Volunteers: "An Extra Pair of Hands" or "Lifetime Supporters"

I’m working with an organization to help them improve their volunteer management systems, particularly how they manage interns. For this organization (like most), volunteers add critical value to their programs and leverage their ability to meet the pressing needs and demands of those they serve. However, this organization (like many) is not consistent at treating volunteers like what they are – in-kind donors who have the potential to become monetary donors and lifetime supporters. The nonprofit/volunteer relationship must be mutually beneficial for it to be successful. Nonprofits must be intentional about giving their volunteers a valuable experience – an experience they will likely share with their friends (people who likely share their interests, professionalism and skills). 
    
I recently read Jacquelyn Smith’s piece, Internship Wish List: The 12 Things Students Value Most, on Forbes.com, reporting the results of a research study in which 65,679 undergraduates in the U.S. were asked what they’d most like to receive from an internship. The following quote details key findings and provides a compelling answer to the question: How can volunteer management help or harm a nonprofit’s ability to recruit quality volunteers?  

“Students want internships [volunteer opportunities] that allow them to grow, stretch and contribute. They want to be in a learning environment. When companies treat interns like an extra pair of hands or a fill-in for a vacationing employee without investing in the content of the intern assignment, this usually leads to a very unhappy, unfulfilled intern. That unfulfilled intern shares her experience with friends on campus and soon the company offering the internship is having trouble finding talent for positions there. Best in class companies develop each intern assignment with documented details about the assignment, deliverables and key measurable goals.” 

Think about how your organization manages volunteers. If you were to poll your former and current volunteers, would they put your organization in the “best in class” category or say they feel like “an extra pair of hands”?   

Do you currently seek feedback and input from your volunteers? If not, you’re missing out on invaluable information and an opportunity to move from assuming you’re “best in class” to ensuring it.  

Need help with improving your volunteer management? Contact me today to schedule a free consultation. 

Keep doing good!

All the best,
Michelle Nusum-Smith
Founder and Principal Consultant at The Word Woman LLC