Volunteering is a fantastic way to build credibility and creating awareness for your organization. Volunteers can be very helpful in fulfilling the mission of the organization, but unless you have a well-defined volunteer management program, you will inadvertently set up a poor experience for both your volunteers and the staff of the organization. Developing a new volunteer program or enhancing an existing one provides for a very exciting time. While this is exciting it can also leave you with a number of questions on how to get started, make it better; keep it strong, and so much more. Before jumping in it is essential to lay the groundwork for your program.

The Center for Nonprofit Success seminar on Volunteer Management stresses that for any project to be successful it needs to be well thought out, thoroughly planned, implemented according to what has been agreed, and then evaluated at relevant intervals. This may seem like a big task, but by following some basic principles things should run smoothly and you will amaze yourself by what you can achieve.

Before you begin to plan and execute your Volunteer program you need to understand why people volunteer. People volunteer for many reasons, but always for a purpose. For many it's a way of giving back. You will hear volunteers say that they would like to repay an act of kindness they received or they remember a Leader who volunteered their time and it made an impact in their life. The concept of giving back is strong in most volunteers' minds. Makes logical sense that you should understand what makes people give of their time.

As mentioned earlier, developing a new volunteer program or enhancing an existing one involves a process that covers the three R’s- recruiting, retaining and recognizing volunteers. These three principles are so true. It is necessary to know where and who to recruit. Beyond that knowing how to recruit for your cause is just as important. Once you have recruited worthy volunteers, it is critical to retain and recognize those individuals. No sense in having to turn over your volunteers continuously.

Another important element in a successful volunteer program is ensuring that the staff and volunteers of the organization work well together. The key is building a sense of team, a sense of communication, and a sense that everyone’s opinion is valued. This shift in thinking changes the traditional relationship between volunteers and staff. Instead of supervision, it’s about support. Learning and implementing this key element may be one of the most important lessons.

While there are plenty of vital elements involved in managing a successful Volunteer Program, it all ties in together. If implemented and executed correctly, your program will thrive and grow.

The Center for Nonprofit Success offers seminars on Volunteer Management in different cities around the country. To learn more about the Center for Nonprofit Success, go to www.cfnps.org