How to Manage Volunteers

According to the National Citizenship Survey, 59% of people who volunteer do so to help organize or run an activity or event. These volunteers are vital for many smaller-scale events and organizations that are on tight budgets. The majority of third sector organizations, along with various cultural and arts organizations, rely upon volunteers even more now that finances are tight and grants are being cut. These volunteers are a huge asset to any event, but organizers need to be sensitive to a volunteer’s motivations and know how to manage them.

Charities rely on the goodwill of their volunteers. People usually choose to volunteer for a charity for very personal reasons, so be sure to take this into consideration. It’s always good to get to know a volunteer and understand their reasons for wanting to work on a specific project or event.  This will make them feel valued and encourage them to work harder for your cause.

Volunteering can also massively improve someone’s CV and benefit their career prospects. It’s a great way to learn new skills and experience, whether you’re starting off your career or getting back into work after a spell of unemployment. According to TimeBank, 80% of employers value volunteering on a CV when recruiting, so make sure that if a volunteer wants to gain knowledge or skills in a certain area, you try your best to accommodate this. Tailored volunteer management software can help when it comes to workforce management and deciding who would be best suited for various roles. This way, you can ensure that you’re providing invaluable experience that could benefit someone’s long-term career prospects as well as your own event.

Many people volunteer as they genuinely want to make a difference, be it in their local community or on a national level. Sport is a popular way of bringing people together in a sociable and positive environment, regardless of whether this involves individual or team events. Volunteers are usually the backbone of a sporting event, especially large-scale ones, and sports events management software can be invaluable to tackling the hurdles faced by events organizers within the sports industry.

Volunteers really are a big part of making an event successful. From employee scheduling to allocating job roles, it’s vital that event organizers appreciate volunteers and ensure they are fully integrated within the wider team. They need to know that what they’re doing makes a difference as it’s crucial that they continue to devote their much-needed time and energy.