Better Volunteer Experiences for The Small Non-Profit
Nearly every non-profit relies on the support of caring and committed volunteers to carry out its mission. Regardless of an organization’s size and scope - from local to national to international – all successful volunteer engagement programs have some core things in common. If you are struggling to attract and retain the right volunteers for your small non-profit, here are a few steps to consider:
Define the volunteer roles and requisite skills you need first, then find the right people to fill them.
Board of directors: The board of directors should be focused on setting direction and monitoring progress toward goals, fiduciary oversight, and ensuring the organization is properly funded to carry out its mission. Other work should be done by individual contributors, possibly working together on committees or teams. Carefully consider the ideal makeup of your board based on the organization’s mission before evaluating prospective volunteers to fill board seats. Look for individuals with prior experience contributing to the success of other organizations. Identify critical skills and attributes upfront so you have a good basis for evaluating candidates to fill your open positions.
Individual contributors: Do you need volunteers at the individual contributor level with specific skills? Marketing, graphic design, accounting/finance, volunteer coordination, legal, and risk management are some roles appropriate for a small non-profit board. Rather than an open call for volunteers, consider a more focused approach to recruiting the talent that your organization really needs to succeed. Avoid politics to the extent possible and leverage personal networks to find and recruit the best possible volunteers you can find.
All roles within your organization should be clearly defined in writing. An individual volunteer may serve on the board and as an individual contributor simultaneously, but each role should be well-defined. Even the most mundane volunteer role (e.g., “festival parking assistant”) should be clearly spelled out with a simple job description.
Volunteers are accountable, too! A disengaged volunteer taking up a slot that could be filled by someone with greater capacity and energy to serve hinders your organization from making progress toward its goals. Ensure board members, as well as individual contributors, understand that it’s OK to part ways if they are no longer able to fulfill their commitments to the organization, for any reason. A simple periodic self-evaluation can often help volunteers reflect on their performance and decide for themselves when it is perhaps time to move on. Here’s a simple board self-evaluation form from the National Council of Non-Profits.
Ensure diversity and inclusion are part of your organization’s DNA. A variety of perspectives, experiences, ideas, and voices will strengthen your organization. Consider how you can attract and engage people of different backgrounds as you build out your board and volunteer corps.
Transparency is an expectation, not an option. What are you prepared to share when asked about organization finances, program expenses, and so on? Competent and committed volunteers need to feel good about the organization, and financial transparency is critical to building their confidence and goodwill.
Understand and anticipate risks. Consult with your organization’s legal counsel and risk management professionals before engaging volunteers, regardless of their roles. A variety of insurance protections are available and should be reviewed periodically with your broker. Should you perform background checks? What sorts of waivers or other agreements are appropriate? Do not assume your organization is too small to need these things. It isn’t.
Collect feedback from volunteers and be prepared to act on it. Asking for feedback from volunteers periodically not only shows that you value them as individuals, but that you are committed to making positive changes where necessary. This doesn’t need to be complicated - a few simple questions are all that is needed to elicit valuable feedback from volunteers. What can be improved? What should we do more of? What should we do less of? Conduct a periodic survey of all volunteers, as well as an exit interview, if possible, when volunteers depart.
These are just a few suggestions to consider when working to optimize your small non-profit to fulfill its mission. As it grows over time, consider requiring board and volunteer training and education to further enhance the effectiveness and experience of your volunteers.
Michael Ulmer, MBA, CAE is the founder of Eagle Creek Partners (www.eaglecreekpartners.co), an Indiana-based consulting practice focused on helping non-profit organizations and individuals set and achieve meaningful objectives for growth and prosperity. He can be reached at 317-563-0414 or mulmer@eaglecreekpartners.co
