Most organizations are not at the stage of seeing paid and unpaid staff as a "team" to accomplish the mission/goals of the organization. If they did, many of the challenges that are centered on volunteer-staff relations might not exist. Here...
Finding volunteers is hard enough for most organizations these days, and keeping them is equally challenging. Most organizations do not track volunteer retention rates. They seem to know, however, that volunteers appear to be staying for shorter periods of time....
One of the biggest challenges facing nonprofits that I hear about is "recruitment" of volunteers. We all know that the competition for volunteers has increased, as has demand since there are more organizations needing help. We also know that about...
In April, the province of Alberta, along with Volunteer Alberta, announced a new initiative: a three-year pilot program to cover the costs of police information checks (PICs) for eligible volunteers in nonprofit and voluntary sector organizations. The subject of volunteer...
As the saying goes, "if you want something done, ask a busy person." This holds very true for volunteers and the dedicated work that they do. People are busier now then they have ever been and balancing your life has...
I have skills and expertise that I think nonprofits could use, and would like to help my community. However, I have many family and business commitments to juggle. What's the ethical approach for someone like me? So many of us...
Managing volunteer programs requires a unique set of skills to balance and organize many different groups of volunteer and their variety of motivations. Over the years I have found a trend is emerging that I believe has a long-term effect...
Sixty years ago people volunteered as part of a group. They joined clubs or organizations that promoted or required service as an expectation of membership. Social bonds formed by working together. People do not tend to join groups today. Volunteerism...
Ask any nonprofit executive and they'll tell you unequivocally: volunteers are invaluable. Whether it's helping meet day-to-day objectives, providing event support, or offering significant insight as board members, volunteers are essential to short and long-term mission success. The recent CSGVP...
Let's say your organization is experiencing a decline in volunteerism and no matter what you try, you can't seem to stem the tide. Meanwhile, thanks to the economic downturn, your expenses are escalating, making the lack of volunteers an even...
