Volunteer Management

Volunteers play an integral role in non-profit and community organizations. However, recruiting, retaining, recognizing, and supervising them can be a challenge. If you want to learn how, then Penn State Extension has the necessary resources. Learn how to develop new management skills and improve your management approach.

Managing Volunteers

If you want to engage volunteer time and talent effectively, you need a solid volunteer management strategy in place. Volunteers have an essential role to play, but it’s important to have a plan of how to work with them effectively and, at the same time, make their experience a positive one.

Volunteers can come from all walks of life, but college students are an undervalued volunteering demographic. There are many mutual benefits of working with college student volunteers. Their schedule is flexible, which makes it easier to match opportunities. Students can gain valuable experience through volunteer work, which they can apply in a real work setting.

Working With Volunteers: Best Practices

Adopt best practices when working with volunteers, and you’ll make the most of any volunteers you have working in your organization. Volunteers can also be your best ambassadors, so it’s up to you to encourage and engage them.

The first step is to identify the roles where volunteers are needed. You then have to take the necessary steps to recruit, select, supervise, reward, and evaluate how well the volunteers perform. With the right structures in place, your volunteers will be effective and consistent.

Servant leadership is a concept that can work very well when you have volunteers in your organization. Servant leadership can positively influence satisfaction, commitment, and lower turnover intention among volunteers.

It’s vital to foster a growth mindset when working with volunteers. If, for example, you expect the best effort, your volunteers will perform to the level you expect. Sincere and straightforward feedback is critical, and failure should be used as an opportunity to learn.

Leadership skills are necessary for keeping volunteers engaged. A good leader must be inspirational and be able to motivate people. Appropriately timed rewards for jobs well-done are one thing that can help volunteers become motivated to achieve greatness. Mindfulness is a key leadership skill because it helps manage stress related to volunteering.

There are plenty of opportunities for people to gain the knowledge required for any kind of volunteering position.

Intergenerational Programs and Practices for Senior Volunteers is a certificate training program for older adults who wish to develop intergenerational programs in their areas of interest. Volunteers who help with food fundraisers can learn how to identify food safety hazards and reduce risks. Learning how to communicate with the media helps spread the news and focus public attention.

Volunteer Work in the Community

There are many different opportunities for volunteer work in the community. Pennsylvania’s local units of government have addressed land issues by forming planning commissions. These commissions typically consist of three to nine board members comprised of citizens who volunteer their time.

The Penn State Greening the Lower Susquehanna program is something you can sign up with if you want to increase the number of trees planted in the state.

If you want to help scientists study storms, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network is looking for volunteers.

Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program is a statewide volunteer program that helps enhance local watersheds.

In this section, find ideas and information on how to manage volunteers, and also how to get involved in the community by volunteering your time and skills.