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Volunteers

Volunteers

People who work for or support the organisation without being paid. In many organisations, particularly charities, this group can make up a large proportion of the workforce. This group will form a passionate and powerful part of the organisation. Communications will need to be tailored accordingly and sensitively.

The New Volunteer Workforce

The full and original article was published on Stanford Social Innovation Review

 

Nonprofits rely heavily on volunteers, but most CEOs do a poor job of managing them. As a result, more than one-third of those who volunteer one year do not donate their time the next year—at any nonprofit. That adds up to an estimated $38 billion in lost labor. To remedy this situation, nonprofit leaders must develop a more strategic approach to managing this overlooked and undervalued talent pool. The good news is that new waves of retiring baby boomers and energetic young people are ready to fill the gap.

Why are volunteers opting out? Here are five of the main reasons why volunteers are not returning.

  1. Not Matching Volunteers’ Skills with Assignments.
  2. Failing to Recognize Volunteers’ Contributions.
  3. Not Measuring the Value of Volunteers.
  4. Failing to Train and Invest in Volunteers and Staff.
  5. Failing to Provide Strong Leadership.

To capitalize on the opportunity presented by volunteer talent, nonprofit leaders need to expand their vision of volunteering, integrate volunteers into their strategic planning, and reinvent the way that their organizations support and manage volunteer talent.

 

The full and original article was published on Stanford Social Innovation Review

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