Frequently Asked Questions
Top 10 questions leaders of volunteer organisations ask…
In my years working in the sector, there are certain questions that come up over and over again. Here are my answers to the top ten, with links to articles where I’ve elaborated on the subject.
1. How do I recruit more volunteers?
- First, ensure your systems are running smoothly. A common complaint from potential volunteers is “I reached out but no one got back to me.” Even if you do respond, if the recruitment process is confusing or involves a lot of hoops to jump through, people are less likely to follow through.
- Know who your ideal volunteer is. The skills they have, their availability, work ethic, everything. (It’s easier to find something when you know what you’re looking for!) Then target your messaging directly to them. Post in places where that ideal volunteer might hang out: want active seniors? Post at golf courses or connect with walking groups. Want specific skills? Reach out to university classes, or clubs that focus on that skill. Also, offering clearly defined roles (e.g. “thrift store cashier volunteer”, “communications intern”) will help people picture themselves serving.
- My blog has dozens of articles on recruiting volunteers. Check them out here: “Blog”.
2. Why aren’t our volunteers staying?
- There are a lot of reasons why volunteers leave an organisation. Some of the most common ones include: they don’t see the impact of what they’re doing, too little communication, mismatched roles, lack of appreciation and/or feeling unsupported or disrespected.
- As each individual may have multiple reasons it can be hard to pinpoint exactly where things are breaking down. Look for patterns; when do most people quit? During the onboarding process? When they work with a particular staff member or other volunteer? After they’ve been assigned a certain role? Once you know the patterns, you can look closer at that particular area. Also, listen when volunteers grumble. Little grumbles can point to big problems, especially if several people complain about the same thing. Whatever it is, fix it! Or at least explain why it has to be the way it is.
- Here are more reasons and ideas on how to fix them: “Reducing Volunteer Turnover”, “Slowing the Volunteer Merry-Go-Round”.
3. How can I keep volunteers engaged during slow periods?
- A simple and useful way is to offer micro-trainings or “lunch and learns” about some aspect of your mission that they might not otherwise hear about. This is less to do about in-depth role training and more about exposing volunteers to the bigger picture of the organisation and its mission.
- Slow periods are also great opportunities to get volunteers involved with upgrading or enhancing the program itself. Do a brainstorming session on ways they think clients could be served better or in a different way, or ask for suggestions on how to make their roles more enjoyable. Once you have some ideas, get volunteers involved in testing them out. This can really make them feel like they have a stake in the organisation, and will get them excited about coming back when things pick up.
- There are more ideas in these articles: “Engaging Volunteers During Downtimes”, “Keeping Event-Based Volunteers Coming Back”.
4. How do I handle difficult volunteers?
- Jump on issues quickly, so they don’t fester or become entrenched. Have a conversation with the volunteer to find out their side of the story. Some people just need to vent or there may be barriers you aren’t aware of. Reiterate expectations and state the consequences of not meeting those expectations. When necessary, gather the courage to enforce those consequences.
- If nothing works, you may need to terminate them. It’s hard, but letting someone get away with bad behaviour just frustrates rule-abiding volunteers who might then quit, or it may indicate to certain others that ignoring the rules is okay. Believe me, terminating a volunteer is way easier!
- Here are some articles that expand on these points: “Dealing with Old Guard Volunteers”, “Four Early Warning Signs of Team Conflict”, “Enforcing Boundaries” and “Firing a Volunteer – Can I? And How?”
5. What’s the best way to train new volunteers?
- Start with providing an orientation that includes the organisation’s mission and values, covers the volunteer roles and expectations, introduces the new volunteer to staff and other, more senior, volunteers and let them know where to find any other information they might need. My blog has a number of articles on training and onboarding new volunteers. “Blog”
- In role-specific training, include elements of instructional design and, if at all possible, include some form of gamification to make it interactive and enjoyable. No one learns by hearing someone drone on and on (and on!) about something. Make it fun! Here are some ways to gamify your training: “Gamifying Volunteer Training”.
6. What should a volunteer policy manual include?
- There are a number of different policies that should be included in a volunteer policy manual. Here are the ones I think are key:
- Code of Conduct – your expectations of the behaviour of volunteers while serving with you, and the consequences of failing to meet those expectations.
- Volunteer Recruitment & Screening – the rules you will be following when bringing in new volunteers. Having this specified will help ensure objectivity and reduce risk to clients.
- Volunteer Record Management – what information you will be collecting about volunteers, and how, where and for how long it will be stored.
- Volunteer Engagement – the basic rules to follow in all your interactions with volunteers, including scheduling, conflict management, dealing with no-shows, DEI, etc. This will be your largest and most comprehensive policy.
- Volunteer Termination – yes, you need to have a policy for what you will do when a volunteer is no longer a fit for your organisation! Not having or following such a policy has led to lawsuits against organisations in the past.
- Here is a link to my Resources page, where I have templates of the above policies that you can download and alter to suit your program: “Resources”.
7. How can I show volunteers appreciation on a tight budget?
- Lots of ways! Use handwritten thank-you notes, digital e-cards, or social-media spotlights. Anything that’s both personalised and impactful. And never forget the importance of a heartfelt “thank you”!
- Remember, too, that the reason people volunteer is because they want to make a difference. Share the impact that their service has made to the cause. Make sure they’re told about compliments from clients, or share stats about how many bags of garbage were collected. It makes people feel good to hear that they had an influence on the world.
- Here are some other ways to show appreciation on a budget: “Thanking Volunteers”, “Ten Inexpensive Ways to Celebrate Volunteer Birthdays“, and “The Four Appreciation Languages”.
8. How can I get staff to work well with volunteers?
- Educate them! Do training sessions with staff about the value and skills volunteers bring to the organisation and best practices for working with volunteers, so that they’re comfortable with what they need to do. And make sure that, if they’re asked to supervise volunteers, that they have the resources and capacity to do so effectively. There’s more detail in this blog: “Turn Staff into Volunteer Lovers”.
- Be aware of the language you use, as well. Refer to both staff and volunteers as team members, or collaborators, rather than staff and volunteers. The fewer distinctions you use, the fewer they will see.
9. How do I justify our volunteer program to leadership?
- Board members and senior leadership look at three things when making a decision: Impact, Risk and Cost. If you can show measurable impact (meals delivered, parks cleaned), that there is little or no risk with the program (and there might be without it!), and that the cost is offset by the impact made, leadership will value the program. After all, they care about the cause too, and volunteers deliver 90% of the impact in most organisations. Here are some tips on how to effectively present your program to your Board: “Presenting to the Board”.
- Don’t just give numbers, though. Combine data with stories: volunteer impact stories show the human side of service – what volunteers contribute and feel. Stories influence people far more than numbers ever do. This blog talks about how to write one: “Creating an Effective Volunteer Impact Story”.
10. What tools help with scheduling, communication, and tracking?
- There are hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteer management systems around, with varying levels of complexity and cost. Whether you need a simple, free system or a complex, multi-functional software requiring a budget of thousands, there is something out there for you. It’s a good idea to know exactly what you need before you go looking, though. Check out my blog “Choosing a Volunteer Management System” for more specifics.
- Start simple. If you’re tiny, or just starting out, it’s perfectly okay (no matter what some people tell you!) to use shared calendars, email groups or spreadsheets, and then scale up only when that becomes too time-consuming.