Volunteers make up the foundations of not-for-profits and professional membership associations. These organisations rely on volunteer’s time, skills, and energy to push their mission forwards, without expecting financial compensation. How an organisation works alongside volunteers can massively amplify their impact within their industry, help to create a sense of community, and build up its long-term stability.
The Value of Volunteers
Volunteers are invaluable. Unlike employees, who may be motivated primarily by financial compensation, volunteers are usually driven by a strong commitment to the organisation’s mission. This motivation often comes alongside high levels of engagement, creativity and productivity.
Volunteers can help to expand the reach of an organisation by providing additional manpower, allowing the organisation to undertake projects and initiatives that might otherwise be impossible. They can also offer specialised skills, that may come at too high of a price to employ on a fulltime basis.
For professional membership associations, volunteers often include industry leaders and experts who contribute to the development of their profession by sharing their knowledge and mentoring others.
Managing Volunteers
Despite the benefits they bring, working with volunteers can unearth different challenges.
There may be issues with reliability and consistency with some volunteers, or you may find that they have limited availability due to other commitments, making long-term planning and scheduling difficult. Also, some volunteers may require training, supervision, or ongoing support, which may be resource intensive on the organisation.
Best Strategies
To maximise the impact of your organisation’s volunteers, it’s best to adopt a strategic approach to your management.
Clear Communication
Establishing clear lines of communication is paramount. Volunteers should understand the organisation’s mission, their specific role within it, and how their work will contribute to the overall goals. Regular updates, feedback sessions, and open-door policies can help maintain a healthy and positive relationship with volunteer.
Role Definition
Clearly define each volunteer’s role to prevent any misunderstanding and ensure that they are placed in positions where they’ll be most effective. A well structure role description should include the tasks involved, time commitment, and a list of skills the volunteer should possess – much like a job description.
Training & Support
Even the most experienced and established volunteer within your industry will need training. It’s important to provide ongoing support, whether that’s through mentorship or check-in meetings to ensure that volunteers feel equipped to perform their roles.
Recognition & Appreciation
Volunteers are more likely to stay engaged if they feel appreciated. Recognition at events, or volunteer appreciation awards can be a great gesture and go far in maintain your organisation’s morale. Offering opportunities for professional growth, such as training workshops or networking events can also be a powerful motivator.
Flexibility
It’s important for your organisation’s management to recognise that each volunteer will have a varying level of availability and commitment. Consider offering flexible volunteering options, as this will attract a wider range of volunteers and accommodate those with busy schedules.
Impact
To ensure that everybody’s efforts are aligned for the good of the organisation, it’s important to measure the impact of the volunteer’s contributions. This can be done through regular evaluations or tracking key performance indicators such as volunteering hours, project outcomes and retention rates.
Analysing this data will help you to refine your volunteer programmes and make informed decisions about future initiatives.
How We Can Help
While there are a huge number of benefits to being part of a professional membership associations management committee, it’s important to realise that there are heavy responsibilities. Many tasks can seem quite daunting or time consuming, which is why it’s important to work alongside a reliable administration management team.
At Cygnul we work in partnership with our clients and are seen as trusted advisors to the Board. We can undertake the full range of membership, secretarial and bookkeeping services as well as offering advice and support to associations around the UK. If you want to explore how these services could help your organisation, please get in touch with us.
