What are the key steps to developing a successful volunteer program in a non-profit organization?

Volunteering is a great way to develop skills. Understanding your members’ strengths and interests aids in strategically building loyalty. Aligning your needs with their strengths can create a win-win experience for everyone.

Volunteers seek a sense of Purpose and bring a spirit of Service. Thus, it is important for an organization to have clarity of Mission, Vision and Goals so you can shape your volunteer program in a way that resonates with volunteers.

Confirm precisely why they want to volunteer...it may not be what we think. Their ROI may range from warm sense of giving, to honing their skills, networking, community service, pressure from family. The best volunteers are self-motivated from the heart and are ignited by the noble cause of the org. Engage volunteers quickly and with a role/function they can create a success story aligned with the strategic plan. Have them describe what success looks like performed well. This generates accountability and ownership. Then, recognize them, with measured evidence, which inspires others on the team. Describe exactly how their success impacts others. Then, consider deputizing them to lead other volunteers, thus building team strength.

In my experience, volunteers bring the energy and a swell of ideas to an organization. There is so much talent that’s often left untouched. An organization that embraces differences in a meaningful way uplift talent which carry the positive energy for the organization as a whole. This is when member excitement and participation can grow the greater vision of the organization.

My experience in managing volunteer programs in NGOs for over 10 years. I want to draw attention to the following important points: 1. First of all, assess the recruitment needs and roles of volunteers. 2. Create clear goals for each volunteer position. 3. Create volunteer role descriptions for the project. 4. Use social media to communicate with prospective volunteers. Talk more about the project and the tasks volunteers will be doing. 5. Be sure to provide training for volunteers. 6. Remember the importance of recognizing each volunteer's contribution. Provide incentives for volunteers. 7. Remember that an experienced volunteer is a valuable resource and can teach the team a lot. The volunteer network is the organization's gold reserve!

When identifying roles for a volunteering program, consider tasks that match the skills and interests of volunteers, such as community outreach, fundraising, event coordination, or administrative support. Additionally, assess the needs of the NGO, such as project management, marketing, or research, and create roles that contribute directly to the organization's mission and objectives. It's crucial to match the roles with the volunteers' capabilities and the organization's specific requirements for successful program implementation.

Craft a volunteer program as a gardener tends a community garden. Start by seeding a clear mission that blooms with purpose to attract passionate volunteers. Cultivate roles that allow growth for skills and impact, ensuring every hand sows success. Nurture your crew with training, support, and sunshine-grade appreciation, so their experience bears fruit. Harvest feedback, always pruning and tweaking. Remember, the richest yield is a field where volunteers and vision thrive together.

Recruitment and Outreach: Reach out to potential volunteers through various channels, including your website, social media, community events, and local partnerships. Craft compelling messages that convey your organization's mission and the impact volunteers can make. Screening and Selection: Implement a screening process to ensure that volunteers are a good fit for your organization. Conduct interviews, check references, perform background checks to maintain a safe and trustworthy environment. Orientation and Training is vital to provide thorough orientation and training sessions for new volunteers. Ensure they understand your organization's history, values, and operations. Equip them with the necessary skills to excel in their roles.

Identifying and documenting needs lays the foundation for the volunteer experience. The volunteer position description should shearling communicate the goals, duties, and level of effort required. This helps prospective volunteers ensure that they are up to the task, and supports the nonprofit in measuring success.

I find that knowing the needs are key as they help in creating the suitable volunteer recruiting post and even come up with the right volunteer title and task.

I have found success linking volunteer opportunities to candidates’ career goals, and explaining how the volunteer work experience aligns to professional goals. In many cases, volunteer experience can address skills or experience gaps needed for career advancement.

Nowadays, volunteering is vastly different for working professionals versus decades past, and our expectations need to evolve regarding the time and type of volunteering that occurs. Working professionals usually want to contribute to causes that they care about, but are careful on the time needed. This is where doing project based volunteering can be a fit for specific purposes or duties, but managing those "project specific" volunteers means that leaders need to communicate often and in some cases, ensure deadlines and coordination are met. Subject matter experts are great volunteers for projects. For example, if you have someone with expertise in getting door prizes for an event - enable them by helping coordinate the pick-ups.

Retirees are an often overlooked pool for volunteers. There are large numbers of experienced, motivated individuals who come equipped with valuable workplace skills. Organizations like AARP are perfect for recruiting and obtaining volunteers. There are members from diverse occupations looking for meaningful activities. The retirement division of my former employer even reaches out periodically to retirees with volunteer opportunities. One caveat: It's a common misconception that retirees have lots of time on their hands. Frequently the opposite is true, so don't presume you just need to make a call and get a volunteer. The quickest way to put a volunteer off is thinking they have nothing else to do.

In my experience, tapping into college job boards and career fairs has been a fruitful strategy for recruiting volunteers. These avenues not only provide access to individuals who are actively seeking opportunities to contribute but also allow for direct engagement with potential volunteers who are often eager, skilled, and align with our mission.

I'd recommend hiring your volunteer in the same way you'd recruit FTEs - set a job description with defined criteria you'd like your volunteers to match.

Training and supporting volunteers to match their willingness and readiness is key to organizational progress. Provision of necessary skills, knowledge, and resources can be done through volunteer orientation and other resources can be added into a volunteer handbook that can act as a point of reference when the volunteer isn’t sure of what to do! Supervision and mentorship of volunteers can be done by connecting them to people who have been in the role for sometime, to provide continuous guidance. Regular and consistent communication and collaboration can be achieved by using one communication platform that is available and accessible to all volunteers. Arising issues can be addressed by providing conflict management tools early.

- Make your volunteers fee valuable, respect them and be ready to offer any expenses they make for your project (travel/ food etc.) - Have proper training and a primary contact person whom they can connect with to clear any doubts - Get their feedback on a regular basis - If possible, give them freedom to work at their own schedule - have some volunteer get together programs. I will be happy to bring my own food and drink to any such programs. - appoint a team leader who can connect volunteers and the project manager and keep a watch on the progress of project

One the challenges I've come across is keeping all volunteers up to date on the organization's decisions and direction. I found that a regularly updated handbook can do wonders.

Supervision and Support: Assign a staff member or volunteer coordinator to provide ongoing support and supervision. Volunteers should have a reliable point of contact for questions, guidance, and feedback.

For successful volunteer engagement, implement a comprehensive training program that equips volunteers with necessary skills and knowledge. Offer regular support, including a go-to person for queries, and resources for self-help. Continuously assess and adapt training to fit evolving roles and organizational needs, ensuring volunteers feel competent and valued in their contributions.

Without rewards and recognition - it would mean for a vehicle to be asked to be run on min fuel capacity i.e. just the base pay! Even per the Maslow's need hierarchy - rewards and recognition stand high on the self actualisation needs.

In recognizing and rewarding I've found that if you give milestone awards it creates a great incentive for the volunteers. They can get a 1 year, 2 year, 3 year etc. token of appreciation. It will keep them moving in the right direction

Not only is it essential to celebrate and recognize volunteers that are doing amazing work, but it is also important to support those volunteers that over-committed themselves and fell short by not performing their duty. Often when people over commit and then don’t follow through they feel shameful and stop showing up. Treat those volunteers with empathy and understanding and provide them with an opportunity to do something else in the organization (perhaps something that is less time consuming) or give them a gracious way out of their commitment. This will help them “save face” and give them the confidence to come back and volunteer when they have the capacity to do so. Be kind, caring, and considerate and they will be back!

Recognition is one of the core drivers of performance in general, but when people are volunteering this is even more critical. When I was leading a 30+ people strong team of volunteers on a national project, recognition of each person's contribution to our common vision was how people got "payed" for their effort and dedication.

Recognize and Reward... and Respect. Respect your volunteers. They are donating their time, skills, effort. Misusing volunteers or treating them like free labor is unsustainable, and will not bode well for future recruitment. Adhere to negotiated terms for contributions, but also hold people accountable. Reliance solely on volunteers is a risk. Some may contribute for a single instance, others may come and go, others might be there for a calling. Ensure you establish recognition and reward programs that honor volunteers in a meaningful way.

Regularly evaluate your volunteer program against set goals and solicit feedback from volunteers for improvement. Use surveys, informal discussions, and outcome measurements to gauge effectiveness. Adjust roles, training, or support as needed. This ongoing improvement cycle ensures the program remains dynamic, relevant, and fulfilling for volunteers, maximizing the benefit to the organization and its mission.

Feedback and Improvement: Encourage volunteers to provide feedback and suggestions for program improvement. Regularly evaluate your volunteer program's effectiveness and make adjustments based on the input received.

The volunteer movement is visible to the President of Ukraine and the prominent volunteers are rewarded by the recognition on country's level. The major indicator of successful volunteering will be the victory over the enemies.

Another perspective about volunteerism. One afternoon, as a young regional executive at the United Way, I got a phone call from former Michigan Governor George Romney. The retired governor shocked me by telling me that he wanted to meet to share a new vision of his. Even though he was in his 80s, Gov. Romney was a bundle of energy as he talked about the concept of a volunteer leadership coalition that would attract new recruits for community engagement in nonprofits. Our slogan for the effort — “Money helps, but people solve problems” — impacted many as we worked on the project over the next three years. I learned that the real magic is in bringing people together to solve problems in communities. That’s what volunteering is all about.

One perspective missing is that of the volunteer as ambassador in the outside world. Volunteers that feel dedicated, loyal and recognized to the purpose and work of the organization they volunteer for can be extremely effective in recruiting more volunteers funding for the organization. If you build a program around this you can even benefit more from this.

Regardless of the organization type, it is crucial to clearly define the objectives, roles, and responsibilities that are in line with the skills and interests of the individuals involved. In the case of an NGO, it is important to have a well-structured volunteer management system that follows an accredited system. The individuals should receive adequate training to ensure they understand what is expected of them and how their dedication will benefit the community. To ensure the success of the volunteer program and its alignment with the organization's objective, it should be regularly evaluated through open dialogue, feedback collection, impact assessment, and adjustment of strategies as necessary.

Create community and friendship. People join these organizations based on their values. Meaning, What's important to me? So, messaging with clarity about what you stand for is the main attraction force and the first step. Then make sure to encourage friendships, create a platform for that, and focus on intimacy between members because if they get together well and form friendships you also get hard work and commitment for the long term.

Running a completely volunteer organization for several years, ministering to abused/abandoned/neglected children that were consequently placed in foster care. Volunteers were involved in one week summer camp opportunities, and then school year mentoring programs. 30,000+ volunteer hours to operate four camps and two mentoring programs (elementary and teen). Over 50% of volunteers were “lifers” serving ten or more years. 95% of the volunteers were also financial contributors, with total volunteer donations in excess of 25% of the organizational operating budget. Why? Early on we established an organizational philosophy of “Confronting abuse. Changing lives.” Not only the changed lives of children, but of the adult volunteers as well