eJewish Philanthropy is happy to welcome Deborah Riegel who will be contributing to our eJP community on a regular basis, sharing her thoughts on professional development.

15 Tips for Keeping Staff, Volunteers and Yourself Happy

• Choose the right people in the first place through behavioral interviewing, competency assessments, and matching interests
• Communicate and get agreement on expectations – making sure those expectations are appropriate to the job and to the mission of the organization
• Reinforce goals and expectations with written job or volunteer role descriptions
• Help staff and volunteers understand how their contributions fit into the mission and vision of the organization
• Give regular, timely and relevant positive and constructive feedback about performance
• Schedule regular face-to-face meetings – and keep those appointments
• Listen to others’ ideas, and use them – giving full credit, of course
• Pay attention to how the relationship is working, and be willing to talk about what works, and how to make things better
• Publicly and privately acknowledge the contributions of staff and volunteers
• Engage and employ the unique talents and special interests of each person
• Recognize each person’s preferred communication style, and adapt where you can
• Make sure you have the person-power you need (with both staff and volunteers), so that workers feel challenged but not exhausted and burdened
• Support your staff and volunteers in achieving work-life harmony – and model it for them (Really!)
• Positively reinforce desirable behaviors (such as going above and beyond the job description) and negatively reinforce undesirable behaviors (such as lateness)
• Provide multiple opportunities for staff and volunteers to develop themselves through training, coaching, mentoring and shadowing opportunities

about Deborah: Deborah Grayson Riegel, MSW, ACC, is a coach, trainer and speaker who helps Jewish organizations and individuals achieve personal and professional success without the tsuris.

Deborah’s energetic workshops and speaking programs are in high demand with North American Jewish organizations, Fortune 500 companies, national and local government agencies, and small start-ups, and her one-on-one coaching has propelled Jewish professionals across industries and interests to get farther, faster.

Deborah was the Director of Education and Training for the Mandel Center for Leadership Excellence at United Jewish Communities (UJC), where she developed innovative training programs for Federation professionals and lay-leaders, and co-authored an award-winning interactive solicitation training website.  Deborah was also a key player in the development of New York’s Makor/Steinhardt Center for young Jewish professionals.