Our Volunteering Development Officer, Dave Thomas, turns his thoughts to the ongoing relationship that we build with a volunteer and offers some advice and a free download to support this process.
Volunteers are a vital part of our organisations, offering their time, skills, and energy to support causes they care about. As leaders of volunteers, it’s our responsibility to ensure that their experience is positive and productive. While there are similarities between managing volunteers and paid staff, volunteers have specific needs that require a different approach.
In this article, I’ll outline some best practices for supervising and supporting volunteers, highlighting the key differences between supporting volunteers and managing paid employees.
Understanding the role of volunteers
Volunteers are not employees, and this distinction is important. They give their time freely and are often motivated by personal reasons such as wanting to make a difference, gain experience, or feel connected to a cause. Unlike paid staff, their commitment is driven by internal motivations rather than financial rewards.
Best practice: Acknowledge and respect the reasons why volunteers are giving their time. Make sure their roles match their interests and motivations to ensure a positive experience for both the volunteer and the organisation.
Supervision: Striking the right balance
Managing volunteers requires a more flexible approach compared to employees. While volunteers need guidance and structure to perform their tasks effectively, too much oversight can lead to frustration or disengagement. Volunteers may have varying levels of commitment, availability, and experience, so it’s essential to adapt your supervisory style accordingly.
Best practice: Provide clear instructions and expectations, but remain flexible. Allow volunteers room to take initiative and bring their own ideas, but make sure there’s enough structure to keep them on track.
Support that meets volunteers’ needs
Supporting volunteers is very different from supporting paid staff. Employees expect formal training, performance reviews, and regular feedback as part of their job. Volunteers, on the other hand, require a more personalised approach. They need to feel appreciated, and this appreciation should be expressed regularly.
Best practice: Offer recognition and appreciation consistently. While formal feedback can be useful, informal thanks, public recognition, and personal gestures of appreciation are often more effective in keeping volunteers engaged.
Motivation and retention
Paid employees often stay with an organisation due to financial necessity or career progression. Volunteers, however, remain involved because they feel valued, inspired, and supported. Therefore, your retention strategies for volunteers should focus on nurturing their enthusiasm and commitment.
Best practice: Keep volunteers engaged by providing opportunities for personal growth, encouraging social interaction, and fostering a sense of community. Volunteers who feel a strong connection to the organisation and its mission are more likely to stay involved long-term.
Flexibility and understanding
Unlike paid staff, volunteers are often juggling multiple commitments, such as work, family, or study. Their availability may fluctuate, and they may not be able to meet rigid schedules or workload demands.
Best practice: Be flexible and understanding. Accommodate their availability and consider offering different types of volunteer opportunities to suit varying time commitments. Avoid putting undue pressure on volunteers to meet expectations that might not be realistic for them.
Volunteer development
While volunteers aren’t looking for financial rewards, many are keen to develop new skills, gain experience, or take on leadership roles. Offering opportunities for growth and development can enhance their experience and encourage them to stay engaged.
Best practice: Invest in your volunteers’ development by offering training, mentoring, or the chance to take on more responsibility. This not only benefits the volunteer but also strengthens their commitment to the organisation.
Clear communication and boundaries
Volunteers need clear guidance about what’s expected of them and the limits of their role. Sometimes volunteers, driven by passion, may take on too much or blur the lines between their personal involvement and their volunteer duties.
Best practice: Ensure regular, open communication about expectations, responsibilities, and boundaries. Encourage volunteers to ask questions and seek clarification when needed, and foster an environment where they feel comfortable doing so.
A bonus freebie
In practical terms, we can deliver the best practice I have outlined here by getting together with the volunteer for a semi-formal chat over coffee away from the everyday volunteering environment using this one-to one template (it will open as a Word document, simply click download and use as normal).
This asks three questions for you to consider:
- What’s going well with your volunteering?
- What’s not going well?
- What can we do about it?
After noting the volunteer’s own celebrations and concerns (as well as the ones that you have identified), your joint action points will be the start point for your next catch-up.
Conclusion: A thoughtful approach to managing volunteers
Managing and supporting volunteers requires a thoughtful, flexible approach that respects their unique contribution to the organisation. Although volunteers aren’t employees, they deserve just as much support and recognition. By acknowledging their motivations, offering meaningful support, and creating opportunities for development, we can ensure that volunteers feel valued and that their efforts have a lasting impact.
Volunteers may not be seeking a salary, but they do seek satisfaction, connection, and a sense of purpose. It’s our job as volunteer leaders to ensure they find all three.
