Advancing Volunteers: Completing the Cycle

Once you have motivated, committed volunteers you can begin to look for opportunities for Advancing Volunteers - to involve them further or give them more challenging roles. Someone who started out as a volunteer may be a candidate for your board. Or you may want to ask someone to serve on a committee.

The Winner's Circle - the Nonprofit Champion guaranteed organization building system - advocates creating goal-oriented Teams made up of representatives of all your constituencies including volunteers. This is an excellent way to get buy-in, create a more involved volunteer base and, ultimately grow your organization.

12 ways to turn good volunteers into great ones:

1. Be sure they feel included!
2. Make sure they have at least one staff member who they speak with regularly.
3. Ask their opinions. And listen.
4. Ask them to take on additional responsibility, start small.
5. Ask for money, at least give them the opportunity to contribute.
6. When appropriate, consider a transition from volunteer to staff.
7. Ask an exceptional worker to serve on the Board.
8. Ask a natural leader to take a leadership role.
9. Share stories of committed volunteers and volunteers who have taken on additional roles.
10. Get the whole family involved, this increases the level of commitment.
11. Honor them.
12. Know your volunteers well enough to appreciate their talents and abilities so you understand how they can help, then ask them to take additional responsibility.

Advancing Volunteers is the fourth action in the Cycle of Volunteer Management