Volunteer Retention | Suite101.com

An aspect of volunteer management that is just as important as recruitment, but which often gets overlooked, is volunteer retention. A successful volunteer program builds a loyal cadre of individuals who, in the end, will not only provide a valuable service, but will do more for recruitment, either intentionally or accidentally, than staff ever will. Conversely, a dissatisfied volunteer could adversely affect your recruitment program.

Volunteering does not earn money and rarely provides significant prestige (the exception being volunteer board membership), but it has a powerful appeal to certain individuals nonetheless. Individuals start a volunteer job motivated by their belief in a cause and their desire to help. A nonprofit program allows them to act on those beliefs. So long as the individuals see positive results, their beliefs will compel them to return week after week, year after year. The organization's staff must be sure to nurture the individual's inborn motivation.

In his book Motivating People, Kurt Hanks wrote that "People work harder and more efficiently when they are rewarded for doing well." This is as true, if not more so, in the nonprofit realm as it is in the corporate. In a small organization, the director of volunteers must double as the human resource manager. Does your organization's volunteer program reward hard work?

Be consistent and sincere in your expectations. Volunteers (as well as anyone) will perform better when they know what to expect, what deadlines they have to meet, who their supervisor is, etc.

Be receptive to new ideas and ways of doing things. You don't have to implement them, but you should at least be willing to listen to them.

Take every opportunity to applaud competence, punctuality, and all the other things you value. Saying "Thank you", "Good job", or "I really appreciate you coming out here/doing X on such short notice" costs nothing, but it goes a long way. At least once a year, go out of your way to recognize volunteers by holding a Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon or a similar activity.

As volunteers prove their capabilities, give them added responsibility. Make, however, sure not to overwhelm them, or task them with more than can be reasonably expected to fulfill in the amount of time they have.

As much as possible, make work fun. Vary tasks, have background music, let volunteers work together, serve cookies during break. Remember that volunteers are doing this on their own time, and be considerate to that.

Use discretion. Do not criticize a volunteer in front of his or her peers. However, don't shy away from constructive criticism. Volunteers deserve as much courtesy and consideration as regular employees do.