How to Build A Better Volunteer Program

By Erin Jenks

Picture this, you are planning your next big event, and everything is going great. The logistics are working, the vendors are all registered, the venue is ideal, and the emergency management plan is in place, but where are the volunteers? Volunteers are the manpower behind many successful community events and programs.

How does one build a successful volunteer program?

Job Descriptions

To start building your volunteer program or to update your existing program, your first step should be job descriptions. Just like with paid employee positions; volunteer positions should have job descriptions, training, and an onboarding process. If you don’t know where to start with job descriptions for your volunteers, consider what your events and program needs are and write up a job description for those needs. You could be looking for an event set up and breakdown team, volunteers to facilitate games and activities, or even actors to play characters at events. The more information that is included in the job description, the better your prospective volunteer will understand the expectations. It is also helpful to provide a list of the position responsibilities, such as assisting with event waivers or assisting with crowd control.

Qualifications

Qualifications are another necessary component of the job description. You can create specific job descriptions that have qualifications or requirements for very specific duties. For example, if you are looking for a volunteer that can help with ticketing, admissions, or registration, you can list this in the qualifications or requirements section of your position specific job description. In this area you can also list any previous experience requirements; for example, looking for someone that is friendly and outgoing, someone that has cash handling experience, or even someone that may already have a background in event planning. It is equally important to include any physical requirements for the position as well; for example, how much weight may need to be lifted, if the position requires exposure to excessive hot or cold temperatures, loud noise, even prolonged periods of standing.

Onboarding Process

The onboarding process for volunteers should be very similar to the process for regular paid employees. Review the volunteer applications you receive to ensure that you select the appropriate candidate for your program or event needs. As with regular paid employees it is best practice to conduct interviews with your prospective volunteers. Have several prepared questions to ask; include questions about the volunteer’s experience, knowledge of your programs or events, their experience, skills, what are their strengths and weaknesses and what are their goals and expectations from this volunteer experience. This can be a casual or professional setting, which ever works best for your organization. These interviews can be conducted one on one or involve other staff or team members.

After you have selected your candidate, there should be a background screening process and references check. Your organization may already have something in place for paid employees, this process should be applied to your volunteers as well.

It should be your goal to set your new volunteers up for success with your organization. Having a detailed onboarding process will be an effective tool to make this happen. Your onboarding process can be a group or individual orientation. You will want to initially start off with identifying your organizations mission, vision, and values. You may want to include a brief history about your organization or include an overview of the programs and events they will be working with you on. You will need to discuss your organization’s rules and regulations, policies and procedures, expectations, and responsibilities and how these apply to your volunteers. They may be volunteering their time, but they are a reflection of your organization and should be held to the same standards as paid employees. You can also provide an informational handbook for your incoming volunteers. A volunteer staff handbook can be a great resource for information. Orientation is also an appropriate time to complete any additional organizational paperwork such as liability waivers, emergency contact information, uniform or identification badge issuances, or acknowledgement of policies. It is good practice to have your new volunteer sign that they read and understand the job description and accept the terms of the position. Keep in mind, if you are utilizing minor aged volunteers, they will need to have a parent or guardian signature on their paperwork. You will also need to understand the child labor laws for your area.

Training

The next step to take with your new volunteers is training. Proper training is critical to ensure that your volunteers know their duties, responsibilities, and expectations. A volunteer that is willing and able may become frustrated if they do not know your expectations or if they feel lost and uniformed. This could easily lead to the loss of a great volunteer. You will need to create a training plan that will help your volunteers understand their role and responsibilities in detail. Be sure to include any special forms or equipment that they may be required to use. Some positions may require your volunteer to shadow an employee for a few days, until they are confident in their new role. Whichever route you choose, your goal should be that your new volunteer feels welcome, informed, comfortable, confident in their role and that they are part of the team.

Recruitment

Recruitment is another component in a successful volunteer program. In our world full of technology and social media, there are numerous ways to get the word out that you have amazing volunteer opportunities in your community. Place your available volunteer positions on your organization’s website listed with the regular employment opportunities, or you can create a webpage dedicated to your volunteer program. A webpage dedicated to your volunteer program could provide a comprehensive listing for all your volunteer opportunities, a link for prospective volunteers to apply, a frequently asked questions section, and contact information and images of your volunteer leadership team. Social media platforms can also be an efficient way to spread information. You can share your success stories, photos of your volunteer team in action, and upcoming volunteer opportunities. If your budget allows, you may want to place advertisements in local papers, community bulletins, and online volunteer sites. Successful recruitment opportunities may also be found at local job fairs, student achievement programs, internship opportunities, retirement groups, and within other community organizations. Let’s not forget setting up recruitment stations at your events or other events in the area. Additionally, word of mouth from current volunteers to prospective volunteers is always beneficial. If you have happy and engaged volunteers, they will advocate for your volunteer program.

Tracking Volunteer Hours

Tracking volunteer time should be a necessary part of your volunteer program. Just as we track the hours worked by our paid employees, we should be tracking the hours worked by our volunteers. Many of your younger volunteers may be working on building up volunteer hours for school, scholarships, or other youth organizations and will want to have a record of their service. Have a procedure for how you will capture these hours, will they complete a paper timecard, or will you utilize a web-based system? Think about your volunteer program from a budgeting standpoint, there is a measurable value for tracking your volunteer hours. For example, 80 volunteers with an annual average of 120 hours for a total of 9,600 hours of service at a minimum wage of $11.00 saves your organization $105,600 dollars per year. Tracking volunteer service hours can also help your organization with other opportunities such as grant applications, justification for community programming, and expanding services.

Discontinuing Service

At some point in time volunteers may need to discontinue their service with your organization. Ideally this will be a voluntary separation, however, if you have a volunteer that is not performing, or behaving unsatisfactorily to the expectations of their role, this will need to be addressed. As with a paid employee that is underperforming, you will need to document the steps taken to address the volunteer’s performance. You should provide steps for improvement, readdress their role and your expectations. If a volunteer disregards a policy or the unsatisfactory performance continues, they should be dismissed from their role as a volunteer. An underperforming volunteer that is not addressed timely could lead to public complaints, co-worker dissatisfaction, and could have detrimental effects to the success of your volunteer program.

Rewards and Recognition

A vital part of a successful volunteer program is a reward and recognition program. Your volunteers are giving their valuable time and you want them to know it is appreciated. Your reward and recognition program can take on many different forms of appreciation. If your budget allows, you can implement a Volunteer Perk program, where volunteers can convert their service time into points towards organization swag or discounts for other events and programs. You could host an annual volunteer appreciation and recognition event to thank your volunteers for their time and talents, or even spotlight your volunteers in the local media or on your social media platforms. You could offer event sponsor products to your volunteer team or create a prize drawing with the number of entries based on hours volunteered. Be creative and timely with your recognition and rewards; this is key to volunteer retention.

Having happy and engaged volunteers will support your events and programs significantly, and if implemented correctly, your volunteers will benefit as well. They could gain new skills, make new friends, create references, network employment opportunities, improve confidence, improve mental and physical health and wellbeing, and provide them a sense of giving back to their community.

Having a successful volunteer program in place also has numerous benefits to your agency both measurable and meaningful. Volunteers become your biggest fans and advocates, they provide feedback and ideas for improvement, and they provide additional support to your staff. A successful volunteer program can also be a big budget saver for your operational budget. Most importantly, you can provide an exceptional event experience for your participants and your volunteers.

Erin Jenks, CFEA, is the Recreation Superintendent with St. Cloud Parks and Recreation. Her 16-year career with Parks and Recreation has taken her through nearly every aspect of Parks and Recreation from youth programs, activities, summer camps, adult sports leagues, and tournaments to holiday celebrations, parades, and music festivals. Erin has created many community events from the ground up and continues to develop these events with her team today. She has extensive experience in event planning, working both with the City of St. Cloud and many local non-profit organizations. Erin is truly passionate about event management and the community she serves. She believes that there is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions in a way that serves the world and you.