9 Magical Tips for Creating Awesome Volunteers

This fall I attended many, many board meetings, development committee meetings, and event planning committee meetings. I’ve watched how a stellar development professional handles their role at these meetings and I’ve also watched chaos and floundering ensue.

I’ve listened when both staff and volunteers say things about each other behind their backs in ways that are less then complimentary. To create an awesome, successful environment with volunteers it’s no surprise that the main thing is: COMMUNICATION.

Here are some of the simple things I’ve observed that cause deeper volunteer engagement AND create great results. While these may seem simple, you’d be surprised how many organizations I observe don’t follow any or many of these:

1. A staff person takes notes at committee meetings: Clearly noting ACTION items with the name of who is responsible and the “by when” the action must be completed.

2. Notes for meetings are distributed within about 24 hours of the meeting so those in attendance AND those not in attendance are clear about what is going on and what is still left to accomplish.

3. Staff preps committee chairs and subcommittee chairs with details, background, and data. The staff may share past/historical information on the event or the project, they may indicate current fundraising revenues in support of the event, or show activity by the board and staff to support measureable results.

4. In addition to email, staff preps committee chairs and subcommittee chairs BY PHONE with a short call to discuss how the committee meeting or donor solicitation meeting should unfold. I’ve watched well-meaning volunteers or board members simply read a report the staff provided but when asked questions about why, they were unable to answer and had to defer to staff.

If we truly want volunteers to take leadership positions, provide them with meaningful, helpful information or data, discuss with them the intended outcomes for the meeting and let them take it away. Many of the volunteers I’ve observed doing less than a stellar job were highly capable and with better communication COULD have led the group to the intended outcome.

5. Be in touch with key leadership in person or by phone between meetings. Make sure you don’t do all the doing without keeping your team “in the loop.” If you are “handling” all the issues or making all the phone calls yourself, you are leaving little room for your leadership to shine.

6. Provide leadership with meaningful activities, more than chairing the meeting. This means allowing discussion and input from key volunteers and board members. If we allow fresh eyes on a challenging situation creativity and efficiency may cause success in ways you’ve never before experienced.

One organization I’ve worked with this past year created a contest around a key measurable action. The board AND staff got engaged with renewed energy and created success in their measureable results.

7. Choose the right volunteers for the right projects.

Here’s what I mean: Recently Anna asked a few board members to make phone calls to invite donors and other volunteers to a key event. The calls were being made on short notice. Some of the callers were very busy with their jobs and didn’t get to their calls, while others made their calls in a timely fashion.

Anna noticed there was low attendance for the upcoming event and began making phone calls herself. She did not phone her volunteer callers to find out who had completed their calls – she just took it on herself to call the people too. Unfortunately, some donors and volunteers received two calls and the organization looked disorganized. AND the volunteer callers who had done their work felt they weren’t trusted to do their job.

Choosing the right people to take on a task, being clear about the deadlines and about what will happen if the deadline is not met will honor volunteers AND cause successful outcomes. Not everyone should make phone calls or chair a meeting or go on a solicitation for a major gift. It’s our job to make sure the fit is right.

8. Recognize when volunteers do a great job. Do this at a meeting or an event, somewhere. Remember: volunteers are giving their time, talent, advice, or something and they are looking to feel good about it and feel a part of something greater than themselves. Help them to feel this when they have provided a job well done.

9. Accept that you are the “mentor” or coach for your volunteers. You are not a “babysitter” as someone recently said to me. You are the glue and passion and support behind people in leadership positions who don’t work for you, but want to help out and make a difference. Help them to make a difference with your support, trust, and helpful information and by doing all that is listed above.

Additional resources about managing volunteers:
Do your Volunteers Suffer from Burnout?
Managing Volunteers and Avoiding Burnout