7 Tips for a Great Volunteer Experience

Done right, recruiting and using volunteers can be a huge blessing. Done poorly, they're headaches. So how do you manage volunteers right? Here are seven tips to make sure that both your volunteers and you have a mutually beneficial experience.

Be clear about volunteer jobs

Be clear about what you need volunteers to do. Before you begin recruiting, spend some time thinking through what you want help with. Make a list of tasks to be done, being as specific as possible. Written job descriptions are ideal but not necessary. Don't expect volunteers to know what needs to be done. If you put this expectation on the volunteers, be prepared for some frustrated volunteers. They'll look to you to tell them what needs to be done and how to do it.