What do Volunteers want Post-Covid?
Volunteers play an important role in hard times. That’s why volunteers are so essential. You need to understand what volunteers want to attract and retain them.
Authored by: iClick2Learn Team
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What is a Volunteer Manager?
Your organisation relies on the hard work of volunteers. And having volunteers means onboarding, training, and supervising them. That’s why Volunteer Managers are so important.
Volunteer managers manage and develop volunteers. Their leadership helps keep everyone organised and motivated. They also set the tone. That means volunteers look up to them and follow their lead.
A volunteer management system might include:
- Making policies and procedures
- Creating and maintaining records systems
- Recruiting and selecting volunteers
- Developing volunteer roles
- Writing volunteer job descriptions
- Overseeing your messaging and advertising
- Interviewing, checking, welcoming, and training volunteers
- Volunteer selection and matching with roles
- Screening volunteers
- Supervising and supporting volunteers
As you can see, volunteer managers have many responsibilities. In fact, their role is so important, they can make or break a team.
It’s easy for volunteers to get discouraged without good management. On the other hand, strong volunteer management leads to happy, helpful volunteers.
Volunteer managers keep everyone on the same page. That way, your team never loses sight of your vision and mission. Instead, they stay organised, focused, and full of purpose.
What Skills Does a Volunteer Manager Have?
Finding a good volunteer manager is essential. Their leadership style affects all of your volunteers. If a Volunteer Manager is supportive, volunteers will thrive. If not, volunteers will become unhappy and leave.
Since Covid, bringing in volunteers seems harder than ever. It can also be tough to keep the volunteers you have. A good volunteer manager knows how to find volunteers that fit your organisation. They also know how to train people and keep them engaged.
In addition to great leadership and communication skills, look for the following:
- Excellent People Skills – so they connect with volunteer staff and create an environment that’s open, honest, and welcoming.
- Passion for Your Mission & Vision – Managing volunteers can be hard. People passionate about your goals will find the work both satisfying and rewarding.
- Strong Judgement – to choose volunteers who are a good match and put them in positions suited to their skills.
- Marketing Skills – to spread the word about your organisation.
Volunteer managers do so much. They manage, supervise, and do human resources work. They help hold your volunteer staff together by building a strong team.
When you think of a good Volunteer Manager, picture someone volunteers can trust. They should be organised and skilled. But they should also be good with people and patient.
If a volunteer manager cares about your mission and your people, they are off to a good start. They should provide quality training and instruction. But they should also be welcoming and supportive.
Why Are Volunteer Managers Essential?
Good volunteer management builds strong connections with supporters and staff. This helps you achieve your goals and mission.
Volunteer Management also saves your organisation time and money. It allows you to run as efficiently as possible.
Volunteer Managers perform all kinds of important work:
- Build post-Covid strategies for recruiting and engaging volunteers
- Communicate your volunteer program to your community
- Share your goals with supporters and volunteers
- Welcome, train, and support volunteer staff
- Choose the right volunteers for the right jobs
- Create open lines of communication
- Help create a diverse, inclusive volunteer culture
- Help make it easy for migrants, First Nation Peoples, and people with disability to volunteer
Strong Volunteer Management keeps your staff focused and helps your organisation thrive. A good Volunteer Manager inspires and organises a healthy volunteer team.
They also show appreciation. They build up volunteers by giving them praise and thanks. They remind volunteers how important they are and why their jobs make a difference.
Why do Volunteers Quit?
A strong volunteer manager doesn’t just know how to manage. They also know why volunteers walk away.
Some reasons volunteers quit include:
- Time pressures and the organisation is not flexible
- Lack of leadership and organisation
- Not being matched with the right job
- Feeling like their work doesn’t matter
- Not feeling welcomed into the group
Volunteer managers address these issues. They provide strong leadership and organisation. They excel at matching volunteers with the right jobs. To keep spirits high, good managers remind everyone why their work matters.
To make volunteering easy, creative managers find new ways to be flexible. And they make sure volunteers are welcome and supported every step of the way.
Bringing in volunteers is essential. But some organisations forget to offer strong support the whole way through. An excellent volunteer manager is always thinking long-term.
Conclusion
Volunteer Managers are necessary. They lead, manage, and organise your volunteer team. They also set an example for others.
Since Covid-19, volunteering has changed. But change gives Volunteer Managers a chance to shine.
To summarise, Volunteer Managers:
- Walk the talk – they set a good example for everyone
- Excel at communication – so everyone feels safe, heard, and informed
- Support the team – so volunteers stick around long term
- Recruit and assign – they attract great volunteers and give them fitting roles
- Train – they offer high-quality training
- Organise – making your organisation more efficient
- Spread the word – they communicate your vision and mission, along with your volunteer opportunities
Happy volunteers tend to have one thing in common: a great Volunteer Manager. Good Managers find volunteers and match them with jobs that are a smart fit.
Check out our Volunteer Acknowledgement and Recognition Checklist for ways your Volunteer Manager and your organisation can recognise the hard work of your volunteer staff.
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Table of Contents
Building a Culture That Encourages Volunteers
Since Covid, volunteer activity has dropped. That’s why building an encouraging culture is more important than ever. An encouraging culture shows appreciation and reminds volunteers how valuable they are.
Keeping an open mind can help you make necessary changes. For example, you might think of new ways of making your culture more encouraging.
A culture of encouragement will help you attract volunteers. It will also help you keep the volunteers you have.
It can be hard to change, but changes can help your organisation grow. With a more encouraging culture, your organisation can keep volunteers happy. Happy volunteers work hard, stick around, and invite others to help.
The Importance of Volunteers
Volunteers are essential. Without volunteers, most not-for-profits can’t do their work. But since Covid, it’s been hard to find and keep volunteers.
When you recognise volunteers, it helps create a culture of encouragement. You can do this by reminding volunteers how much you appreciate them.
When volunteers feel appreciated, they’re more likely to stay with your organisation. They’re also more likely to bring other people on board.
What is Your Organisation’s Culture?
Your “culture” is your way of doing things. This can include the attitudes and behaviours inside your organisation.
One person does not create your culture. Every member of your not-for-profit builds it. Although every organisation has a culture, not every culture is encouraging.
A healthy culture includes:
- A clear mission and values (these should be clearly displayed)
- Volunteer and staff retention
- Healthy and successful conflict resolution
- Staff and volunteers bring in referrals
- A high level of trust
- Open lines of communication
- High-quality training for your team
- Positive feedback from volunteers and staff
Healthy culture includes encouragement and appreciation. When leaders set an example, the attitude spreads. Before long, you have a culture of safety and support.
What happens When Volunteers are Discouraged?
Your culture can be encouraging, or it can be discouraging. Just because a few people feel good about an organisation doesn’t mean the whole culture is healthy.
The best way to find out whether you have a discouraging culture is to ask. You might be surprised what people say when you show an interest. Take notes to see if more than one person has the same feedback.
If you keep hearing the same comment over and over, it’s worth looking into.
Signs of a discouraging culture include:
- Poor communication
- Behavior that is not welcoming
- Lots of negative or gossipy talk
- Poor leadership
- Unmotivated staff
- Lack of growth
- High turnover (people don’t stick around)
- Everyone seems burned out
- Your organisation is not moving forward
If you have a discouraging culture, there is hope. No one wants to stay in an unhealthy culture, so people are open to change.
You just need to open up communication. That way, people can express themselves and make suggestions. This is the first step to building a better culture.
How Your Culture can Encourage Volunteers
Encouraging volunteers is important. Instead of focusing on who is in charge, try to focus on why each person matters.
Remember that each person has a role to play. Without everyone doing their best, the whole mission falls apart.
When volunteers see themselves as part of a team, they feel encouraged. They know that they matter to the rest of the group.
There are many ways you can create a culture of encouragement:
- Have clear values
- Check that the actions of leadership and staff line up with your values
- Use your core values to make decisions
- Have a clear mission statement that includes your higher purpose
- Make sure leaders set a good example
- Have a balance between life and work
- Make a safe, welcoming environment–in-person and online
- Encourage communication
- Show that your volunteers’ happiness and growth are important
- Encourage volunteers to ask questions, express views, and take risks
- Treat mistakes gently and celebrate success
Don’t forget to “record and award” progress. For example, take notes on volunteers who go above and beyond. Then thank them for everything they do.
Be specific when showing appreciation. You might say, “Janet, I really appreciate how you are always early.” Or, “Tom, you set a great example with your kindness.”
When you encourage volunteers, they feel good about being involved. They might invite friends to help because they want others to enjoy that feeling, too.
How to Encourage New Volunteers
Post-Covid volunteers have different needs. For example, volunteers might want flexibility, shorter hours, or online work. Helping out from home is a common request among newer volunteers.
One thing that hasn’t changed is that people need encouragement. They want to feel like their work matters, or they won’t stick around.
You can encourage new volunteers by:
- Keeping up with your social media pages
- Making it easy to sign up on your website
- Responding to volunteer sign-up quickly
- Offering flexible jobs
- Having a clear mission and values
People are starting to get out more. As they do, they’re looking for new ways to serve their community.
Your organisation can stand out by creating an encouraging culture. This will attract new volunteers and keep existing volunteers happy.
Best of all, your whole organisation will benefit from an encouraging culture.
Conclusion
Covid-19 had a big impact on volunteering. Now is a great time to think about your relationship with your volunteers.
Ask your current volunteers about ways you might improve. Brainstorm new ways of encouraging and appreciating volunteers. Use our Culture of Encouragement Checklist as a guide.
Your whole organisation will benefit from a culture of encouragement. Together, your team can build back stronger than ever!
Related posts
Starting a Not-for-Profit
Accidental Counsellor
How to Get Volunteers More Engaged Post-Covid
What is a Volunteer Manager?
Building a Culture That Encourages Volunteers
Volunteer Interview
4 Steps to Attract Youth Volunteers
5 Tips for Keeping Volunteers
5 Tips for Recruiting Volunteers
Volunteering During COVID [Course]
Volunteering: What to Think About Before Signing up
Why Risk Training is a Great Thing for Volunteers to Have
Volunteer Supervisor
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So You’re a Volunteer! What now?
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Table of Contents
What do Volunteers Want Post-Covid?
Volunteers play an important role, especially in hard times.
Covid has had a huge impact on volunteering.
Fewer people are volunteering and for shorter periods. One of the most important questions an organisation can ask is, “what do volunteers want post-Covid?”
Covid has highlighted the importance of safety and providing information to volunteers. Covid-19 has also shown that online meetings and remote working are possible and effective options. We’ll call this flexibility.
Volunteers want to feel safe, well informed, and have flexibility.
Other volunteer needs are still the same like : purpose, belonging, socialising, and acknowledgement.
Bringing Volunteers Back Post-Covid
Many people have stopped volunteering during the pandemic and haven’t returned.
Organisations like yours rely on volunteers to operate and meet their purpose. Without volunteers, many organisations will have to close their doors.
That’s why it’s important to understand what volunteers need, how to support them, and make volunteering a great experience.
Volunteers Want Flexibility
Many people enjoy volunteering because they like being around other people. But since Covid-19, volunteers might put safety above socialising. For example, a volunteer might want to help their community, but they would like to do it mostly online or from home.
Your organisation can meet the new needs of volunteers by offering opportunities for people to volunteer from home. This gives volunteers the flexibility they like and expect post-Covid.
You can make volunteering easier and more flexible by:
- Enabling volunteers to sign up online (via your website, a google form, or similar)
- Allow people to select that they would like to volunteer from home only.
- Brainstorm what jobs can be done from home: emails, phone calls, updating the website or social media, creating flyers, baking, knitting, so many options.
- Have flexible volunteering options. Allow people to volunteer when they can – don’t require a set amount per week.
- Make sure volunteers know who to talk to if they need to change their schedule or they’re interested in other jobs
- Encourage suggestions and feedback. Volunteers might come up with flexible options the committee hasn’t thought of.
Purpose
Most people volunteer because they want to help people and make the world a better place. Covid-19 has not changed that!
But volunteers might have changed what they want or value throughout the pandemic. It’s likely that post-Covid, volunteers are highly interested in opportunities that match their values. After a challenging period, many people want to make a difference in the world.
You can help volunteers feel like they are making a difference by:
Making your mission (or purpose) and vision very clear
Showing appreciation for individual volunteers
Encouraging your volunteers regularly
Keeping volunteers updated on your organisation’s progress
Sharing positive feedback with volunteers
Having a website and social media pages that show the good work you do
Belonging
People want a place that they belong. More importantly, they want a group of people they feel they belong with. This is a core driver for many volunteers. Joining a group of people that share the same goals, values, and interests creates that sense of belonging. This is more important than ever since the pandemic.
Your organisation can attract and retain volunteers by creating a sense of belonging. A few ways to do might be:
- Host regular social events for volunteers
- Create a Facebook group for your volunteers to talk and interact
- Allow people to participate in events and meetings virtually where possible
- Call volunteers that haven’t been active for a while to let them know they are missed.
- Encourage volunteers to share good news stories or personal achievements
Acknowledgement
People who volunteer don’t expect payment or acknowledgements. But no one likes to feel taken advantage of either.
You should acknowledge the time and effort your volunteers put in on a regular basis. This is particularly important in difficult times.
Some ways to acknowledge your volunteers could include:
- An annual thank you certificate
- A birthday card
- Volunteer of the month or year (this will depend on the size of your organisation)
- Sharing positive volunteer stories in your newsletter and online
- Sharing positive feedback from people who access or benefit from your organisation. This shows volunteers who their hard work is helping.
- Host quarterly thank you functions – this doesn’t need to be fancy, it could be a morning tea.
- Calling or emailing volunteers now and then to simply say thank you.
- Don’t just contact volunteers when you need something.
What do Volunteers Want Post-Covid: Summary
After Covid-19, fewer people are volunteering. And the people who are volunteering are giving fewer hours. But your organisation can bring in more volunteers and keep them happy by understanding what they want.
It is important to value and appreciate your volunteers. In addition to looking for flexible work, volunteers want to feel seen and valued. They might quit if they feel like the work is too hard or they don’t have enough training or encouragement.
In a post-Covid world, volunteers want work that lines up with their values and helps improve the world. Your organisation can help volunteers feel good about their work by reminding them how important their contribution is to your mission.
Check out our Meeting Volunteer Needs Checklist for more suggestions!
Related posts
Starting a Not-for-Profit
Accidental Counsellor
How to Get Volunteers More Engaged Post-Covid
What is a Volunteer Manager?
Building a Culture That Encourages Volunteers
Volunteer Interview
4 Steps to Attract Youth Volunteers
5 Tips for Keeping Volunteers
5 Tips for Recruiting Volunteers
Volunteering During COVID [Course]
Volunteering: What to Think About Before Signing up
Why Risk Training is a Great Thing for Volunteers to Have
Volunteer Supervisor
How to Stay Safe While Volunteering
So You’re a Volunteer! What now?
Volunteering 101 [Course]
Volunteer Induction [Course]
Volunteer Position Description
People who Volunteer
Volunteer Costs and Reimbursements