“Those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer.” ~ Author unknown
There is no doubt that volunteers are the straw that stirs the drink for many organizations, associations, clubs, committees/boards, fundraisers and initiatives. We are very blessed to live in a community, and a country, where so many people volunteer their time. When you really think about the impact volunteerism has on our lives, it is truly everywhere.
I currently volunteer with a number of different groups. I also feel very fortunate to be part of very strong volunteer groups right now. To me, being a volunteer and leading volunteers provide unique sets of challenges. First, to be honest, I know there have been times when I haven’t been the best volunteer. Sometimes I exited gracefully like Wendy did with her situation. Other times, I didn’t, but I should have – or simply, I should have worked (/be working) harder to be a better volunteer.
However, for this post I don’t want to focus on the key attributes of a successful volunteer. Instead I want to focus on leading volunteers. I have seen volunteer leaders face many challenges:
- Not enough volunteers for the task at hand
- The volunteers do not have the right skill set needed to accomplish the goal
- Varying levels of commitment amongst the volunteers
- Different work styles and personalities
- Volunteers have different agendas
One of the biggest challenges I have found in leading volunteers is holding people accountable. As a leader there is a goal that needs to be completed and volunteers need to do what they say they are going to do. However, these people have volunteered. I want them to have a positive experience and want them to volunteer in the future. Some volunteers are very influential, but may not be meeting expectations. For me, holding volunteers accountable can be a very delicate task.
So, help me and other readers. Share your stories about leading volunteers. Give me your best tips and suggestions for leading volunteers. Our community relies on effective volunteer leaders. I look forward to hearing from you.
This is such a great topic, and both the post and prior comments were so helpful to me, as a nonprofit leader both paid and volunteer. The only thing I would add is to Mom?underscore thatwe are talking about relationships here, only one dimension of which is their “volunteerness.”. Okay, so no money changes hands. What else do we know?
Volunteers run the gamut from owner-surrogates (e.g. Board member) through unpaid employees, to fellow-travellers or casual,helping hands. In all cases, the leader should make the role meaningful, and in all cases expectations should be clear and mutually understood, even if they are inherently dynamic in some instances. That’s all been said above. How you do it will differ depending on the role, and of course depends on the individuals involved, too.
The art is in attending to the needs of the organization and helping the volunteer to fulfill a meaningful, satisfying role in that organization. When in doubt, I think framing substantial roles as unpaid jobs helps everyone to know what is expected. We can change it up from there as appropriate.
The best leaders I have seen in these situations demonstrated great listening, mission-focus, and realism – along with some patience, compassion, and a strong sense of humor.
I used to teach nonprofits how to work successfully with volunteers – and here are a few key tips that can be game changers for some:
1) Clearly set up expectations and keep reminding them of those expectations. You mention accountability. It starts by you being frank about what you’d like the volunteer to do and then following up with that. Don’t ask them to do x and then never have check-in meetings. Set up regular updates like you would with a staff person to make sure they’re on track. If they’re off track – TELL THEM. If you’re silent, then the problem is yours, not theirs. If they can’t get back on track – FIRE THEM. That’s right. Do it gently and gracefully, but do it. They are there to work towards fulfilling your mission, not because you owe them something just for showing up.
2) Adapt to who comes to you. If you’re an organization that constantly has students or ESL or immigrants knocking on your door asking to volunteer, figure out a way to accommodate them. Create roles that will work for that group, rather than just turning them away because they don’t match your existing volunteer needs.
3) If you’re having trouble finding volunteers for a specific role, rethink the role. Most organizations plan to have a specific volunteer role. And if that role turns out to be hard to fill, they just keep at it, banging their head against an unmovable wall. Stop doing that. Step back and rethink what you’re seeking. Ask yourself what the volunteer role is meant to achieve. And then brainstorm about OTHER ways (and probably roles) to achieve that same purpose. In the sector, we tend to get derailed by ___ ROLE and lost sight of the real purpose, which is to achieve a particular GOAL, not hire ___ role.
4) Remember that volunteers come in all shapes and sizes. Imagine you’re trying to create a volunteer role in which you’d need a graphic designer, and you know a graphic designer who would be great, but won’t take on the role. Ask them to “volunteer” as an adviser over a one-hour coffee date and brainstorm ways to find their doppelganger. Volunteers might work for your organization for 1 hour or for 3 years – they’re all valuable. The more people you include, the more people will be enthusiastic about your work and your mission.
5) Link EVERY volunteer role to your mission. Whether they’re stuffing envelopes or doing your taxes, every role has some connection to your mission. Make sure the volunteers know what that connection is so they explicitly understand the value of their work to your mission and know that no role is meaningless, despite of how mindless it might be.
I have found the best form of accountability really is your personal relationship with the volunteer. In my past volunteer experiences- it has often been the relationship I had with the volunteer leader that pulled me through to reach goals we had as a group. The fear of letting down a trusted and respected peer, the eagerness to prove oneself as a valuable member of the team, and the friendships and connection to the other volunteers/leaders- these are all things that have kept me accountable.
Certainly in my own organization- a large civic-based membership organization- we rely centrally on these relationships to keep the organization moving. All best practices aside- it is the one-on-one connection that keeps team members accountable to one-another and the mission of the organization.