Here's how you can foster solid relationships with volunteers as a project manager.

I take issue with the first sentence. It says, "Volunteers offer their time without financial reward, which is why it's essential to respect and value their time as a project manager." For starters, payment is not a reward, it's a transcational relationship. Using the phrase financial reward makes the typical work contact sound way more one sided and ridiculous than it is. Second of all, it is essential to respect and value everyone's time; regardless of whether they are employees, volunteers, or the cashier at your local grocery store.

Yuck, attributing the importance of transparent and healthy communication to volunteers, makes it sound as if that isn't inherently necessary with paid employees.

Communication is key. Imagine that you took on a new job and there was no training. How would you know what to do? How would you feel? Would you want to return the next day? Now imagine that you are a volunteer, maybe you are only there for a day or two; without clear and concise communication how would you know what you are doing is correct? Volunteers need guidance, direction, and clear communication in order to be sure they are assisting correctly and safely. Only after training and communication can volunteers be useful to those they are helping. I volunteer at a food bank. When we have new volunteers we explain and show them what we do. Without clear and concise communication they wouldn't know how to sort the food or where it goes.

Recognising the efforts of volunteers and be of key importance just the same as recognising the effort with employees however when we recognise volunteers it’s important that the community they serve see and share this recognition and gift of time and experience . Recognise not just in an awards or recognition capacity but by enabling them to help progress by combining the recognition with an enabling them to contribute to lessons to help you and them move forward and improve. I’ve always found sitting down with volunteers and asking what are we getting right now? And what are we getting wrong ? To be hugely beneficial and recognises the uniques view they can have of your organisation.

Growth thrives on experience. By providing volunteers with opportunities to be influential in the workplace, we empower them to develop their expertise. This not only fosters their professional growth but also instills a sense of ownership and commitment.

Community and sense of team or belonging is so important and is one of the great motivators for volunteering for many. Creating a community around volunteers helps them develop personally and gain back some of the benefits employees have with that sense of team and belonging. Many wonder why a successful sole trader or businessperson would volunteer in a team role or larger organisation where they have less autonomy. Maybe they are seeking this sense of belonging and community. Training days and team building days or team debriefs can help build that sense of community and have hidden benefits such as learning from your volunteers.

One thing I really enjoyed as a project coordinator was speaking with my volunteers about work and things outside work.Some had great enthusiasm and passion and was always a delight engaging with them. Others needed a little more push and I had to learn to communicate and engage with them as well. It was such a great learning curve. But yes, my volunteers were super great and I'm still in contact with some of them even though we are no longer working together.

Sometimes volunteers are young, they need to help in order to get hours for a class at school. Sometimes they are retired and are looking for a sense of community. Sometimes they have a friend ask them to join because extra help is needed. Whatever the reason maybe it is important to understand why they are helping, get to know their skill set, and then determine which projects they may take on while assisting. If you ask someone to assist with something that is above (or below) their skill set they may get frustrated and not return. Thus, you want to get to know your volunteers and tailor the experience to them. This will help with work flow and make the experience more fulfillable and enjoyable for all of those involved.

Volunteering is great for your soul. By volunteering you not only help an animal, person and/or community but you also help yourself. It is enriching in ways that you may never have realized until you've tried it out. Volunteering can provide a sense of purpose and can give you a reason to get up in the morning. You can build relationships with those you volunteer with and they can become life long friends. There is something wonderful knowing that you helped someone else by giving your time and efforts. This in turn makes the world a little bit better. It pulls at one's heartstrings and is worth it; not only to you, but also to those you've helped by deciding to volunteer.