment, physically distanced from their usual location.
Reaching Consensus
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Survival games provide the opportunity for discussion, persuasion and consensus. Divide your volunteers into groups of four or five. Give each group a description of a remote and dangerous location, such as a jungle, desert or the arctic, as well as a list of about 25 items they may need for survival in that location. The first part of the exercise requires each individual to write down what they believe to be the 10 most important items for survival. The object of the game is for the group to then rank-order the 10 most important items on the list by reaching consensus, no votes allowed. Debrief afterwards about the group dynamics and evolving leadership.
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