Managing Volunteers in Social Impact Organizations

Introduction

Volunteers are needed by social impact organizations, which typically have limited funds and rely on the efforts, participation, and commitment of volunteer personnel to meet their organizational goals. To recruit and manage volunteers effectively, it is important to communicate a clear vision and mission — explaining what the organization does, what it aims to achieve, why it matters, and what volunteers can do to help. Every volunteer's role must be clearly defined and every vision clearly articulated. This paper describes how to manage, motivate, and evaluate volunteers in a social impact organization.

Where Volunteers Are Needed

Volunteers are a necessary component of any healthy society and community (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). They are needed because they help communicate a sense of value in both the community and the organization to all stakeholders. Volunteers show that a cause is worthwhile; they show that the vision has meaning; and they demonstrate that enough people believe in it that they will work and dedicate themselves to that vision even without pay. Volunteers are essential workers at every level of the social impact organization because they can bring vital skills, vital manpower, and vital insights and experience.

Recruiting volunteers depends upon the organization's ability to use technology — such as social media — to spread the word and connect with potential candidates. The organization must be able to communicate its vision and mission so that volunteers are attracted and inspired to help. There should also be clear benefits for volunteers, as these can act as incentives for bringing them on board. Their roles should be articulated and their passion and impact on the organization recognized routinely (Alumni Career Services, 2016).

Roles Volunteers Play

Volunteers are more than mere helpers who stop by in their spare time to lend a hand with mundane tasks. On the contrary, volunteers can do everything from entry-level jobs to actually running the organization. As the US Department of Health and Human Services (2005) points out, "larger organizations, such as the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross, have survived for more than 100 years due in large part to a strong volunteer commitment" (p. v). Volunteers help with fundraising; they assist with the distribution of information; they can be active on social media, engaging with the public and participating in outreach. They can devote time to people at a personal level to facilitate social impact, manage groups, direct operations, and engage in strategic planning. Volunteers exist at all levels of an organization, from the Board of Directors to the room where phone calls are taken. The role they play depends upon who they are, where they come from, and what they bring to the operation (Smith, 1994). Volunteers are vital, for example, in keeping Wikipedia functioning (The Economist, 2011).

Preparing Volunteers for Work

Preparing volunteers for work is not an easy task, and most CEOs fail to adequately prepare and manage their volunteers — which is why there is such high turnover among volunteer staff from one year to the next (Eisner, Grimm Jr., Maynard, & Washburn, 2009). The key to preparing volunteers for work begins with the manager. The manager must be able to assess what each volunteer brings to the table and assign that person meaningful work that keeps them engaged and allows them to apply their skills. A manager who assumes that all volunteers are low-skilled workers does the organization a significant disservice. Many volunteers are highly skilled individuals who donate their time because they are charitable, believe in the organization's vision and mission, and have time to give. The critical steps to preparing volunteers for work include the following:

By following these key steps, managers can better prepare volunteers for their roles and reduce the risk of high turnover.

Volunteers are like paid employees in that they all want to feel appreciated and valued. Volunteers want to know that their contributions are not going unnoticed by management. Managers therefore need to give volunteers the recognition they deserve, while also ensuring they understand who they have on their team. If a volunteer brings leadership experience, that person's skills should be leveraged. If a volunteer needs training, that training should be provided.

Volunteers also need to know what the organization's expectations of them are (Alumni Career Services, 2016). They need access to communication channels so they can reach a manager or mentor when the need arises. Training and skill-building are also vital tools that should be made available to all volunteers.

References

The Economist. (2011). Wikipedia's fundraising, free but not easy. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/21536580

Eisner, D., Grimm Jr., R. T., Maynard, S., & Washburn, S. (2009). The new volunteer workforce. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 7(1), 32–37.

Alumni Career Services. (2016). Effective volunteer recruitment & management strategies for non-profits. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6h4Pk47ymE#action=share

Hager, M. A., & Brudney, J. L. (2004). Volunteer management practices and retention of volunteers. Retrieved from

Screwvala, T. (2018). How volunteering can help change the world. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGtFvOSmZ8A#action=share

Smith, D. H. (1994). Determinants of voluntary association participation and volunteering: A literature review. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 23(3), 243–263.

US Department of Health and Human Services. (2005). Successful strategies for recruiting, training, and utilizing volunteers. Retrieved from