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Good Neighbor Tool Kit: Leading a Charity Recruiting Volunteers and Keeping Them Happy |
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 Nonprofit Nuts and Bolts The Art of Fundraising Recruiting Volunteers and Keeping Them Happy Marketing and Public Relations Leadership and the Board Good Neighbor Tool Kit Main Page Good Neighbor Home Page |
12 Ways to Retain Volunteers You’ve got people willing to commit time to your organization. It’s far better to keep them involved than to keep replacing them with new recruits who might not be as skilled. Or interested. Or available. Here are ways to keep them committed: 1. Don’t over commit their schedules. Remember that volunteers are giving personal time to your effort. They may be very interested in it, but probably not as much as you. Though you can legitimately establish a minimum number of hours that you want volunteers to work, don’t set your standards so high that you lose good people. TIP: On the other hand, don’t be afraid to ask volunteers who are obviously interested and committed to give you more hours of their time. They may be waiting for the invitation. 2. Make your cause important to your volunteers. Most likely the service you’re providing is what drew your best volunteers. But there could be some other reason. Social cache. Personal challenge and excitement. Determine the reasons that you think volunteers are responding to your cause and reinforce those messages. 3. Use your volunteers’ skills. Some volunteers feel good just by giving simple, active time working on your behalf. Others want to be challenged to use their knowledge and skills. Distinguish one kind of volunteer from another. Find roles that fit their interests. 4. Identify your volunteers. It’s very easy for your volunteers to become nameless figures that turn up to do things. Combat this. Make sure you know who your volunteers are, and make sure you recognize and appreciate them as individuals. 5. Make it easy to volunteer. Your volunteer program should be organized. Volunteers should know when they’re expected, what they’re supposed to do, and to whom they report. If they have a problem with their schedule, they should know whom to contact. 6. Allow volunteers to learn on the job. Understand that people yearn to be interested in their labors, even if they’re volunteers. Let volunteers continue in jobs that they like, but establish some avenues of progress for people who want to do more. 7. Cultivate a volunteer culture. People like to band together in the spirit of camaraderie. Find ways your volunteers can meet each other and share their experiences.
8. Give volunteers as much access as possible. Many people volunteer to gain access to activities which otherwise they wouldn’t be able to experience so intimately. Or they want to associate with people who otherwise they might not ever get to know. Find ways to make volunteers members of your organization’s inner “family.” TIP: Making this happen may necessitate some education of any staff you employ. Make sure that the interface between volunteers and paid staff is a congenial one. 9. Give volunteers a voice. Your volunteers may see aspects of your organization that escape you or your staff. Don’t forget to ask volunteers for their views of the organization and how to improve it. 10. Do something nice. In most organizations it’s the volunteers who bring the donuts or do something special for the holidays. Turn the tables. Do something special for your volunteers occasionally to show your appreciation. Even simple gestures matter. 11. Remind volunteers of the tax benefits of their work. Some expenses related to volunteer service are tax deductible, such as the cost of transportation to and from their assignment. Be sure that volunteers are aware of potential tax deductions related to their service and provide them with any documentation required to take such deductions. 12. Be patient and tolerant. It’s important to create an atmosphere in which volunteer commitment is as deep and strong. But in the final analysis, the volunteer nature of such service must be remembered. Better to overlook gaps in service or other personal exigencies than lose a good, committed, productive volunteer. 8 Tips for Training Volunteers > |
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