Leader in innovation charge... Ronald McDonald House

We have combined resources with Ronald McDonald House to find new models of volunteer management for the future. Ronald McDonald House has become a 3 year reference site for our BFI ‘Build Better Business’ program. The program uses our BFI interrelationship model to strengthen and enhance their existing volunteer management program. 

Ronald McDonald House already has a sound volunteer management program supported by policies, procedures and in-house training. Ronald McDonald House engages many volunteers across two houses and in coming years, will be expanding with additional facilities. 

To build better business in the future, Ronald McDonald House needs a volunteer program that is fluid. It needs a volunteer program that is designed to respond to the interrelationship between all elements of volunteer management (belonging, flow and infrastructure) so that is can balance the needs of volunteers who are providing the input; with the outcomes required by the business. 

This is not easy to implement. Innovating for future challenges is hard to prioritise when the issues of running the day to day business are at hand. Through our partnership Ronald McDonald House is seeking to overcome this by combining resources and thinking. 

“First we undertook a health check to confirm how effectively we were tracking,” said Helen Boysen, Executive Officer. “We are committed to innovation and want to enhance our program, and it was reassuring to know we had the right ‘ingredients’ to make it work. It has also given us a benchmark to start from.” 

“Next we will work with Ronald McDonald House to strengthen their volunteer coordinator role. Like many community organisations this role is not a paid role. Where critical management roles aren’t paid; there is a greater need for training, professional development and good retention practices so that if there is turnover, knowledge is not lost. Knowledge of good management practices helps in this role, but volunteer management is subtly different – and this is where the BFI interrelationship model comes into play,” said David Ham, BFI ‘Build Better Business’ Consultant. 

We will keep you updated on Ronald McDonald House’s BFI ‘Build Better Business’ progress.