If folks start making good on their New Years’ resolutions, your phone could start ringing with new volunteers looking for opportunities to help your nonprofit in 2011.

Volunteer managers know that, it’s most important to interview prospective volunteers, and then run background checks to ensure you don’t bring anyone with a criminal past into contact with employees, clients or other volunteers.

What’s next? Training.
Proper training can make the difference between volunteers who enjoy their service and stick around and those who stop showing up after a couple of days.

When conducting volunteer training, remember to start with the paperwork—yours! You’ll need to plan before implementing any type of training program, so take out your laptop, notepad, or tablet computer and develop a plan using these tips:

1. Develop goals or expectations for each volunteer role. This will help you fit the right person with the right job.
2. Find out what your volunteers need from you. Listen carefully and incorporate their wishes into their role. Also, ask your volunteers about their motivations. Some may just want to keep busy, while others feel a desire to give back to others. Still others might want the interaction of seeing and talking with people during the day. If a volunteer just wants to help and stay behind the scenes, you’ll want to find tasks that accomplish that goal. For an extrovert who loves interacting with people, try to avoid assigning tasks like filing or mopping floors.
3. Be sure to incorporate information about your nonprofit organization into your training plan. Don’t assume the volunteers know the mission, purpose and funding source of the organization. Share with them as much information as you can, so they can spread the word about the good your NPO does in the community.
4. Use the buddy system to teach new volunteers exactly how they should do their jobs. Pair them with a staff member or current volunteer, but don’t let them start their new job until you’ve supervised and approved them to begin. Remember, some volunteers will need more training than others.

Fundraising events for non-profits are seldom hassle-free. But they are almost always extremely important to the bottom line. With so much riding on a successful fundraiser, it makes sense to be as organized and thorough in planning as possible. Not only does it make the event easier on everyone involved, it can help bring in more much-needed funds right away, and set the stage for increasing support for your non-profit in the future.

Tips That Can Make Anyone A Fundraising Event Guru

1. Set your objectives: know exactly what you hope to accomplish, the minimum fundraising goal that must be met and any other expectations that your board of directors or management might have.
2. Set a budget: This can be the sink-or-swim item on your planning list. You must know what the spending limit is before you purchase a single postage stamp. Base it on previous events, and add or cut to individual line items as necessary.
3. Start recruiting volunteers and sponsors early. This goes along with the budget—when you look at each budget item, ask yourself if there is a volunteer that can provide the service or a sponsor that can provide the product. Ask early and often. It’s a great feeling to cross a line off a budget because you managed to secure it free of charge!
4. Start making spreadsheets. Simple Excel spreadsheets serve as checklists and planning documents. They can save your life!
5. Select the right venue: Consider number of attendees, easy access, parking and accessibility for all. Make sure the main room won’t be too crowded, or you could see your attendees leaving long before the event is over. Get references from previous events and check up on service, food, comfort level (not too hot, not too cold) and accommodations.
6. Reach out: Not only do you want to contact your entire list of supporters, but you want to let the general community know about your event, too. Get signs and banners made and hung around the venue and in other high-volume spots. Send press releases to the local newspaper and community blogs. Set up Facebook and Twitter accounts and make sure you update them weekly, then daily when the event draws nearer. And ask your friends and family to spread the word through their Facebook and Twitter accounts, too. It works!
7. Get it in writing: Make sure you have the venue, caterer, speaker, auctioneer and anyone else involved in your event under signed contract. Don’t promote the event without them!

For volunteer managers, recruiting volunteers is only step one in a successful volunteer program. The process that includes background screening, matching skills with needs, and training. Sometimes the important step of orientation is overlooked.

Why orientation is so important?

• Orientation helps ensure volunteers are productive and that they stick around. Learning their place, their job, and the meaning of their work helps facilitate a job well done. Feeling productive leads to higher retention, too.
• Orientation helps new volunteers learn your nonprofit organization’s (NPO’s) policies and procedures. It’s frustrating and unproductive for volunteers to find out the dos and don’ts as they go. It can also be stressful for staff to correct the missteps of volunteers who don’t know any better. Just knowing where to park and which restroom to use can be extremely helpful to newbies.
• Volunteer orientation gives new folks a sense of partnership. Feeling like you’re a part of something leads to buy-in. A sense of belonging somewhere is very important—and it’s a big reason people volunteer in the first place. Skipping orientation could lead new volunteers to feel adrift and more like an outsider than an insider.
• Proper orientation for volunteers means the organization’s mission is clearly communicated. Knowing clearly what the organization’s mission and goals are makes volunteers valuable spokespeople in the community.

A Few Quick Tips for Successful Volunteer Orientation

1. Be organized: prepare packets of information ahead of time. Scrambling at the last moment makes you and your organization look unprofessional
2. Recruit a fully-trained staff member or volunteer to lead it: Even worse than being unorganized is leaving volunteers with the thought that they are not being taught well
3. Consider compiling a list of acronyms your volunteers will hear being tossed around. It will help them feel like insiders—not outsiders who aren’t privy to the organization’s activities.
4. Group orientations are a great way to save time and introduce new volunteers to staff and more experienced volunteers.

While training volunteers to do their specific jobs is extremely important, volunteer managers should remember that skipping orientation to get to training could leave volunteers unproductive and heading for the door!

Now is a great time for recruiting top-quality volunteers. With the employment picture (unfortunately) remaining less than rosy, management-level talent is finding its way to more nonprofit organizations (NPOs) than ever before.

Whether you find yourself as a volunteer manager trying to tap into these new volunteers’ developed skills, or helping other volunteers develop their leadership skills, you’ll probably find a core leadership group can be quite an asset to your organization, with growth and sustainability not far behind.

How to Identify Potential Leaders
Analyzing volunteers as they work, as well as their skill set coming in, is the best way to determine if they’ll make a good leader. Make sure your volunteer application is set up to gather information like work experience, education level, areas of expertise, specific skills and areas of interest. Also, the application should give potential volunteers the opportunity to express themselves by asking open-ended questions. This way, you can judge communication skills.

What Qualities Do Leaders Possess?
Reliability: Volunteers who show up when they say they will, on time and ready to work their tasks, are potentially the dependable type of leader you want. Other volunteers will not follow a leader who they cannot depend on.

Natural Leadership: Watch your volunteers to see who exhibits natural leadership qualities. Teaching others, listening well, performing duties without much supervision, and a positive outlook are all traits that leaders possess.

Team Players: Leaders are seldom the loner type. They enjoy being around people, and others are naturally drawn to them. Often, leaders have groups that tend to gather around them at every event. If you have a volunteer like this, you’d better take advantage of their charisma and ability to attract more people to their cause!

After you Identify a Leader
Conduct an informal interview with all volunteers who posses the leadership skills you want. Ask how they see themselves contributing and growing with your organization. Identify the leadership qualities you see, and ask if they are willing to take on a leadership position. Have the new job description ready to clearly communicate expectations. You might be surprised to see how enthusiastic your new team leaders are!

Follow Up
Give your new leaders plenty of time to become accustomed to their advanced duties. Don’t pile on too much at once. And follow up often to see how they’re doing, what questions they have, and what assistance they need. If it’s not going as well as expected, cut back on their responsibilities and see how they handle a reduced workload.

When it comes to advancing volunteers to leadership positions, easy does it. You don’t want to scare anyone away, but rather bring them closer to help achieve your organizational goals.

Last week’s Volunteering in America report showed an increase of 1.6 million in volunteers serving in 2009 versus 2008. Managing all these volunteers—new and old—is the job of a volunteer manager or volunteer coordinator.

During the economic downturn, non profit organizations (NPOs) all over the U.S. have had no choice other than cutting staff to stay viable; many volunteer managers and volunteer coordinators have seen their positions eliminated.

Since volunteering is increasing, it makes sense that a position to recruit, train, and retain the right volunteers would be a high-priority position at most NPOs.

What does it take to be a successful volunteer manager?
Planning: Assessing the needs of the organization and the numbers and types of volunteer positions needed to meet those needs is key.

Goal Setting: Often, state and federal mandates must be met to receive funding. Setting goals for volunteers and comparing to actual outcomes is often the only way to keep funds coming in.

Defining Roles: Volunteers need to know why they are there, what is expected from them, and how they’ll know when they’ve been successful. Volunteer coordinators determine what work needs to be done, and ensure a safe, qualified volunteer is in each position.

Acting as liaison between staff and volunteers: This is a tricky and important task. Volunteer managers work with paid staff to encourage their support of volunteers, make sure communication is clear, and that toes aren’t stepped on.

Recruiting: Finding volunteers can be an endless job, depending on the size of the organization. Good volunteer coordinators always have their eyes and ears open for “new blood” to replace volunteers who quit, move, or want short-term commitments. Creative thinking is a big part of successful recruiting.

Volunteer Screening: It’s vital to have one knowledgeable person in place who can ensure the safety of clients, staff and other volunteers by screening volunteers’ backgrounds.

Placing: Matching the right volunteer to each position is vital to keeping him or her happy, productive, and retained.

Following Up: Constant check-in with individuals who’ve shown interest in volunteering but haven’t signed up, current volunteers, and former volunteers is a big part of successful volunteer management—and it takes time.

All of these factors point to the need in most NPOs for a dedicated volunteer manager or volunteer coordinator. Especially when times are tough, a volunteer manager saves an organization time and money by helping things run more smoothly with fewer paid staff.

The Volunteering in America report was just published by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Its   2009 findings contain good news: despite the economic downturn, when non profit organizations (NPOs) were especially vulnerable (many on the verge of collapse) volunteers came through in higher numbers. In fact, the increase in volunteers serving in 2009 versus 2008 was 1.6 million! That’s the largest single-year increase since 2003.

• The rate of volunteering was up to 26.8% from 26.4% in 2008
• 8.1 billion hours of service were given by 63.4 million volunteers
• Total estimated dollar value of services volunteered: $169 billion,

Interestingly, the huge increase was because women, married individuals, and people working full-time volunteered in larger numbers than before. The biggest group increase was the full-time worker, so it seems that Americans answered the call to serve, even though their own economic situation might have been affected by the recession.

Women continue to volunteer at higher rates than men—in fact working mothers have the highest volunteer rates. African Americans are also increasing their volunteer efforts, up .9% from 2008 to 2009—and up 1.6% for African American women.

The four most popular activities for volunteers:

• Fundraising 26.6%
• Collecting or distributing food 23.5%
• Providing labor or transportation 20.5%
• Tutoring or teaching 19%

For the fifth straight year, Utah topped the list of volunteers by state:

• Utah 44.2%
• Iowa 37.8%
• Minnesota 37.5%
• Nebraska 37.4%
• Alaska 37.3%

The Corporation for National and Community Service and the White House launched a huge volunteer-recruiting effort, including the http://www.Serve.gov website, to make it easier for individuals to find volunteer opportunities in their communities.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that hosts a comprehensive website at www.NationalService.gov. The Volunteering in America report is a partnership between the Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Bureau for Labor Statistics. At www.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov, you can find loads of data and detailed information about volunteer activities in all 50 states and 200 metro areas.

Our previous volunteer retention post touched on an important aspect of keeping volunteers happy and productive—give them recognition and appreciation more often.

If you’re like many volunteer managers, you are always searching for creative—and inexpensive—new ways to recognize your volunteers. Whether you’re tiring of the standard “thank-you” banquet, or you just need some quick and easy ways to demonstrate your appreciation, here are several ideas that might just work for you!

Go beyond doughnuts: Sure, picking up doughnuts or bagels on your way into the office is pretty easy—and it’s always welcomed by staff and volunteers, right? Well, considering how many of them could be on gluten-free, sugar-free or weight-loss diets, maybe not. As an alternative, try stopping by your grocery store’s salad bar, and create a nice platter of fresh fruit and vegetables. Most everyone loves strawberries in spring and melon in summer, and it’s a healthy, sweet treat that won’t break anyone’s dietary restrictions. And they’ll know you appreciate them, too!

Give a book: As an alternative to plaques, why not give a gift that will be used and enjoyed, rather than gathering dust? A book that mirrors your nonprofit organization’s mission, interest, or purpose will bring even more meaning. Here are a few suggestions:

• Historical organizations:   America’s Historic Places
• Animal Welfare:    The Art of Racing in the Rain
• Social Services:    The Women of Hull House
• Volunteering in general:    Chicken Soup for the Volunteer’s Soul
• Education:    Three Cups of Tea

Keep it Relaxed: Instead of a formal affair at an expensive venue, throw a casual volunteer thank-you party at your house—or one of your board member’s homes. Fire up the Bar-b-Que, order a simple meal from a wonderful caterer, or prepare some homemade soups and breads. If you have a specialty dish you can prepare, even better—the personal touch and effort will not go unnoticed by your volunteers. Just give everyone the opportunity to relax and socialize in an informal setting.

Who needs sun? Bring a day of sunshine to the office in the middle of winter. Party stores usually stock beach-theme favors, so pick up a bunch of sand pails and fill them with goodies. Inexpensive sunglasses, bottles of bubbles, Frisbees, and water squirters, plus an ice cream sundae bar are sure to bring out the kid in all your volunteers.

And in addition to these great ideas, here’s another—and it’s the most effective, least expensive one: be sure to say “thank you” often and loudly to each and every volunteer.

Most volunteer managers want good volunteers to stick around. But sometimes, life prevents volunteers from continuing their work with your nonprofit organization. Others move away. And then there are those volunteers who prefer to help for short-term projects at different times throughout the year. But for those willing and able to volunteer long-term, how do you retain them?

Volunteer retention starts with great communication—and that starts with the recruitment process. When both sides are clear from the beginning what the needs are, what the position entails, and what time commitment is needed, you’re more likely to retain the volunteer. There should be no questions about duties or hours needed. If your volunteer leaves because you indicated a maximum commitment of 2 hours a day and they cannot complete their tasks in that amount of time, you have a problem with process or communication—not retention.

During the interview process, repeat the job description for the available volunteer position. Assess their skills to ensure the volunteer is right for the job. Placing volunteers in positions that match their interests and abilities is an important step in retention.

Set aside sufficient time for orientation. Welcoming new volunteers and integrating them into the organization’s mission and culture is vital to a smooth transition. Show new volunteers where everything they need is located, and be sure to introduce them to all other volunteers and staff they’ll be working with. Let them know who to turn to when they have questions or problems.

Thorough training is important. Depending on the volunteer and the job they’re matched to, they may need little training, or extensive training. Try different techniques to see which are most successful for each volunteer—everyone learns differently. Ask for input and feedback to ensure you’re giving the volunteer the training they need, and that they are comfortable with their tasks.

Check in often. Informal chats as well as formal evaluations are a good mix. Especially in the beginning, ask new volunteers how they are doing, if they feel they’re succeeding at their tasks, and what help you can provide. Semi-annual evaluations will allow you and the volunteer time to review expectations, performance, and satisfaction. Provide constructive feedback and ask how you can better support their efforts.

Provide variety. Don’t expect a volunteer to enjoy the same tasks for a long period of time. Some folks like variety, so don’t forget to ask your volunteers if they are happy with their job or if they’d like to try new tasks.

Give recognition and express appreciation. You’d be surprise how many volunteers say they left a nonprofit organization because they didn’t feel appreciated! Tell your volunteers how much you need and appreciate their efforts. It will go a long way to volunteer retention.

Nobody likes to hear “your services are no longer needed.” But when the recipient of that message is not being paid for her services, it can be even more devastating. And the reverse situation—being told your organization is not meeting a volunteer’s needs—can be just as troubling.

Still, letting volunteers go is part of the job of managing them. It’s not fun, but the opposite can be even worse. A non-performing or ineffective volunteer can be a drain on resources, paid staff, and fellow volunteers. Workplace morale is harmed when problems are not constructively managed. Besides, if a more-qualified volunteer is waiting in the wings, it only makes sense to replace the position.

Procedures are Important

The same guidelines that help employers transition employees out of a job apply to the volunteer relationship: it’s important that effective procedures are established and adhered to. Position descriptions should be supplied to each volunteer in the beginning, so they know exactly what their job entails and what is expected of them. And just as paid staff members receive performance reviews, volunteers should, too.

Basic workplace rules must be communicated to everyone—whether paid or volunteers. Drug and alcohol use, tardiness, absenteeism, physical or emotional abusive behavior are examples of zero-tolerance activities that would be grounds for dismissal.

Performance issues are different. If volunteers are given clear guidelines and communication is open, the volunteer manager should know what the volunteer feels they are succeeding and struggling with. Give the volunteer opportunities to improve, and let them know up front how the organization’s needs must dictate policies.

Ideas to Consider:

If you must let a well-meaning volunteer go, here are a few guidelines:
1. Do it when you are in control and calm. The heat of the moment (like right after she breaks the copier for the fourth time that week} is not a good time.
2. Do it when you can be supportive and caring. If you’re not having a particularly good day, wait for a better one—it’s not like you have anything to lose by waiting.
3. Don’t do it in front of anyone else—except a witness. Just as when employees are terminated, a private office setting with another staff member present will suffice. Don’t allow that person to interact with the volunteer, if you can avoid it.
4. Don’t over-explain. State the reasons for the decision and keep the focus on the volunteer’s performance, and the organization’s needs and goals.
5. Be kind. It’s okay to say nice things about the volunteer, and to thank them for their contributions. In fact, starting and ending with positive words are a great way to structure the conversation. Put the constructive criticism and feedback in between.
6. Don’t forget to collect any organizational property such as keys and name tags.
7. Do let others who work with the terminated volunteer know that she won’t be coming back. No explanation other than “she is moving on” is necessary.

Remember that the volunteer probably has a circle of friends in the community. You cannot ensure that anything said about her experience with your organization will be positive, but you can limit the damage by a professional, friendly, and appreciative send-off.

Finally, knowing your volunteers well can limit the number you have to let go. Volunteer screening is the best way to limit your non profit organization’s risk and protect your clients and staff.

People come to volunteering for nonprofit organizations (NPOs) for as many reasons as there are individual personalities. People can be giving, or needy; altruistic or self-centered. Some volunteers prefer to help guide the organization as a director, while others are more suited to answering phones and greeting visitors.

No matter what they do, all volunteers are motivated by something to serve. That something can be tangible, like adding their service to a resume; or it can be intangible, like feeling good about helping others.

Knowing what motivates volunteers can help you better meet their expectations, making their experience better—and their willingness to continue more likely.

Some volunteers seek a sense of community involvement. Newcomers to a city or town often want to meet people and make friends. A good way to do so is to volunteer in their new community. Those who live alone might need to dispel loneliness and have other humans to interact with—and volunteering is a good way to accomplish both goals.

Volunteer managers can help them achieve their objectives by introducing them to staff or fellow volunteers who are like-minded, and by making them feel welcome and valued. A volunteer looking for connection who is subsequently ignored and left alone will not stick around for long!

The folks looking for an entry on their resume might not be as self-serving as they seem. Sure, they will gain from their volunteer experience if it looks good to a hiring manager; but isn’t everyone looking for something from their volunteer work? The contributions made by people looking to expand their skills or try out a career are just as valuable as those made by people who need nothing but a way to fill the hours from 10:00 to 2:00.

Retired professionals and tradespeople often volunteer to pass their wealth of accumulated knowledge on to the next generation. Appreciating their expertise and finding ways to make use of it can make them feel valued and useful.

Networkers or between-job people might find volunteering a great way to connect with new business contacts. Managing their needs with the needs of your NPO can make for a win-win situation; while the person is unemployed, they’re more likely to keep volunteering for someone who is looking out for their best interests.

The reasons for volunteering might look selfish or self-serving at first glance. But it’s okay to provide feelings of accomplishment, pride, or inclusion to volunteers in lieu of a paycheck. It’s human nature to want to receive when you give! Discovering your volunteers’ motivations will help you know them better, manage them better, and get more out of them!

Knowing what motivates volunteers can help you better meet their expectations, making their experience better—and their willingness to continue more likely.