Volunteer Management 6 min read

Best Practices for Managing Teen Volunteers

Eric Burger November 7, 2024

11:28

It’s no secret that teens are some of the best volunteers! They’re motivated, energetic, and eager to make their mark on the world. However, managing teen volunteers can present unique challenges for volunteer coordinators.

With some simple best practices, you can effectively manage teen volunteers—shaping young minds and creating lifelong organizational supporters!

Why Are Teen Volunteers Important?

Teen volunteers are one of your most important volunteer segments. 55% of young adults aged 12-19 volunteer in the US every year, which is double the adult volunteering rate. Teen volunteers in the US also contribute 2.4 billion volunteer hours annually. With the average volunteer hour worth $33.49, that’s an economic impact of over 80 billion dollars!

Teen volunteers have a lot to give your nonprofit, but you also have a lot to give them! The benefits of teen volunteering include:

Teens who engage in voluntary community service are 19% more likely to graduate from college.
Teen volunteers are 50% less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol.
Youth volunteer experience increases a job applicant’s chances of being hired by 27%.

Simply put, volunteering is a win-win for both teens and nonprofit organizations.

The Best Practices for Managing Teen Volunteers

With a little bit of understanding, creativity, and planning, managing teen volunteers can help you take your organization to the next level.

Understand Each Volunteer’s Motivation

Every volunteer has their reasons for working with your organization, and teens are no different! If you can understand your teen volunteers’ motivations, you can tailor the volunteer experience to meet their needs.

For some teens, their motivation is simple: they care about your organization and want to support your mission. However, for busy teens, this genuine interest is often just a starting off point for their work with your nonprofit.

Many teens volunteer to meet school or club service requirements. Some high schools require a certain number of volunteer hours for graduation, whereas others may have a senior project that could include community service. Students involved in service organizations like the National Honors Society and Key Club may also have volunteering requirements.

Other teens start volunteering to support their professional development. They may be looking to add community service experience to their college or work resumes, or they may be hoping to hone important real-world skills like communication, collaboration, and leadership. Volunteer managers can also make great college recommenders or job references.

No matter what motivates your teens, keep their goals and interests in mind when you assign them to specific positions. For example, if a teen volunteer is passionate about becoming a teacher, let them assist with your educational programs.

Orientation is a Must

Even the most seasoned adult volunteers benefit from robust training. For teens, orientation is even more critical.

Make sure that your teen volunteer training clearly outlines:

Your organization’s mission
Volunteer impact
Organizational procedures
Job-specific duties
The volunteer code of conduct
Staff members teens can reach out to for support

Above all, make sure that teen volunteers fully understand their role within the organization and their potential for positive impact.

Use Waivers as Needed

While teens are eagerly exploring their independence, they are still a vulnerable population with legal protections. After all, any teen volunteer under the age of 18 is a minor.

Make sure that each teen signs an acknowledgment that clearly outlines the requirements and expectations for their volunteering position, as well as policies for termination. You should also make sure you have the proper liability waivers and parental consent forms on file for each teen volunteer.

Set Clear Expectations and Guidelines

Setting clear expectations and guidelines is helpful for every volunteer, but it is especially important when you are working with teens. For younger volunteers, your organization may be their first service or even work experience, and they may not be aware of standards that seem second nature to more seasoned volunteers.

Make sure that every teen volunteer understands:

How to schedule and check in for shifts
Job requirements
Dress codes
Organizational policies for tardiness, shift cancellation, and safety
Who to contact for specific concerns

The more information you give your teens up front, the smoother the teen volunteering experience will be.

Make Teens Feel Like They are a Part of the Team

Teens may initially feel out of place as volunteers. They will be reporting to adult staff members, and many of their fellow volunteers may be adults. So, it’s critical to show teens that they are valued members of the team. Involve teens in volunteer social events and take the time to listen to their concerns. You can also encourage them to invite their friends to volunteer, expanding your volunteer base and giving your teens more community.

However, one of the best ways to make a teen feel like part of the team is to pair them with an older, more experienced volunteer mentor. Mentors give teens a low-stakes way to ask questions, practice skills, and get feedback, as well as build personal relationships between teen volunteers and your organization.

Engage Parents and Guardians

Parents and guardians play a critical role in teen volunteering. After all, a parent will have to give consent for minors to work with your organization, and they will also make teen volunteering possible through encouragement, pick-ups and drop-offs, and even volunteering themselves. Teen volunteers are more likely to participate in a service opportunity if their family is also involved.

So, your nonprofit needs to reach out to parents as well as teens. Target parents with marketing channels that resonate with them like email, newspapers, and Facebook, and tailor your ads to showcase the valuable skills and experiences teens can gain from volunteering. If the parents are on board, your teens will be, too!

Carefully Plan Teen Volunteer Time

While teens are valuable members of your volunteer base, you have to approach their tasks very carefully. Identify positions where teens can make a positive impact while taking into account the fact that they are still learning important skills. Help teens succeed by providing “to-do” lists and taking their specific interests and strengths into account.

You also need to be understanding about teen’s schedules. Teens already have packed days between school, homework, and extracurriculars, and they are more likely to forget to notify you when their schedules are upended by one-off events like playoff games, school dances, and family vacations. So, anywhere you can assist with time management will be extremely helpful. Consider implementing shorter teen volunteer shifts (2-3 hours, once or twice a week), micro-volunteering, flexible scheduling, and automated shift reminders.

Organize Co-Curricular Activities

Volunteering teaches important hard and soft skills, making it an amazing complement to teens’ educations. Lean into this connection! View teen volunteering as a hands-on learning opportunity and tailor teen job positions to address curricular topics. Encourage your teen volunteers to research the causes your organization engages with and provide space for both informal and formal reflection. You can even partner with your local schools to organize service-learning programs.

Tailor Your Communication Style

Teens communicate very differently from other generations. To effectively engage your teen volunteers, you need to meet them where they are. Teens typically respond best to texts and social media messages, and they appreciate a less formal tone.

But remember: communication is a two-way street. Above all, teens want to feel heard. They are developing their identities and opinions, and it is extremely important to listen to them. Give their thoughts the respect they deserve and act on them—either by implementing their ideas or giving constructive feedback.

Recognize Teen Volunteers

Recognizing volunteers is always critical to keeping them engaged, but for younger volunteers, it is essential! Teens need lots of support as they grow and develop. Recognizing teen volunteers not only makes them more excited to work with your organization; it also helps them grow into more confident, capable people!

Recognizing teen volunteers can take a variety of forms, including:

Informal praise: A heartfelt “good job” or “thank you” after a shift goes a long way!
Social media shoutouts: Feature high-performing teen volunteers on social media. They’ll love the recognition, and they’ll also probably share the post with their followers, increasing your organizational reach and attracting other teens to your program.
Reward systems and incentives: Points-based reward systems encourage healthy competition and “gamify” the volunteering experience. Offer fun incentives like merchandise, gift cards, pizza parties, and ice cream!
Awards: Offer formal awards and certificates geared towards your teen volunteers that they can list on their resumes.
Promotions: Identify specific leadership roles that teens can fulfill and outline how teens can achieve them. Something as simple as running a booth at an event can help a teen feel empowered. Leadership positions give teens something to strive for and encourage them to feel ownership over the organization.

Find the rewards that resonate most with your teen volunteers, and don’t be afraid to ask them for their opinions!

Look to the Future

Teen volunteers are only teens for a few short years, but the impact of their volunteering experience will be lifelong. Remind teens that volunteering experience is valuable for college and job applications and that they are honing transferable skills. Their present volunteering can have a big impact on their futures!

Teen volunteers can have a long-term impact on your organization, too. Beyond the good they do on the job, teen volunteers can become permanent supporters. 66% of adult volunteers began volunteering as children, and adults who volunteered at any age are much more likely to donate to nonprofits. So, that teen may not just work with your organization while they are young; they could turn into experienced volunteers, valued staff members, and supportive donors.

Managing Teen Volunteers with VolunteerHub

VolunteerHub makes managing teen volunteers easy. Our all-in-one, intuitive software solution streamlines volunteer management operations to improve your volunteer experience while saving your organization time, energy, and money.

With VolunteerHub, you can easily: