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.