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Many would say that they simply don’t know why people volunteer. Certainly, it’s complicated. There is no one reason. Managers of volunteers must come to some understanding about why in each of their people. It's essential to volunteer management success. The manager must gently enquire, observe, and listen, and build a picture for each volunteer. It’s never acceptable for the manager of volunteers to accept that when asked, the volunteer shrugs and can’t say.
There is one recurring difficulty – agreeing what a volunteer is. Since volunteering is often contrasted with employment, there must be some statement of what’s similar, and what’s different. But it goes further than that. Here are some of definitions. Volunteering is work. It's a leisure activity. It's without financial reward, but there's exchange so volunteers don't work for nothing. Volunteers have free choice. It's impactful. And without volunteers the venture would fail.
Writing volunteer agreements
Written by John Berry on 22nd September 2020. Revised 27th March 2024.
6 min read
Volunteering is the provision of effort for the benefit of an organisation without financial reward. There will be reward for the volunteer, but it will be psychological. Despite the nature of the relationship, there should be an agreement. But the volunteering agreement must not be legally binding and will set out expectations. Here's how to write such agreements.
Why your volunteers are leaving
Written by John Berry on 12th November 2020. Revised 27th March 2024.
8 min read
There has been some indication that youth workers are now quitting their volunteer posts in significant numbers. As the pandemic evolves and new periods of lockdown are implemented, it is imperative that all managers of volunteers increase their level of supportive management. Many managers will not be capable of doing this and will themselves need help.
Getting volunteers to... volunteer
Written by John Berry on 23rd September 2020. Revised 27th March 2024.
5 min read
Getting enough volunteers with the right skill-set is huge problem for volunteer-reliant organisations. Here we describe a simple three-step model that is useful in understanding the volunteer recruitment problem, and its solution. Managers of volunteers must continually engage in recruitment. Their aim must be to get ‘the right people in the right jobs, always’.
Managing Volunteers
Written by John Berry on 25th August 2020. Revised 27th March 2024.
5 min read
It’s often said by managers in voluntary organisations that their volunteers can’t be managed. And yet, if that is so, the organisation faces rudderless chaos. The direction in which the organisation travels, what it achieves and whether it has a future are therefore all in doubt. In short, the situation is unacceptable. Volunteers must be managed for the good of the organisation.
