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How to Prepare for Your Volunteers
By: Janet Schulman Volunteers are critical to the achievement of the goals of nonprofit agencies.
It is important therefore that we encourage the involvement of people in the community who want to give of their time and energy to enhance the
organization’s mission! Do not undercut your recruitment efforts by ignoring what happens to prospects when they express an interest in volunteering or when they walk through the door prepared to roll up their sleeves and work.  What happens when a volunteer calls to get involved?
Does the voicemail system offer an option for contacting the
volunteer office?
If the right person is not in, how is the message taken on the phone?
Is the prospective volunteer thanked for calling?
Is the person assured that he/she will be called back
(or is the applicant asked to call back)?
Some nonprofits require extensive background checks, applications and interviews.
How is this process handled?
Does the staff keep in touch with the volunteer through this process
and continue to make them feel wanted and needed despite the
possibly long wait? How these questions are answered will make a difference in whether that volunteer stays and has a satisfactory experience. The following are general guidelines to help ensure your agency welcomes, sustains and effectively utilizes all of your potential volunteers. - • Initial Direct Contact
Always inform the frontline personnel about how to handle volunteer calls and walk-ins. Receptionists, assistants and security personnel need to understand their role in the welcoming process. - • Initial Indirect Contact
If the agency has a voicemail system for its initial contact, put a welcoming message on that system for volunteers and give them a name and an extension to call. - • Information Collection & Distribution
Give frontline personnel tools to obtain information about volunteers and how they can be contacted. Have a system in place that allows for the efficient flow of that information to the appropriate staff people. Also, frontline personnel should have information about volunteer opportunities, in case that information is requested. - • Follow-up
Staff responsible for processing and engaging volunteers need to follow-up within 24 hours with the interested people in order to welcome and engage them. - • Job Instruction
Clarity is essential. Make sure volunteers understand the processes, responsibilities and expectations the agency has about any volunteer position. If appropriate, conduct regular orientations or one-on-one meetings. Distribute forms, manuals, etc. applicable to the job. It is disheartening for any volunteer to learn piecemeal how to become involved. - • Waiting Periods
Keep the volunteer excited and motivated while they are waiting. During these periods, try to have small, manageable projects that anybody can do without much training. This allows volunteers to begin right away and to connect with the agency’s mission and personnel. - • Respect Volunteer’s Commitment
Volunteer time is discretionary and limited, and they want to put their time to the best use. Therefore, make sure the work begins and ends as scheduled, and that all volunteers are engaged effectively during their time with you.
 All of this in-house preparation will stand you in good stead for sustaining volunteers to become long-term supporters. It is vital the volunteers feel part of the organizational culture and identify with its philosophy from the very first contact.
If the work you are asking volunteers to do is truly meaningful and if you are sincerely interested in involving a wide range of participants, volunteers will feel accepted and appreciated. This in turn will create volunteers who are long-term advocates for your agency and mission! Janet Schulman has more than 25 years of executive experience in the nonprofit sector. As CEO of Special Olympics Southern California, Janet led a successful Agency-wide reorganization that resulted in significant programmatic and financial growth. As the founding Executive Director of Big Sisters of Los Angeles, she led a newly formed small community based Agency to become a large, well respected and highly visible organization, both locally and nationally. Janet recently stepped down as the Interim President & CEO of Bienvenidos. She is an independent consultant in the nonprofit sector; an affiliate of Executive Consulting for the Nonprofit Sector, Inc. and faculty for the MBA program in Nonprofit Management at American Jewish University. |
