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!”

Volunteers are just like any other staff member that comes into your nonprofit organization. They are usually unknown, unpredictable and will do the unexpected while working for your NPO. It’s important to know as much as you can about each volunteer before they can cause harm and it’s vital to the safety and strength of the organization to use the same background screening procedures you use for employees.

Why is it Important to Screen Volunteers?
To Protect the People You Serve: This is the most important reason to screen volunteers—to keep dangerous people away from your clients. Adults who work with kids or teens, elderly caregivers and home visitation volunteers should always undergo background screening.

To Limit Liability: If your NPO serves the public, the entire organization is at risk whenever and wherever a volunteer is placed—especially with at-risk populations such as children or the elderly. If harm is done to a member of the public, the NPO could be held liable for a volunteer’s behavior. Thorough background screening will weed out volunteers with arrests or other criminal activities in their pasts.

Because it Could be Mandatory: Nonprofits that depend on federal and state funding are usually required to perform background screening on employees and volunteers.

To Protect the Organization’s Reputation: Volunteer screening allows a nonprofit to enjoy a good reputation in the community, which can lead to more support. Having a “loosey-goosey” approach to placing volunteers can harm an NPO’s standing in the community.

To Discourage Predators: Often, just knowing your organization conducts background screening will be enough to keep away volunteers who might be seeking inappropriate contact with children. Conversely, a no-screening policy could look like an open invitation to offenders and predators to come right in and start working with vulnerable populations.
Volunteer managers and nonprofit organizations are vulnerable to financial loss and inappropriate or dangerous behavior of volunteers. Criminal background screening on all volunteers can protect your organization, staff, and clientele from harm.

Every non profit organization (NPO) needs a volunteer strategy. Whether it’s for recruiting board members or office helpers, a plan is essential to finding, retaining, and training volunteers. And, it can make the volunteer manager or executive director’s job much easier!

Why should NPOs have a volunteer strategy?

Volunteer strategies allow volunteer programs to run more smoothly. Planning is the first step to any successful endeavor. If your NPO is embarking on a volunteer program without a plan, it could fail, putting the entire organization further behind on its goals.

• They make recruiting volunteers much easier. A volunteer strategy should identify the best-fit volunteers for the organization, including demographic information (age, gender, occupation, residence, etc.), level of involvement and needed skills. Once the various groups of potential volunteers are identified, it is much easier to find them, reach them, and recruit them.
• To help focus orientation and training efforts: A well-trained volunteer is a better volunteer. Defining roles, supplying job descriptions, and identifying staff or volunteer trainers is essential to properly orienting and training volunteers. How can training be accomplished correctly—and replicated—without planning?
• To keep volunteers engaged and help avoid burnout. Another important aspect to volunteer strategy is retention. It’s usually not a good idea to recruit volunteers and then ignore them. Keeping them interested in the mission of the NPO, demonstrating appreciation, and soliciting their feedback are all vital pieces to the retention puzzle. And there are many more—which should be explored when creating a volunteer strategy.
• To enable NPOs to develop leaders out of volunteers. If an NPO’s executive or volunteer director is not focused on the volunteer strategy, there is a huge potential for loss, both in the simple numbers of volunteers (who are not being successfully retained) and in the loss of potential leadership. When a strategy has been established, everyone is more focused. Seeing the leadership qualities in volunteers becomes an everyday thing. And those who could help take the NPO closer to its goals will not fall by the wayside, unnoticed and underappreciated.

Every businessperson knows the importance of planning for the future and strategizing on how to get there. The non profit sector can take this page out of the business playbook and use it to successfully run volunteer programs!

The unemployment rate is still around 10% in the U.S. As more people lose motivation to look for work, they are turning to volunteerism to keep busy, update skills, or find new interests.

In fact, the demand for volunteer opportunities has inspired the HandsOn Network, the largest nonprofit volunteer network in the country, to participate in large job fairs. The job fairs are a partnership with Monster.com, the online job board.

As local job seekers tour the displays and learn about job openings, they are also introduced to non profit organizations that need volunteers. Job seekers can gain from volunteering in many ways, including:

• Networking opportunities: meeting new people can lead to job opportunities
• Showcasing their abilities: volunteer managers and nonprofit directors tend to notice the talent and skills of every volunteer—which is good thing, when you’re out of work
• Keeping skills current: it’s important to keep your mind sharp, your computer skills current, and your communication skills intact—and that’s hard to do when you’re home watching daytime television
• Learning new, marketable job skills: volunteering is a great way to try new tasks, software, or job skills—which can even lead to a job using them
• Having the satisfaction of putting their skills to good use in their community—feeling useful again is priceless

Out-of-work individuals don’t usually remain so forever; when they do find work, they often maintain their volunteer duties, as well as spread the word to their new co-workers about their experience. This is a great thing for nonprofit organizations; the more skilled volunteers that know about your mission and needs, the better.

And out-of-work volunteers often have more time, passion, and desire to have a purpose than employed volunteers. A mix of all kinds of volunteers—employed, retired, unemployed—is a great thing for any non profit organization!

If you’re strapped for volunteers, let your network know that you are looking. Now is a great time to gain the skills of the highly-educated, skilled workforce that is now out of work—but they won’t be forever. Whether you need help with fund-raising, marketing, grant writing or strategic planning—there is a wealth of talent in your community that you can tap into.

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.

While awaiting the economic recovery, many non profit organizations (NPOs) have cut expenses as closely as possible. One area that should not see a budget reduction is background screening of volunteers.

Why is it important for Volunteer Managers to continue screening volunteers?

1. It’s the first defense against fraud. Embezzlement and theft are concerns in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. In hard times, fraud actually increases, so there is no better time than the present to protect your organization from potential losses. Charities nationwide are losing cash and property to unscrupulous volunteers. Don’t let yours be one of them!

2. Appearances are deceiving. Note we didn’t say “appearances can be deceiving;” that’s because they just are. You simply cannot judge a person’s honesty or character based on their level of cleanliness, their jewelry, or the brand of shoes they wear. Gambling addicts sometimes look like your grandmother—and some of them steal money to fuel their habit. Even folks who have never considered stealing fall prey to need—and if that person has access to your NPO’s finances, it’s potentially at risk.

3. As the person in charge of volunteers, you are liable for their actions. Do you want to be safe, or sorry? If the charity you’ve given so much of your time to suffered a financial loss due to theft, fraud, or litigation, how would you feel—especially knowing that a simple and quick background check could help you screen out potential problem volunteers? Don’t take chances—you’ll sleep better at night!

4. What’s more important than keeping volunteers, staff, and clients safe? Most organizations serving vulnerable populations, like the elderly, disabled, and children, routinely screen volunteers for criminal history and sex offender status. But sadly, not every volunteer organization takes this important step. We’ve all heard the stories about volunteers who harm kids or the elderly who should not have been anywhere near them!

There is really no reason not to screen every volunteer applicant. No matter what financial shape your NPO is in, volunteer screening is one area that you really can’t afford to cut the budget!

Background credit screening of volunteers is quick and inexpensive. And the peace of mind it offers is really priceless. Protect your organization, your staff, volunteers, and clients with thorough background screening.

For most non profit organizations, annual events are a big opportunity to raise a large chunk of their operating budget. So most NPOs have a lot riding on these big annual or semi-annual events. How can you make them pay off when you might have few resources?

The key is planning. If you’re new to your NPO management position, gather as much information on how the event was run in the past: find out who was on the committee, what was each person responsible for, what fell through the cracks, and what was successful. Do this for each area of the event: location, catering, entertainment, publicity, donor outreach, volunteer recruitment, auction check-out, etc.

If you were in charge of last year’s event, look at it with a fresh eye. Solicit feedback from committee members, volunteers, and attendees. Put out an email survey to your mailing list through Survey Monkey or a similar service. You want to know if people enjoyed the event, and why—or if they didn’t, you need to hear that, too. “What can we do better/different?” is always the most valuable information to know.

Here are some other ideas for successful event planning:
Pick a date as soon as possible—and don’t let it be too far in the future. Sometimes, having a short timeline means the biggest details are taken care of right away. Longer lead times can lead to procrastination—and possibly losing out on a location or caterer. With a firm event date closing in on the committee, they are forced to work creatively, quickly, and to know exactly what needs to be done.

Involve your audience: create a community around your event on social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter. A Facebook fan page is a great place to announce the event, invite feedback, solicit volunteers, and ask fans for help in publicizing your event. When attendees accept your invitation, their friends will see your event on their pages. This way, you’ll see the numbers of people who are aware of your event grow exponentially. Social marketing is a great way to spread the news quickly among the people who already know about your organization, and the ones who have never heard of it.

Be passionate, and find passionate volunteers to help. You can’t host a successful event if the organizers aren’t all that interested in it. If you’re not passionate about it, then maybe it’s the wrong event for your NPO—so you might want to start thinking of something different for next year. But if you are so into the event that you can’t stop talking about it—that’s a great sign! Ask your friends and contacts to help you and infuse them with your enthusiasm. Passion is palpable, and makes people want to respond.

Big events are fun for your supporters, valuable to your non profit organization, and usually exhausting for the organizer—but they are also necessary to the financial health of most charitable organizations. So take a look at these and other tips to make big events as successful as they can be!

Executive Directors of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) wear many hats—especially these days, when budgets are tight and staff is scarcer than ever.

One thing you might not take time to consider often is risk and litigation avoidance—but doing so is vital to the health and well-being of every NPO. Lawsuits stemming from a non profit’s every day activities have the potential to hit hard, with damages and legal fees amounting to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Employment practices are probably the largest source of potential trouble for nonprofits. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that employment practices complaints rose sharply in the early 90s and held steady around 80,000 cases reported annually, until 2008, when the number jumped to 95,000!

Claims are highest for race discrimination, followed by sex, national origin, religion, retaliation, age and disability discrimination. Non profits must be highly cautious around hiring practices—for both paid employees and volunteers. Proper hiring, interviewing, training, and record-keeping are constant challenges. Good practices must be established and diligently enforced, and NPO executives must be up on all applicable employment laws.

A newer trend is donors suing nonprofits over use of their funds. When private donations make up a significant part of your revenue, it’s especially important to practice transparency and keep meticulous records. Unfortunately, nonprofits are accused of fraud at increasing rates, and donors are more sensitive than ever about how their money is spent on administrative expenses.

Government enforcement and regulatory agencies are keeping a close watch on nonprofits to ensure that public grant money is used judiciously. Improper transactions can be deemed illegal, and the IRS can revoke a non profit’s tax-exempt status, impose a penalty, or both.

Nonprofits, like any business, must monitor liability insurance coverage, and update when needed. Protecting staff, volunteers, and clients from harm is absolutely vital to keeping your nonprofit organization functioning and fulfilling its mission.

Courtesy of Houston Zoo

A non profit website that caught our eye recently is the Houston Zoo. Take a look and you’ll see why! The site is colorful, but not cluttered, organized perfectly and highly interactive.

Visitors to the site can easily find upcoming events for adults and kids, all the latest zoo news (including updates on soon-to-be-born baby elephants!), videos and activities. The site is updated daily, plus features a live Twitter stream. Following the zoo on Twitter, becoming a fan on Facebook, and connecting to the Zoo’s Flicker photostream and You Tube Channel are as easy as clicking your mouse on the home page buttons.

Interested in supporting or volunteering at the Houston Zoo? They make it any easy. Of the seven main navigation tabs, one is “Make a Donation.” You can see how important fundraising outreach is to the zoo. From that tab, one can choose from a variety of options:

• Donor Clubs: the zoo offers several tiers of support level, from the Flock, aimed at young professionals, to the Asante Society for higher-level givers. All supporters receive special perks and invitations to private tours and parties.
• The African Forest: This special project gets its own area of the site, fully explaining the vision and soliciting support to make it a reality.
• Fundraisers: Large-scale events and smaller family-oriented parties are highlighted, with photos from past years and “mark your calendars” information about this year’s dates.
• Corporate Support: Clear details on how corporations and businesses can sponsor events and volunteer at the zoo make getting involved a no-brainer. Plus, the content is obviously written with the reader’s motivation in mind, answering the question, “What’s in it for me?” Answer: visibility, brand enhancement, exposure, and wide appeal.
• Corporate Volunteer Program: this area of the site is well-writeen and appealing, outlining the ways business gourps can become involved, the commitment required, and how to get started with becoming a volunteer.

Finally, the zoo’s Annual Fund Drive and Other Ways to Give tabs make it easy to do just that.

Other ways this site is a winner:

• The site creates instant credibility by featuring the Zoo’s accreditations at the bottom of the home page, along with a Better Business Bureau seal;
• Hours, prices, directions, zoo maps and newsletter sign-up are at the top of each page;
• An interactive “Ask us a question” form and the event calendar appear on all 2nd- and 3rd-tier pages; and
• A big “Donate Now” button shows up on most 2nd and 3rd tier pages.

Non profits can learn a few tricks from Houston Zoo’s website. Even if your non profit cannot manage the high-level programming and graphics that this site has, you can still borrow most of the outreach ideas. Clear content that answers visitors’ questions and keeps them coming back are easily achievable website goals!