What are some strategies for demonstrating strong leadership skills in Volunteer Management?

Always try to be honest and clear so you will build trust with your team as leader Always be on time for any advice they need you Show your care and help them with no request from them

Identifying the volunteers strengths and then give them opportunities to excel on what they do best keeps them motivated to do the work.

You have to ensure that the volunteers do not center themselves. Their volunteer experience is not what matters most. They are not customers or clients to be catered to. Volunteers need to be introduced to the context in which they are serving, informed on who or what is at the center, and trained to engage in dignifying ways.

A handbook outlining time commitment, processes, and expectations can make the entire experience more enjoyable. New volunteers especially like having a resource they can refer to whenever they feel uncertain about their role.

Many volunteers are underutilized or not given clear direction. Making sure they understand the needs of the organization and how they can best further the mission is critical. Collecting feedback and training volunteers is also important for the partnership to be truly meaningful.

For sure, what I have observed is that delegating tasks effectively in volunteer management takes aligning tasks with the volunteers’ strengths. Also, setting clear expectations and providing some level of autonomy but also offering support. Adjusting responsibilities while carrying out regular check ins fosters collaboration and ownership, leading to the success of the activity.

Having the right technology in place to support your efforts is key to driving impact, scale and communications with your volunteers and staff.

Volunteers want to feel valued. We should leverage a volunteer's motivation and drive by giving them meaningful tasks and responsibilities. As leaders, we want to quickly understand what drives a volunteer. We also want to understand what skills they want to use. It is important to remember that some volunteers may not want to use their "work skills" as volunteers. For example, an accountant may not want to volunteer for accounting tasks. Leaders should check in regularly and provide opportunities to rebalance a volunteer's workload. We don't want the joy of volunteering to turn into a job. Delegation is important. Having too many responsibilities on one person creates risk and could reduce an organization's impact.

Delegation is key to success. Trying to run a one person show puts undue burden on you and robs your team of opportunity.

I’d also add to this, to create context for tasks. Sometimes when we delegate and assign tasks to volunteers it’s not clearly laid out the difference they make or the ‘why’ they are doing it. Taking a few moments to highlight why the tasks they are performing make a difference or are tied to the greater mission will make a big impact.

Inspiring your volunteers requires getting to know them as humans. Understanding their passions and where they are best served. When you build those relationships, you are able to inspire by putting them in situations where they will SHINE. Give your all stars the ability to BE the all star. That is how you inspire.

In my experience when you inspire and motivate others it brings forth a sense of responsibility and a spirit to deliver better results

It’s always helpful to make small attempts in educating volunteers about your mission-along the way. Not just a data dump of details, but an intentional conversation at their side about what the big mission goals are, how their contribution is valuable, and how together we can achieve the end result.

Motivate volunteers to be good leaders whenever in leadership position. Training and mentoring volunteers to be leaders of tomorrow. Tis the only way to transfer leadership skills to volunteers

The best way to encourage and motivate your volunteer team is to make them feel appreciated and supported. If you genuinely show that you value them and take the time to validate their contributions you’ll be amazed at the response! People want to know they matter. This is vital to having a successful and returning team of volunteers.

My career began as a volunteer for the program that I have continued to support as a consultant. I found it essential to maintain communication with those dedicated to your efforts as well as guidelines. It is important to encourage the passion that creates dedication in those that give of their time and talent. I made a promise that I would never ask them to do anything that I hadn't done or wouldn't be willing to do.

Maintain a calm demeanor at all times and remain neutral as you listen to your volunteer’s concerns and issues. Do not be dismissive. Sometimes people just want/need to know that they were heard. Validate their feelings and try to approach a reasonable resolution by viewing it from their perspective.

It’s incredibly important to see conflict resolution as a key opportunity to build trust within your team. Use active listening and mediation skills to help find a solution within the conflict. Most of the time, these instances spring up when one or more people on the team need to be heard. As a leader, when you listen to understand, the bond you create with those in conflict can be greatly strengthened.

Keeping the lines of communication open is the only way to manage problems and conflict. All matters should be treated the same as though they were in relation to a paid employee - quickly and respectfully. Give the volunteer an opportunity to express their issue and really try to understand it from their perspective. Ask for their opinion in how they’d like the issue to be resolved but do not make any guarantees that it will be the outcome they are after.

By resolving problems, you demonstrate to the volunteer that you are sensitive to their own time and expertise. They will also appreciate the fact that you have kept them engaged in positive outcomes.

I have found that volunteers are not always privy to the latest information at the organization. They may volunteer sporadically and processes may have changed since the last time they were there. I like to keep them informed on a team newsletter and then when they show up, I ask their team lead to inquire about their knowledge, questions or concerns about any changes. I think it is important to include the volunteers as part of the team and give them the opportunity to express their thoughts and opinions.

Volunteers will 100% feed off your energy so it is imperative that every change be tackled with a can-do attitude, an ever-shifting growth mentality, and zero outward panic. Good luck!

Adaptability is huge in volunteer management roles especially when you are building your volunteer network/s. The world is always changing which causes companies and organizations to constantly change as well. So, finding ways to adapt to change is important. Also, expressing that to your volunteers is important and letting them in on the changes so, they can be prepared to adapt. No one likes changes especially when the system isn’t broken but policies have changed. So, communicating that makes easier to adapt to the ongoing changes we all face.

Adapting to changing situations is vital in a world that is always changing. To remain stagnant is to become antiquated and outdated. Being flexible increases creativity and presents new avenues for approaching and correcting diverse issues. We must all be flexible and sensitive in a world that is so culturally diverse. It is everyone's task to make this a better world in which we all must live.

Yes we all must be adaptable, willing ness to change is critical and being patient with volunteers who have varying perspectives and abilities that they may not be initially willing to share due to confidence or many other factors. Helping volunteers adapt to change if they want to , don't force change where it isn't wanted. Many of our older volunteers like me are technically challenged with some new technologies and the speed at which these change. 'Thinking on your feet' is critical however don't forget 'Down there for dancing, up there for thinking'.

Embrace 'US' over 'I': Managing volunteers is a crucial task, considering they view it as a service, and not for any monetary gain. It's vital to involve volunteers in every conversation, such as saying, 'It is up to us as advocates of XYZ organization to keep our community programs open,' rather than 'We need you to keep our community programs open.'

Being a servant leader is an excellent way to empower volunteers. A servant leader should break down any barriers in a team's way. Even if the most benign barrier can suck the motivation out of a team.

Early in my career I was given the advice to “always put a volunteer between you and your problems.” While the idea makes sense on the surface, it couldn’t be further from being useful in practice. People don’t like to be used; and they usually know when they’ve been delegated a task simply to deal with a problem. Take care of your volunteers. They are your biggest advocates. And their time and talents can often be worth more than their donations.

Using a total quality management (TQM ) is a versatile way for volunteer management. Involve them and let them understand the goals and objectives of organization and how their contribution would achieve the goals and objectives. Let them contribute meaningful and they will be more committed to the organization.

Leading by example: Over the years, I've experienced that to keep your volunteers motivated and committed to the mission, it's very important that you lead by example. Your volunteers look upon you as the leader, the face of the organization. They will be as committed as the leader. If there is a difficult situation, you jump in to find a solution and then volunteers will even do more than you expect from them.