Volunteer Training

How often has this happened to you - you interview a prospective volunteer, love their background, love what they offer, and love what they could bring to your movement, but you never hear from them beyond the initial interview? If this has happened to you (and I'm sure it has) I have a tool that you must have to nip 'volunteer-fade' in the bud. See, after a prospective volunteer leaves your office, several questions are spinning through his/her head: will I really make a difference here with limited time? How can I possibly help the people they're serving? Will I be valued? If you let these questions blossom into doubts, you've lost that volunteer, so they key is to proactively answer these questions for your prospective volunteer before that happens. The best way to do this is with a follow up letter that addresses these concerns. When used correctly, this strategy will dramatically reduce volunteer disappearance. Here's an example of a letter I've us...

A new kind of volunteer is emerging. More today than ever before, people with high-level skills are offering their services to respected nonprofits. The "skilled volunteer" is someone who has specialized professional skills to offer, skills that do not fall within the scope of typical day-to-day volunteer tasks. These people may accept the day-to-day work that is necessary for volunteer-run programs to function or they may not, but regardless, they definitely have a specific expertise they wish to contribute. Working with these volunteers is a significant opportunity for nonprofits. When offering their services, skilled volunteers take on work a contractor might undertake, except they do not charge their services. I have met volunteers with experience developing communications plans, high-level VPs of large corporations, and people who have run extensive information Technology departments. They are often retired or semi-retired. Any organization can make use of professiona...

I am frequently asked, "How do we motivate our volunteers?" My response is, "You don't." Volunteers bring their own unique motivations to their work. A good volunteer manager learns to identify those motivations and then helps each volunteer achieve a sense of personal satisfaction. A variety of studies report that volunteers are motivated to action primarily for altruistic reason. Altruism is defined as a concern for the welfare of others. Among the top reasons for volunteering consistently identified by volunteers are: a personal belief in a cause, and a desire to help others. While these are the primary reasons cited, we also know that volunteers are motivated by a variety of personal reasons and may have different reasons at different times. I may volunteer for a particular event because I am doing it with friends and colleagues from the office. I may volunteer for another organization because I feel passionately about the cause. Perhaps someone I know ...

Volunteer placement Appropriate placement of individuals interested in volunteering benefits the agency and the volunteer. Volunteers placed in positions they are not interested in or not suited for may not enjoy their volunteer experience. If they have not been trained adequately for the job, they may feel incompetent, and may also dislike volunteering. Volunteer placement depends on a few variables, including: Positions available Agency needs Skills and interests Availability When a volunteer is placed suitably, it is a win-win situation for all. While this may seem like a relatively easy task, some potential volunteers may not be sure exactly what they want to do when they enter an agency. Likewise, an agency may not be exactly sure what volunteer jobs there can be! (Thus, the importance of job descriptions). Aside from the importance of identifying a volunteer's personal interests and skills, some questions that may be helpful in assessing a placement include: ...

Application Forms Application forms are an easy form of initial screening when recruiting new volunteers. Not only will you learn something about the background of an individual, but you may find out exactly what she is looking for in a volunteer position. Every agency will design an application which best suits their needs but there are common questions that organizations may ask and information that potential volunteers should provide. Common questions that you may want to include on volunteer application forms: What is your education background? What is your employment history? Have you had any previous experience as a volunteer? If so, with what organization, and what kind of work did you do? Why, at this particular time in your life have you chosen to volunteer with us? What do you hope to gain from being a volunteer? What clubs, organizations, or associations are you involved with? What are your hobbies and interests? What life experiences have you had that might b...

While the needs of organizations will differ, the basic steps involved in volunteer recruitment remain essentially the same. Organization must be sure to: identify volunteer and agency needs; create clear volunteer job descriptions; define target volunteer groups; develop a timeline; brainstorm and implement recruitment ideas; and practice on-going marketing and recruitment. Identifying Needs Volunteer tasks/ jobs should be meaningful to the agency, and the volunteer. That is, agencies must determine exactly what needs to be done before recruiting volunteers, rather than recruiting first and then scrambling to find jobs. While volunteers may be required to perform relatively repetitive (and less exciting) tasks (i.e. photocopying, filing), agencies should also offer more challenging and interesting work. For example, a volunteer at a crisis center works reception, answering the office phone and doing filing. She becomes comfortable with the job she is doing and wants more challen...