If volunteers are the lifeblood of a successful volunteer program, then the volunteer manager is the beating heart that keeps everything going. Volunteer managers coordinate all elements of the volunteer experience, from recruitment to training to mobilization, and they inspire everyone to support your organization’s mission.
With so much responsibility on your volunteer managers’ shoulders, it’s important to pick someone with the right skill set for the job.
The 8 Signs of Volunteer Manager Success
Communication
The most important skill for volunteer manager success is communication. Volunteer managers serve as the liaison between volunteers, nonprofit leadership, and other organizations. They have to be able to convey goals to volunteers before, during, and after initiatives, in addition to carefully outlining each volunteer’s role and listening to their concerns.
In addition to their work during campaigns and events, successful volunteer managers also leverage their communication skills to enlist new volunteers. They have to be approachable and confident when reaching out to potential recruits, and they need to share the organization’s mission in a way that inspires others to join the cause.
During volunteer training, your volunteer manager will have to ensure that new recruits fully understand the organization, the project at hand, and their responsibilities within it. The volunteer manager also needs to be prepared to answer questions and receive feedback. When communication is a two-way street, everyone feels valued and engaged.
Decision-Making
A volunteer manager plays a key role in translating the organization’s goals into actions, which necessitates strong decision-making. Nonprofits often do a lot of good with minimal resources, and the volunteer manager uses their decision-making skills to help distribute those resources to the maximum benefit.
Volunteer managers decide how to allocate volunteers and delegate tasks. A volunteer manager has to determine each volunteer’s strengths and then assign them to an area where they will excel. If something isn’t working, the volunteer manager has to quickly recognize it, analyze the situation, and solve the problem. Strong decision-making allows volunteer managers to develop and refine processes so that everything runs smoothly.
Organization
Because volunteer managers have such varied tasks, organization is critical to volunteer manager success. Volunteer managers often work on multiple initiatives at the same time: planning a new campaign with leadership while scheduling volunteers for this weekend’s event and tying up the loose ends of last month’s fundraiser. Not to mention recruiting and training new volunteers!
Keeping organized allows a volunteer manager to juggle all of their responsibilities while maintaining an accurate picture of the resources at their disposal. Volunteer managers have to consistently work with daily, monthly, and annual organizational goals in mind, even in a fast-paced environment. Without clear processes, something important could fall by the wayside and negatively impact your organization.
Attention to Detail
Planning an event involves a myriad of details, and it is the volunteer manager’s job to make sure that each one is addressed with the proper resources. A keen attention to detail helps volunteer managers schedule their volunteers more efficiently, as well as ensuring that each volunteer feels engaged and heard. Everyone is different, and everyone has different needs and strengths. Remembering details like a volunteer’s interests or physical limitations can make all the difference in volunteer retention.
That attention to detail will serve a volunteer manager well in other elements of their role, such as collecting and reporting data related to the volunteer experience. With this information, the organization can make better decisions about future events, budgeting, and resource allocation.
Flexibility
Planning is a vital part of a volunteer manager’s role; however, rolling with the punches when plans change is just as important. From venue shifts to last-minute cancellations, anything can happen. A strong volunteer manager will be able to quickly adapt to changing circumstances and shift gears to ensure success.
Flexibility allows volunteer managers to adjust assignments as needed, pivot to new venues, provide additional training, and keep morale high. A successful volunteer manager understands that there is more than one way to solve a problem, and they adjust accordingly, keeping the organization’s ultimate goal in mind.
A Growth Mindset
Nonprofits are constantly changing, and volunteer managers must cultivate a growth mindset to support that development. A volunteer manager’s success hinges on their ability to continually refine their approach to their job. They need to optimize their processes in order to ensure volunteer satisfaction and effective resource use, and they should actively pursue professional development.
In order to make these changes, the volunteer manager needs to be open to constructive criticism. Volunteer managers may receive feedback through their collaborations with nonprofit leadership and organizations, but above all, they should regularly check in with their volunteers. Volunteer managers should conduct regular formal and informal surveys—and act on the information they gain—to enhance the volunteer experience and improve retention.
Respect
Volunteer managers build relationships—with nonprofit leadership, other organizations, vendors, and, above all, volunteers—and nothing is more important to a relationship than respect. Respect not only makes sure the job gets done, but it also helps build lasting partnerships that further the organization’s goals. A strong volunteer manager approaches everyone they encounter with warmth, understanding, and appreciation.
Volunteers give their time and talents for free, putting hard work into achieving the nonprofit’s goals without formal compensation. Therefore, volunteer managers should demonstrate their respect for the volunteers’ contributions. A simple “good job” can go a long way, but the most successful volunteer managers go the extra mile: handwritten thank you notes, social events, and public acknowledgment through social media or awards. When volunteers feel appreciated, they do better work, and they collaborate with the organization for longer.
Passion
Volunteers donate their skills because they care deeply about a nonprofit’s mission; a volunteer manager has to share that passion. The strongest volunteer managers genuinely want to make the world a better place, and they leverage their energy to motivate their teams and recruit others. A positive, engaged volunteer manager directly translates to positive, engaged volunteers.
Optimize Volunteer Manager Success with VolunteerHub
VolunteerHub can help your volunteer managers take their skills to the next level. We have over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and we have supported thousands of organizations and billions of volunteers in their quest to make a positive impact on the world.
Our comprehensive volunteer management software streamlines processes for:
- Volunteer communication
- Volunteer recruitment
- Volunteer scheduling
- Volunteer hour tracking
- Volunteer fundraising
- Volunteer rewards and recognition
- Volunteer program reporting
- More volunteer management features
Using our platform, you can easily track volunteer hours, collect liability waivers, and utilize our multi-event editor and configurable forms.
At VolunteerHub, we understand how important your nonprofit’s mission is, and we are committed to client success. We will work closely with you throughout the onboarding process, and we provide extensive training and support whenever you need it.
