Managing Volunteers

Keep your volunteers happy, motivated, and ready to volunteer for your next event with these simple steps.

Prepare a list of frequently asked questions and answers and give it to volunteers in advance to review when training registration volunteers who will interact with guests at the event. Then take your volunteers through a role-playing session. Ask one volunteer to act as a donor and another as the staff member, then have them switch roles. The practice helps your volunteers get comfortable with what they should say in a given situation.

Set a staff/volunteer check-in time before the event where you can focus on your volunteers. This gives you time to go over assignments, review your event timeline, and discuss any last minute details with all of your volunteers and staff members. Be sure you allow adequate time for volunteer check-in the evening of the event. If your volunteer team is large and their responsibilities varied, consider having several staff members act as volunteer team managers, one manager and team for each function (like check-in staff, auction item runners, special appeal workers, etc.).

Fuel your volunteers before, during, and after the event. If the event is going to be lengthy, and volunteers must check in early, try to have refreshments available when volunteers arrive. Set up a break schedule for volunteers to keep them refreshed through the evening. Establish a volunteer station in an enclosed area so they can sit down and rest for a minute or two in private and have a snack and a beverage. A rested and fueled volunteer is more relaxed, alert, and prepared. You can also give volunteers a “survival pack” when they report for duty. A survival pack can include items like name tag, pack of Lifesavers (because volunteers are the lifesavers of the event), bottled water, extra pen, hand written thank you, granola bar and a button to wear at the event as "an official volunteer."

Remember to smile. Remind your volunteers to smile, and don’t forget to smile yourself! Smiling reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and makes us more positive and approachable. Happy, smiling volunteers lead to happy giving donors.

Say ‘thanks’. When you write and send thank you’s to donors after the event, remember your volunteers. Making your volunteers feel appreciated can keep them coming back event after event.