You're managing a team of volunteers. How can you provide feedback that inspires continued dedication?

Occasionally surprise your volunteers with small tokens of appreciation. This could be a handwritten thank-you note, a small gift, or even a special event in their honor. Unexpected appreciation can have a big impact and make them feel valued and understood, which can significantly boost their motivation and dedication.

To inspire continued dedication in your volunteer team, start by showing genuine appreciation and highlighting how the team makes a difference. Results most often speak for themselves. Celebrate achievements and debrief with the team so everyone knows how the positive impact was achieved – then it can be replicated again and again. Encourage open communication and allow everyone to give constructive feedback - passionate volunteers deserve to be heard. Make sure that goals are clear and ensure it is communicated that everyone's contributions are valued, as long as intentions are right.

During my experience of working with volunteers, the one thing which really helped was talking to them individually after team meetings. I usually try to explain to them why their work is really important to our work and it will help us create an impact in society. Talking to them personally not only makes them feel important but it also inspires them to contribute by going out of their way because they now know that their work is being valued and more importantly they are being valued.

In my experience, one of the most important things is to give the people working on the project ownership. Even and especially when they are volunteers. THEY work on this, so THEY are the experts - what would they change or elaborate to make the best out of the project? What is best in their opinion and seen with their expertise? Show them you care and listen. Ownership is crucial for a strong and long term dedication to a project.

Pay them. .

As an individual who has always seek the professional opinion of mentors and seniors in the industry. I understand how feedbacks can make or mere an individual, especially youngsters. Hence, these are ways I provide feedbacks that enhance volunteers continous improvement: 1. Understand how each individual should receive feedback. 2. Show them areas they are performing greatly and where improvements can be made. I am emphasising on the tone of your voice too. You don't want the volunteers thinking its the end of the world for them. 3. Be truly concerned about their development & initiate an open dialogue system for communication. 4. Establish a system for follow up & test their capacity for improvement.

People love to be recognized. I had a weekly one on one meeting with my direct reports in which we reviewed business topics. I would always end the meeting providing positive feedback. I found that people would feel uplifted, seen, and recognized and would be more productive during the days. There's always something to praise people for, like their constant smile or their positive attitude. It doesn't have to be always about their performance, it can also be about their behavior. Sometimes we see valuable behaviors in our collaborators and we assume they know we value these. Let's not assume anything and share this good feedback with them.

Having led a team of volunteers before, I have realized how important it is to be optimistic and value people’s contributions. All volunteers are part of the team because they are passionate about something or want to learn something. It is important to reinforce that their efforts have a real impact and that the absence of their effort will have a huge impact on the overall process. This keeps the group highly motivated and resilient to challenges.

No trabalho pequenos gestos que aparentemente podem n?o ter uma grande repercuss?o, geram de maneira precisa, a constante inje??o de animo. Na minha experiência, gestos como: feedback público verbal ou escrito, reconhecimento por projeto entregue, linha do tempo com as entregas pequenas e o resultado final, etc. Somos seres relacionais e tudo o que possa ser feito para refor?ar os la?os de maneira intencional pode ser benéfico.

In my experience, positive reinforcement is an incredibly effective tool for maintaining dedication among volunteers. Recognising and celebrating the contributions of our volunteers not only boosts morale but also strengthens their commitment to our shared mission. Whether it's a heartfelt thank-you, highlighting specific achievements, or offering opportunities for personal growth, positive feedback can transform the volunteer experience. Let’s continue to build a culture of appreciation and support. Together, we can achieve incredible things! #VolunteerAppreciation #PositiveReinforcement #TeamDedication #VolunteerManagement #Leadership #CommunityEngagement #Gratitude #Motivation #NonprofitLeadership

A feedback should always be based on the growth perspective rather than to point mistakes or put someone down. Criticisms also bring out good work if it is constructively communicated.

Always provide constructive feedback, even if you know that person doesn't want to receive it. I've found useful to use words like "I suggest you look into..", as it makes it less bossy. Also, it's useful to mention concrete examples of whatever constructive feedback you're giving to make it fact based and not emotion based. Last but not least, think about how would you like to receive constructive feedback and re-phrase it so that you give it a purpose. What's in it for them? What do they gain with this feedback?

Sugest?o seria a palavra, dar exemplos claros e direcionar para o caminho certo. Pegar em pequenos detalhes e momentos e usar como referência para impulsionar.

Sugest?o seria a palavra, dar exemplos claros e direcionar para o caminho certo. Pegar em pequenos detalhes e momentos e usar como referência para impulsionar.

Use the “SBI” (Situation-Behaviour-Impact) model for feedback, where you describe the situation, the observed behaviour, and its impact. This method keeps the feedback objective and focused on specific actions rather than personal attributes. Additionally, offer actionable suggestions for improvement and express your confidence in their ability to grow.

“Personalization and values alignment” I would add - show how the act of volunteering aligns with their personal mission at the stage of their lives. Acts as their personal reminder of why they are there. Perhaps important to get them to reflect on this and put it down for themselves in their own initial assessment and commitment to volunteering with the organisation. Further, to put down for themselves how the goals of the organisation reinforces their own personal call to volunteer in this particular area of service.

Somos seres relacionais e portanto, tudo deve ser comunicado de maneira clara e objetiva. Se n?o se sabe para qual caminho ir, qualquer caminho serve e essa é uma máxima quando falamos de metas, é importante que ela seja explícita e que tenha suporte para ser alcan?ada.

This is extremely important while working with volunteers as they come with high energy needs proper training n channeling these constructively, as goals help them align a roadmap if key milestones and achievements ,they promote productive outcomes

In my experience, it is helpful to ask how their volunteering role and duties are contributing to their own goals, such as skill development, from the start. This helps me identify opportunities to align their responsibilities in the volunteering role to support those goals, and provide relevant feedback.

When providing feedback to my volunteers, I focus on continuous learning by making comments personalized, specific, and timely. I acknowledge individual contributions, detail achievements, and connect efforts to our mission with success stories. To inspire dedication, I balance positive feedback with constructive suggestions, express gratitude, and celebrate milestones. We hold weekly or monthly check-up days to update on projects, where members highlight exceptional actions, thank colleagues for specific activities, and practice giving feedback. This approach fosters mutual recognition and learning, keeping volunteers motivated and engaged.

The best volunteer leadership advice I ever received was: 'Never take a development opportunity away from someone you are mentoring'. Sharing it here to amplify the power that this simple mindset reminder has when leading volunteers. People want to try new stretch opportunities, to experiment with different types of tasks, speaking engagements, projects - they want to learn how to do new things. Some people like organizing and making project trackers. It's not enough to support their individual development - you have to explicitly get out of the way: - No micromanaging! - No taking credit for their work! Emerging leaders typically innovate new ways of doing things - and move into leadership roles - where they continue the model.

Encouraging a culture of continuous learning within a volunteer team is essential. I believe that volunteering should be about giving back and about gaining valuable skills and experiences. To support your volunteers' development, there are a variety of opportunities and initiatives that help you making your volunteer journey even more enriching. I also encourage self-reflection, inviting you to think about your experiences and identify areas for personal and professional growth. Volunteering you can create an environment where everyone can thrive and evolve. #ContinuousLearning #VolunteerDevelopment #SkillBuilding #Mentorship #VolunteerExperience #GrowthMindset #NonprofitLeadership #TeamEmpowerment

I think it is very positive to continue nurturing their curiosity, through workshops or training sessions that help volunteers develop new skills, as well as creating an environment where volunteers can share knowledge and learn from their experiences.

Offer workshops, training sessions, and mentoring opportunities as part of your feedback process. Encourage volunteers to set personal learning goals and provide resources or access to professional development tools. Recognize and celebrate their progress in acquiring new skills or taking on new responsibilities.

Adding Impact Report communication - Agree with all the above points. I would also like to add that as a part of transparency, and appreciation the organization should prepare an impact report - both direct and indirect, and share it with the volunteers. Personalisation/approximation of the impact by the volunteer, example, Your 18 hours of volunteering this week potentially will result in 5% improvement in college enrollment and better standard of living for 22 families. When the impact is tangible in terms of numbers, the drive by the volunteers is much higher.

I've experienced that when people feel safe and can express their concerns and share different views with no fear of retaliation from their Manager is when they feel the most comfortable. People can be themselves. This is when they thrive and it happens to be contagious, so others also open up. Open discussions enrich the team as a whole and a trustworthy working environment becomes the natural way of working. Teams become high performing teams and the working environment improves significantly.

Create an environment where volunteers feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. Encourage them to provide feedback on their experiences and suggest improvements for the team, which can lead to a more engaged and dedicated team...

Entendo que é muito importante envolver as pessoas no processo de feedback. Precisamos criar espa?os de encorajamento para que as pessoas possam dar feedback sobre sua própria experiência e sobre o gerenciamento da equipe. Muitas lideran?as n?o est?o abertas a ouvir realmente o feedback do time. Oportunizar este espa?o de troca, cria um ambiente de comunica??o aberta e melhora a colabora??o. Além disso, considere realizar reuni?es regulares para refletir sobre o progresso e discutir o que funcionou bem e o que pode ser aprimorado.

-Open dialogues have always led to better ideas. - One thing I found is that an open dialogue gives each team member a chance to raise their concerns and contribute their perspective. - It is also a wonderful tool in times of brainstorming and generating new ideas.