I’m sorry; I need to rant. I’ll never understand why leaders of volunteers in some organisations put off answering volunteer inquiries. Why has this ever been a problem? Someone reaches out and says, “Hey, I’m interested in volunteering with your organisation.” They’re basically walking up to the front door with free energy, skills, and time. And what happens? Nothing! Silence. Days go by. Weeks, sometimes. Maybe someone eventually gets back to them. Maybe they don’t. By then, the potential volunteer has lost interest or gone somewhere else.
It makes me want to tear my hair out.
I know, I know. We’re all busy. Everyone in the non-profit world is stretched super thin. There are programs to run, reports to write, board meetings to sit through. Answering random emails from strangers or following up with people who talked with you at an event probably feels like one more thing that will need to be done once the “urgent” work is finished. But here’s the kicker: those strangers are potential volunteers! Volunteers who, once they’re through the door and trained, will actually save time. Putting off responding to them because there are more urgent things to do is like delaying putting gas in the car because there isn’t time to stop at the station!
I have a friend who once tried to volunteer at a local animal shelter. She filled out the form on their website and waited. Nothing. She followed up a week later. Crickets. After another week, she gave up and signed on at a different shelter across town. They replied the same day, invited her to an orientation, and had her scooping litter boxes and cuddling cats by the weekend. Guess which shelter still struggles with too few volunteers?
Here’s the thing: people’s enthusiasm has a shelf life.
When someone feels that spark to get involved, they’re excited. They’re motivated. That motivation doesn’t last forever. If their volunteer inquiries aren’t responded to quickly, it dies out. They start thinking, “Well, maybe they don’t really need me,” or “Maybe I wouldn’t fit in there.” The organisation not only loses a volunteer, they’ve chipped away at their willingness to give back at all.
And don’t even get me started on the message it sends about the organisation! If someone can’t manage to respond to an email in under a week, what does that say about how they treat volunteers once they’re involved? How would you feel if the very first time you reached out to an organisation, you were ignored? What a way to start the relationship off on the wrong foot.
I’ve heard the excuses:
- “We don’t have enough staff to respond quickly.”
- “Our volunteer coordinator is a volunteer herself.”
- “We’re still developing our onboarding process.”
Fine. But set up an auto-reply at least. Something that says, “Thanks for reaching out! We’ll be in touch within X days.” Then actually follow through. Or delegate. Or streamline. Whatever it takes. Just don’t leave people hanging!
Yes, everyone is busy. Yes, we’re under-resourced. That’s exactly why we need volunteers! And no one’s going to get them if they’re ghosted at “hello.” Because here’s the bottom line: unanswered volunteer inquires are missed opportunities. They’re people who could have been helping the organisation run events, raise funds, or deliver services. They’re people who might have become a lifelong supporter, donor, or advocate. And you let them slip away because you “didn’t have time” to hit reply? Please.
Volunteers are not a side project.
They are the backbone of most non-profits. Treating their interest with urgency and respect is the least that can be done.
So, for the love of all things good and charitable, answer your volunteer inquiries already! Today. Not next week. Not when you finally get around to clearing your inbox. Today. Because every minute you wait, you risk losing someone who genuinely wanted to help.
And isn’t that the most urgent thing?
Okay. Rant over.
