The support of volunteers enables many charitable nonprofits to operate. Their contributions include conducting programs, raising funds, and serving clients. According to the National Council of Nonprofits, even “the vast majority of board members who serve on charitable nonprofit boards are volunteers.” AmeriCorps estimates that the amount of help provided by volunteers between September 2020 and 2021 was “4.1 billion hours with an economic value of $122.9 billion.”
With that much on the line, nonprofits must have excellent management and leadership. Fundraising is one of the core responsibilities, but effective volunteer management is critical. From recruiting to onboarding, training, deploying, supervising, gathering feedback, evaluating, and retention, nonprofit management is a challenging and complex career. For those who want to lead nonprofit organizations, the online Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Nonprofit Management program from the University of Mount Saint Vincent (UMSV) can prepare you for a variety of fulfilling roles in the nonprofit sector.
The Essentials of Volunteer Management
Each nonprofit organization will have its own specific goals and needs. Depending on the size and scope of the effort, some groups may only need a small volunteer staff while others may need and recruit thousands. Bloomerang reports that there are four core stages of the volunteer management process relevant to nonprofit volunteer programs: recruitment, training, stewardship, and retention.
Before recruiting volunteers, however, it’s important to define detailed volunteer roles. Setting expectations for time commitments and responsibilities will make volunteers feel more comfortable signing up. Create an easy and straightforward signup and onboarding process and promote these opportunities using email, social media, and other channels.
Screening volunteers, including background and skill checks, will help you assign the right people to the right roles. The better matched the volunteer is to the task, the happier and more effective they will be. It’s essential to train chosen volunteers for their specific roles. Providing information and tools and allowing volunteers to get fully trained on their own time helps ensure their success. It’s always easier to work with experienced volunteers who know exactly what to do, so building relationships with your volunteers, recognizing their efforts, and ensuring they feel appreciated helps retain valuable resources.
Volunteers Make a Powerful Impact
In addition to the impressive number of hours and dollar value volunteers provide, they also donate to charity twice as much as non-volunteers. Volunteers do three times more for their neighborhoods and do favors for neighbors at nearly twice the rate of non-volunteers.
According to AmeriCorps, “Generation X (aged 41 to 56 in 2021) had the highest formal volunteering rate out of all generations (27 percent).” However, baby boomers boasted the highest informal helping rate (59%). Parents with children under 18 formally volunteered more (30%) than those without children in the household (21%).
Types of Volunteering Opportunities
Nonprofit groups have wide-ranging goals and needs for volunteer support, and there are many kinds of volunteering opportunities. According to the volunteer management group Mobilize, the types of volunteering include event support, which is typically for fundraising, and includes setup, guest registration, facilitation, and merchandise sales.
Skills-based volunteers leverage their professional skills to provide helpful services to nonprofits, such as accounting, legal work, PR support, digital marketing, and more. Long-term volunteers commit to serving an organization long term, such as the services provided by mentors, tutors, coaches, and troop leaders. All organizations need administrative support, typically involving clerical, data entry, or reception support in-office.
Nonprofit advocates are on the ground, raising awareness for your cause, promoting, securing petition signatures, or hosting events. Board members and committee members are volunteers who keep the organization on track. In addition to being responsible for specific tasks, board members regularly attend meetings and vote on decisions that guide the organization.
Virtual volunteers provide remote support, like organizing and hosting online discussions, town halls, and meetups. They also manage the phone and text banks and can provide training for online advocacy. Virtual volunteers also provide live streaming for programs and virtual events.
Clear Communication Is Key
As in any endeavor, successfully working with people to accomplish a shared goal requires clear communication. This is especially true with volunteers, as they are not employees and need clear guidance on their role, how to perform the expected duties, and what impact their contributions will have. Using multiple communication channels, such as email, social media, and text messages, helps make sure you are reaching your volunteers.
Being responsive to their questions and concerns requires having clear instructions on how to reach someone in the organization quickly and efficiently. Making sure that all communications are clear and detailed helps minimize confusion. It’s just as crucial to gather feedback from volunteers on their experiences as it is to provide feedback on their performance and contributions.
Preparing for Advanced Service Leadership Roles
The nationally accredited online MBA in Nonprofit Management program from UMSV helps you develop in-depth knowledge of nonprofit marketing, fundraising, and governance. Courses like Operations and Production Management and Theory and Practice of Nonprofit Management give students a strong baseline for a career in nonprofit leadership.
Learn more about UMSV’s online MBA in Nonprofit Management program.
