The Nonprofit FAQ

Considerations in setting up an all-volunteer program?

Deborah Witmer (bd047@SCN.ORG) said in CYBERVPM on Fri, 21 Feb 1997: Have you considered the choice of making this paid staffer's job that of Volunteer Coordinator - in that the volunteers continued to do the actual work, while the Staff concentrated on coordinating, supporting, supervising, training (etc!) the volunteers. I would especially emphasize SUPPORT! I have seen volunteers do some amazing things - over long periods of time - with the right support. I consider myself really really lucky to be working for a NPO that treats its volunteers well. (They tell us this year after year!) The entire staff of 40+ interact with volunteers at all levels, and they are truly the single biggest thing that make it possible for me to do my job. Even as well as the agency has done, it has just in the last 2 years put a bigger budget behind a *Volunteer Department*, and it is fair to say that this more organized way of supporting/training/supervising/etc. volunteers has taken some getting used to - both for the staff and the volunteers. But I am totally convinced that that money is well spent. As our Volunteer Coordinator said to me recently, we are also in the business of providing a *volunteer experience*, and that is just as important, in many ways, as the services we provide to our clients. I am glad our agency takes that role seriously.