Growing a Volunteer Team Requires Planning

Organizations small and large often rely on the support of volunteers. Whether your organization is taking its first step towards volunteer recruitment, or you have more volunteer demand than opportunities, there is great value in planning for short and long-term volunteer roles. There are at least four steps to volunteer coordination. A designated volunteer coordinator should consider what protocols the organization should adopt when it comes to (1) volunteer outreach and recruitment, (2) vetting volunteers, (3) volunteer training and supervision; and (4) overall volunteer management. I’ve put together the following tips for organizations to consider:

1. Volunteer Recruitment

Don’t simply start with a blanket call for volunteers without reviewing the four steps. You’ll only set yourself up for failure. Instead, begin by thinking about what roles are available for volunteers. Are these roles short-term or long-term? In thinking about what opportunities are available, you can then start considering how many volunteers you actually need. Having more volunteer applicants that exceed an organization’s capacity can place a strain on staff. Additionally, volunteers who want to help but are then either ignored or dismissed often do not return to the same organization. Therefore, thinking critically about exactly what you are asking of potential volunteers and ensuring that opportunities are available is crucial. This will also impact your communication planning. In other words, don’t promote volunteer opportunities if you don’t have roles to fill.

2. Vetting Volunteers

Free support isn’t always the best support. A problematic volunteer can take away precious staff time and resources. Taking time initially to determine whether a volunteer is the right fit for your organization will benefit you in the long run. Oftentimes, smaller nonprofits skip this step, but caution will better serve your organization.

3. Volunteer Training and Supervision

Volunteers commonly leave organizations simply because no one took the time to properly train or integrate them. It is helpful to view volunteers as donors in that they are giving something of value to the organization — their time. Ensuring that there is someone to help guide the volunteer in their new role is important. If the volunteer has questions about their role, they should know there is always someone on staff that they could turn to for help and support. If your organization has an ongoing influx of volunteers, perhaps you might setup frequent volunteer orientations. Thinking about streamlining processes will ultimately allow your organization to better manage and supervise your volunteer pool.

4. Volunteer Management

I cannot emphasize enough how valuable volunteer management is. This step is last because it entails a broad scope approach. Proper volunteer management entails providing a prospective volunteer with a point of contact as soon as they reach out. Not only should a volunteer feel supported throughout their stint serving the organization, a volunteer should also feel appreciated when their time of service is complete. How does your organization fold in former volunteers into future communication plans? A volunteer leaving an organization with a bitter taste in their mouth could deter other volunteers or donors from supporting. Alternatively, a volunteer with a good experience could generate future support for your organization.

I realize that not all organizations have a volunteer coordinator on staff. It’s also typical for smaller nonprofits to have a volunteer serve as a volunteer coordinator. If you feel that your organization could use some support in creating a volunteer infrastructure, streamlining or automating current volunteer practices, please reach out to Social Change Consulting. As usual, you can always find me at adam@socialchangeconsulting.com.

Photo Credit: Rawpixel