Volunteer Management is one of the most foundational components for any nonprofit, charitable or grassroots organization. When volunteer management is done right you will see your mission come to life!
Volunteers are not just "free labour" but rather the pulse of any social purpose organization. These are the people that believe in your mission so much that they are willing to offer their time, energy and skills at no cost to you. If they are so willing to elevate the work of the sector, we must be willing to to elevate them. So what does "good volunteer management" mean? It means you are being intentional - from the way you design your volunteer positions to the ways in which you celebrate and recognize your volunteers. And this is exactly what I will be exploring with you in my November webinar.
Over the past 13 years I have moved from being an active volunteer to managing volunteers. I have worked with volunteers of different ages and at different stages in life - from high school students to retired folks. I have worked with professionals looking to give back, students needing experience, job seekers wanting to network, and newcomers hoping to gain experience and better understand Canadian culture.
I have had horrible experiences as a volunteer, and I have had incredible experiences. I have been a great volunteer manager at times, and failed horribly at other times. I have seen how entire organizations can achieve their goals and missions solely from the work of volunteers.
Volunteers are essential to the social purpose sector - and when something is that important we need to put in every effort to do it RIGHT (or at least as good as we can!).
Join me for my November webinar on 'Intentional Volunteer Management'. You'll learn about best practices including practical tips & tricks, I'll share examples of stellar volunteer programs AND I'll share some of my own personal fails... something to learn from ;)