Volunteer Management Training
Step Five: Include

You are at the fifth of six lessons in the short course on Volunteer Management - Step Five: Include. Links to the other five are at the bottom of the page.

Include! Include! Include!

Make all your volunteers insiders. Insiders are, well, inside. Being included makes you feel important. Give your volunteers the opportunity to be part of decisions that will impact them.

Invest time to save time. Find ways to make this work for you. Once you do, it won’t take extra time. In the long run, it will save time because everyone will be working together and you won’t be putting out fires.

Put volunteers on your Teams. We are very big fans of including volunteers, as one of your constituency groups, on committees (or Teams, as we like to call them). There’s lots more information about Teams that I encourage you to read. It is such a great way to bring volunteers into the bigger picture. As for those who don’t want to be included, at least you give them the option.

The other five Nonprofit Champion Actions for Great Volunteer Managers:

Ask – ask them to serve, ask for feedback, ask their opinions, ask for more

State – state your needs and expectations clearly, be sure they are understood

Listen – really listen when they speak, let them know you are interested

Inspire – be the person who inspires them by your work, your creativity and your enthusiasm

Thank – show your appreciation often and sincerely