Volunteer Management Blog
Rural Volunteer Programs
Running a rural volunteer program has its own unique challenges, especially when it comes to recruitment. Here are a few tips that might help.
Volunteering Trends in 2024
I took a look into my crystal ball today to see what volunteering trends are coming in 2024. Have a look and start planning!
The Trouble with High Expectations of New Volunteers
Are your expectations of new volunteers too high? Wanting volunteers to come in already skilled and experienced can be counter-productive.
Creative Gifts for Volunteers
Are you looking for creative gifts for volunteers? Here are a few fun and unusual ideas for gifts that will make volunteers smile.
Scaling Impact through Collaboration
Collaboration is vital to scaling our impact. Here are the benefits and key requirements for a successful alliance in the social impact sector.
Navigating Dementia in Volunteers
It can be challenging and heartrending to deal with dementia in volunteers. Here are a few ways to make it easier for you and them.
See Volunteers Differently
Try boosting your creativity and looking at volunteers differently. It’s amazing what a simple change of perspective can do!
Helping Families Volunteer
We often overlook a key demographic when we recruit. Families. Here are ways to help make it easier and more appealing for families to volunteer with your organization.
How to Deal with Change
Change is a constant in the social impact sector, but most leaders of volunteers aren’t trained in how to deal with it. Here are some tips.
Choosing a Volunteer Management System
Choosing a volunteer management system is hard. Here is the process that I go through for clients who ask me to find one for them.
Peer-to-Peer Recognition in Volunteering
In addition to your work in appreciating volunteers, develop a culture of peer-to-peer recognition, where volunteers praise each other.
Gamifying Volunteer Training
It can be hard to motivate volunteers to take (or re-take!) training. Gamifying volunteer training can be an effective way to build their enthusiasm for learning.
Developing a Community of Practice for Volunteer Leaders
Belonging to a Community of Practice is a way to help leaders of volunteers improve their programs and themselves. Can’t find one? Here’s how to set one up.
7 Ways to Show Tangible Gratitude
When a volunteer goes “above and beyond”, a simple verbal thank you may not be enough. Here are some ways to show more tangible gratitude.
Slowing the Volunteer Merry-Go-Round
Are volunteers flying away from your organization, like kids off a too-fast merry-go-round? Here are a few ways to help them keep their grip.
Don’t Hoard Volunteers!
When we hoard volunteers we risk losing them not only for our program but as part of the overall volunteer pool. Be willing to share!
7 Steps to Effective Succession Planning
Succession planning is often neglected in social impact agencies, but it is a key process to protect the organization and the impact it makes.
How We Define Community Affects Volunteering
To improve our volunteer recruitment, we need to define community as more than just our geographical location.
A Sea of Volunteers
How much greater would your impact be if you had a whole sea of volunteers? Sound impossible? It all depends on how you look at the challenges that get in the way.
The Volunteer Lifecycle
Knowing the volunteer lifecycle will help keep your program strong and resilient by letting you focus on the key areas that affect how a volunteer sees – and talks about – your organization.
8 Lessons for Creating an Amazing Volunteer Environment
Do you need help creating an amazing volunteer environment? Here are my 8 lessons to get you started – thanks to Patty McCord’s TED talk!
Leadership Styles – They’re ALL Good!
What leadership styles do you use? For good leaders, the answer is “all of them”! Here’s what the styles are and why you should use them.
The Four Appreciation Languages
If some of your methods of appreciation are leaving many volunteers feeling – well, unappreciated – you may want to brush up on your appreciation languages!
JAD Sessions for Volunteer Programs
Conducting JAD sessions for volunteer programs may never have occurred to you. You might not even know what one is! But they can be a valuable tool for improving your volunteer program.
Intergenerational Volunteering
Intergenerational volunteering is powerful. It strengthens our communities, improves innovation and enhances our organizational sustainability.