A Volunteer Leader’s Dos and Don’ts

It appears that, in order not to lose their volunteers, a perfect leader should be something like a HR Manager. According to the specialists, there should be no difference between paid and unpaid volunteers. They both want to receive useful information for their work, rely on good organisation and like to be praised when they perform well. And just like paid employees, the volunteers have hard periods and get frustrated by wasting their time when they can do something useful.

So, first of all, make sure that your organisation is well-organised. Don’t waste your people time with pointless and useless meetings and try to be short and concise. Don’t overstrain some of your volunteers and leave others with nothing to do. Usually, volunteering is an enjoyable and satisfying activity, but it can turn into a negative experience if a volunteer starts feeling too much pressure. Make sure you keep a track on all the available tasks and all the available people and allocate them appropriately.

When recruiting new volunteers, make sure you explain thoroughly what they are going to do.  You don’t want to lose people because they have not been prepared, and been surprised by all the actual requirements. Better to tell them everything beforehand so that they can decide whether it is their cup of tea or not. Also, make sure you train them and prepare them before they start. You don’t want volunteers who are lost and don’t know what to do. This means that they will rely on other people and will slow them down, too. Instead, give them all the necessary information and knowledge before they start. and they will be much more useful.

One thing you can consider introducing in your organisation is holidays. Just like the paid employees, volunteers will need time off, and some rest and change, even if they don’t realise it. Don’t wait until they start feeling the need. Instead, encourage them to take some time off after a certain period of contribution. Hopefully, some time spent away from the organisation will reinforce their motivation.

Last but not least, make sure you praise your volunteers and give them feedback for their work. Everyone needs to feel that they are making a difference – show them that their work is useful for the organisation. You can make it even more interesting by setting milestones and noticing each achieved milestone with a small reward – your volunteers will love the attention you pay to their work and will try to be even more efficient.

Final Thoughts on Volunteers Burning Out

You need to know that there are some signs that can show you if a volunteer does not feel good within the organisation anymore. For example, they may have lost their enthusiasm whereas they have been really keen on helping before. Another sign that things are not going well is anxiousness. If people start worrying, being nervous and complaining, this means that they are not enjoying the role anymore, so something is not the way it should be. Ideally, everyone should be having fun, even when the work is challenging, so if people start losing their temper and feel resentment, then you need to find out what’s wrong.

Volunteers burning out is something that can be avoided by treating your people professionally, with care and attention. So, recruit them, instruct them, train them, allocate their tasks appropriately, praise them after they are done and give them some time off. This algorithm is likely to keep your volunteers well-motivated and your organisation running smoothly.