Volunteers are often the real backbone of many organizations and, without a variety of individuals who dedicate their time without pay, an organization is often at risk for closure. The only issue is that many organizations often find many of the volunteers come for socialization, as well. In other words, it can be difficult to keep their volunteers on task. If your organization is having trouble keeping volunteers on task, you may find the following tips to be very beneficial to your organization:
Volunteer Coordinator
No matter how large your organization is, if you want to maintain volunteers, you need to have a volunteer coordinator. This individual will be in charge of recruitment and can be the go-to person if a volunteer has any questions or concerns. By giving your volunteers one individual in which they can communicate with at any time, you are going to set your volunteers up for success in your organization.
Regular Meetings
Including your volunteers in regular meetings is a great way to keep them motivated and on task. In your meetings, be sure to lay out what tasks need to be done and progress on projects that have been started. Regular meetings will keep them informed and also make them feel as though they are part of the organization. Prohibiting them from meetings within the organization may actually cause you to lose volunteers or make them feel irrelevant.
Acknowledge Accomplishments
It is also important that your organization take time to acknowledge the accomplishments of all volunteers. When a volunteer completes a project or task, be sure that you commend them for their efforts and work ethics. This may keep them in your organization and instill this same type of behavior in your other volunteers.
Remove Distractions
It is also important to remove potential distractions in your organization. Allowing volunteers access to websites like Facebook, games, and YouTube is going to be a major distractions. Simply using a system like Blue Coat or even Cold Turkey, your organization can block social sites and mobile apps that many of your volunteers may use. By blocking these apps at your organization, you can keep your volunteers on task.
Project Management Involvement
There are also software programs that will allow you and your volunteers the ability to view the progress of projects at any given time. By allowing your volunteers access and the ability to write notes that can be seen immediately by everyone involved in the project, you are providing them with more incentive to stay on task. These software programs can help keep people accountable for the work that is to be done in a given time period.
Utilize Surveys in Your Organization
Many of the largest organizations are now using online survey software with their volunteers. Survey Monkey is one of the leading software programs as it allows those taking the survey to remain anonymous. By asking volunteers to give their input anonymously, you can be guaranteed to get feedback that is honest and productive for your organization.
These are just a few tips on what your organization can do to get your volunteers to stay on task. The important thing to remember is that these volunteers are not being paid for the time they dedicate to your organization. One of the best ways to get your volunteers motivated in your organization is to get them to understand the cause. The more they believe in the cause your organization is fighting for, the more dedicated they are going to be. Instead of coming to your organization to socialize with others, they are going to be working hard to help the cause.
