Who knew that learning improvisational comedy—like every Saturday Night Live and Second City comedy troupe alum has done—could improve work performance for mere mortals? Not only does improv teach you how to think on your feet, but it boosts confidence, too.

That’s why many workplaces are incorporating improv into their training mix. Those who undergo comedy training find it’s an asset in their professional life, along with their social life. Companies find it improves the entire workplace culture.

Nonprofit organizations could take a cue from the corporate world. Since every staff member and volunteer also serves as a spokesperson for the organization, it makes sense to help them polish their presentation skills. Participants are more comfortable speaking up in meetings, too, and often more work can get done in less time.

Improv workshops are also great for team building and icebreaking. Helping a new group of staff and volunteers get to know each other, or doing an annual comedy retreat for staff, can really help the bonding process. Even a single workshop can help.

Learning improv skills together removes barriers between people. Participants are encouraged to tell true stories, and are therefore almost always humble and even vulnerable. They let their guard down, and show their true selves. Others share their similar experiences, and everyone finds common ground—so important when building a team to further your charity’s mission.

Essential business skills like creativity, leadership and quick decision-making are all part of improv. Learning these skills in a fun and different way has been successful for countless companies. You might want to try using it for your volunteer and staff training.

Are performance reviews effective? Many non profits conduct them with staffers, but not volunteers. But most people can benefit from a periodic review of their work. Performance reviews can even inspire people to improve on the job.

But performance reviews can be tough, especially if a) your subject is not getting paid, but is volunteering their time; b) you’re supervising those who do menial tasks; or c) you have long-term employees who know their jobs and perform them satisfactorily.

Maybe it’s time for a new approach. Instead of supervisor/subordinate, look at collaborations, commitments and accountabilities. Try starting from the beginning. Gather all employees and volunteers together and have the leadership team take them through the organization’s mission, vision and goals. Tell stories of how the nonprofit changes lives, impacts the community and makes the world a better place. And let the team know what you need from them to achieve success.

• Then let the team know how they are doing overall—not individually. Review the deliverables that must occur for the organization to thrive, from bringing in donations to providing quality services. Teach them how they can improve.
• Set measurable goals together. Encourage feedback and team-led initiatives to establish steps to meet the goals. Support the teams with time to get together and hold meetings and brainstorming sessions.
• Ask for commitment from all staffers and volunteers. Each person can make promises about what they will do to contribute. As a manager, your role is to follow up, offer encouragement, solve problems, and offer tools to help them achieve success.

Think teens volunteer in their communities because it makes them feel good, or because it looks good on college applications? Or do you think teens sign up for volunteer tree-planting projects because they want to save the environment?

A new study by DoSomething.org reveals some interesting insights into teens’ reasons for volunteering. Over 4,300 young people aged 13 – 22 were surveyed across the country, and here are some of the results:

• 93% of teens say they want to volunteer, but a far smaller percentage actually do.
• Teens’ volunteer habits are primarily influenced by having friends who volunteer regularly. Over 70% of teens with friends who volunteer also volunteer themselves.
• Many teens (40%) don’t volunteer through traditional organizations, but rather through clubs, friends and family, or on their own.
• Teens want volunteering to be fun, like a party. Make it social, and they will come.
• What’s on teens’ minds? Number one is paying for college. Next is getting into a college.
• The biggest reason teens don’t volunteer is lack of time.
• Many teens want to be anonymous, or help from a distance. They also want to volunteer with people their age (but not necessarily the same gender).
• Religious teens’ volunteer habits are not determined by the importance of religion in their lives, but by how often they attend religious events, including youth groups.
• Young volunteers want opportunities that are close to home, but not at home.
• Short activities that allow for different levels of engagement are preferred by teens.

It looks like the influence of their friends is most motivating when it comes to teens and volunteering. We’ll be sharing more insights from this interesting survey in coming weeks.

Instituting a flexible work and volunteer policy can help you attract and retain top staff and volunteers. Shorter work weeks, flexible hours, job sharing and telecommuting are all appealing to both volunteers and employees.

In the new economy, employees expect to work using new technology, which allows for more at-home situations. 10-hour, 4-day weeks or 12-hour, 3-day weeks are becoming more common. And Gen Y workers prefer to integrate friends and family into their lives—including work, unlike their older counterparts who traditionally keep work and home life separate.

In fact, to attract Gen Y workers and volunteers, nonprofit executives should consider making flexibility a part of the organizational culture, because they expect it. Working remotely and at unusual hours is par for the course to this group.

Flexible workplaces see higher retention and lower turnover. Workers and volunteers who have more control over their work environment are more productive and happier, too. Those who work from home are more focused and dedicated to getting their work done.

For many of your employees and volunteers, this set up may be their only option, whether because of distance, child care duties, elder care duties or the need to care for loved ones with disabilities or illnesses.

Keep your employees’ and volunteers’ needs in mind when working up job descriptions and attendance policies. Ask what they need, and try to work with staff and volunteers to make new ideas succeed, and keep everyone productive and happy.

Non-profit executive Nancy March found herself playing the role of volunteer coordinator as staffing cuts made her volunteer manager a thing of the past. “I need easy ideas to help me more effectively manage both the non-profit and its volunteers,” she said recently.

Here’s what volunteer coordinators know about keeping volunteers motivated and clients happy:

How you say it is more important than what you say. It’s all in the delivery. Communicating critiques or instructions well requires knowing how, when and where to do it. Especially when it comes to handing out necessary criticism to volunteers—who don’t have to be there—it’s important to gauge the person’s feelings before you start. If you need to correct a volunteer who’s failing at a task, make sure she’s not having a bad day already. Ask how she’s doing and listen closely. You may need to wait until another day.

Offer compliments more than criticisms. Catch volunteers doing something right—and offer immediate praise. Keep track of how often you do it. Karen Awashka, a volunteer coordinator in Madison, WI, starts her day with six dimes in her pocket. Her goal? To transfer each of them to the other pocket before the day is over. Each time she compliments a volunteer with “you’re such a help to our organization,” or “I really appreciate the way you reorganized the bookcase,” she transfers a dime. Why dimes? “Because they’re small, light and they don’t clang together too much,” said Karen. The idea is to find a way to remember to balance criticisms with compliments.

Lead by example. Don’t put off tasks onto others that you can do yourself. Don’t compromise on quality of service delivery or on the brand promise of your organization. When volunteers see leaders digging in and working hard alongside them, they are reminded they are part of an important team.

Ask for feedback. Lauren Bailey, volunteer manager for a youth services organization, suggests asking volunteers what three things could be improved in the organization. “I try to ask each volunteer this question at least once per quarter,” she adds. “It gives them a sense of ownership that we are all looking for solutions to our common problems. And they have great ideas!”

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.