Without the help of volunteers, it would be impossible for nonprofit’s to fulfill their mission. While volunteers are not employees, and, are usually not paid for their work, organisations assume several responsibilities, and duties, when they accept help from volunteers. Volunteers are often the public face, and many times the only representative, of a nonprofit that service recipients, donors and other stakeholders will interact with in person.

The reputation of the nonprofit, and the safety of staff, participants, and others are all on the line. While many nonprofits have a number of positions for which they offer specialised training, others require a specific skill set; so it’s important for nonprofits to take steps to ensure that a specific individual is a good fit for both the position and the organisation as a whole.

The following are a few steps nonprofits can take to help them pick the right volunteer for the right position with their organisation.

Screening

NFPs should create formal, written policies that state the criteria for specific positions and roles to ensure that the recruitment process of volunteers is transparent and fair. Proper screening ensures that only individuals that meet specific requirements will continue on in the selection process. Screenings that include background and reference checks are especially important for nonprofit’s when their work involves children, the elderly and other at-risk populations.

Interviews

Once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential recruits, it is a good idea to interview them to find out more about who these individuals are as people. Ask open-ended questions that encourage more than a simple yes or no as a response to find out more about your potential volunteer’s background, life experiences, personality and temperament.

At a minimum, your potential recruit should share your organisation’s values. Look for recruits with past experiences that indicate or otherwise show flexibility, optimism and determination. Encouraging your recruit to open up and talk can provide you with clues as to how well they get along with others. One good question to ask potential recruits is to ask them to describe how they have handled conflict in the past.

Look for recruits that have a history of high performance. Since the demands on volunteers and nonprofits are constantly evolving, look for volunteers who have worked will on their own in the past, with little oversight and direction, as well as volunteers who excel at working closely with others in a team environment.

Training

Once you have decided on which recruits you will invite to join your organisation as volunteers, it is important that you offer training to help them to be able to perform well in their role. Training should consist of helping the volunteer to learn the specific skills that they will need to perform their roles and fulfill their duties as well as help them learn about the nonprofit’s structure, culture and rules.

Training helps your organisation to set the right expectations. With proper training, the likelihood of misunderstandings and other conflicts are reduced.

During training, let your volunteers know the proper process to follow when they have suggestions for improvement for your organisation. Provide them with the chain of command that they should follow should they have a dispute, difficulty or other disagreement with a fellow volunteer, service recipient, or staff members of your nonprofit.

Follow Up

Throughout your volunteers’ service, periodically evaluate their performance and follow up with them so that they know what areas they are performing well, and other areas that they should focus on improving. Ask probing questions to ensure that they are happy in their role with your nonprofit and use this time to ask for ways that you can improve the service experience for the volunteers.

Many times, volunteers will join your nonprofit for a specific position or service project, and perform well, but, over time, as they learn more and grow as people, they may start to feel unfulfilled or even bored. Periodically reviewing their service on a regular basis allows you to check in with individual volunteers to ensure that they still fit in their current role, as well as to see if, in fact, they might be better suited for a new challenge with your nonprofit.

Awards and Recognition

Once you’ve identified the best people for your organisation, it’s important that your nonprofit works to retain them.  In addition to offering opportunities for growth, be certain that you recognise your volunteers when they truly excel in their duties and offer awards, perks, parties and other events to celebrate them for their efforts.