The work that volunteers provide each year is quite significant. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, volunteers provided services worth over 14.6 billion dollars during the 2006-07 year to non-profit organizations, and nearly 38% of all women and 34% of all men in Australia had volunteered during the 2010 year.

Despite the fact that nearly a third of Australians volunteer, it can be difficult to find and retain great volunteers.  Outside life commitments may change for volunteers, illness, or financial difficulties can also occur and leave organisations scrambling to find people that want to help.  The following steps can make it a bit easier for you to keep your volunteers interested in your organisation and encourage them to continue their assistance to your group.

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

On some level, all of us want to receive recognition for our hard work and efforts, regardless of the job or task. Throughout your volunteer’s service, seek out ways to recognize your volunteers and thank them for their efforts, and applaud their results.  A little acknowledgement will go a long way in keeping your volunteers motivated.

No One is an Island

Many of us are social creatures, and one of the main reasons that many volunteer is to meet new people and make friends with others who are from different backgrounds and walks of life.  Your volunteers will stay motivated and are more likely to continue to volunteer in the future if their efforts are structured around group activities and endeavors. Have your volunteers work in teams so that they can encourage one another and assist one another on projects.

Don’t Make it Harder than it has to be

Volunteers have an extensive history of accomplishing truly difficult and meaningful tasks by pooling their efforts, talents and resources together, but when you create and assign tasks for your volunteers, don’t make the work any more difficult or bureaucratic than it has to be.

If you have a goal that will be difficult and take a long time to achieve, break this big goal up into several smaller goals so that volunteers will not be discouraged at the outset. Ensure that volunteers have the tools and resources that they need to make meaningful progress towards these goals, and try to reduce as much as possible any red-tape to help them be excited about volunteering for your cause.

Share the Fun

Many non-profits have fairs, concerts or other fund raising events. When possible, make the effort to schedule breaks for your volunteers so that they too can have a bit of fun and enjoy the event.  You might have to bring in more volunteers during these times than you normally would, but this is an invaluable way to raise excitement and interest in your organisation.

By following these four easy steps, you will ensure that your volunteers have a meaningful and enjoyable volunteer experience so that they are more likely to return to assist your organisation in the future.