How can you build a better volunteer team?

1 Define your goals and expectations

Before you recruit or assign volunteers, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it. What are the objectives and outcomes of your project or program? What are the roles and responsibilities of your volunteers? What are the skills and qualifications you are looking for? How will you measure and evaluate your volunteer impact? Having a well-defined and communicated volunteer strategy will help you attract and retain the right people for the right tasks.

2 Recruit from diverse sources

One of the benefits of having a volunteer team is that you can tap into a wide range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences that can enrich your work and your cause. But to do that, you need to reach out to different communities and groups that may not be aware of or interested in your opportunity. You can use various channels and platforms, such as social media, newsletters, websites, events, referrals, or partnerships, to promote your volunteer openings and showcase the value and impact of your work. You can also tailor your messages and materials to appeal to different audiences and highlight the benefits of volunteering for them.

3 Provide training and support

Once you have recruited your volunteers, you need to make sure they have the knowledge and skills they need to perform their tasks effectively and safely. You can provide them with orientation sessions, manuals, webinars, workshops, or mentoring programs that cover topics such as your mission, vision, values, policies, procedures, expectations, and best practices. You can also offer them ongoing feedback, guidance, and recognition to help them grow and improve their performance. Providing training and support will not only enhance your volunteer quality and productivity, but also your volunteer satisfaction and retention.