It’s Not a Life Sentence

Depending on the health of an organization’s volunteer program, some leaders may feel they are constantly training and retraining people to perform the same task. They may struggle to retain volunteers responsible for a certain team, or who help plan or execute certain events. I’ve seen leaders try to enforce a minimum length of time commitment from a person. I could concede this agreement if you are partnering with a volunteer who is joining your team as someone overseeing others or taking on a large portion of responsibility. However, for someone signing up to serve for a season or a single event, I feel it’s a bridge too far. People might not consider your volunteer opportunity at all if they feel as if they are committing to a life sentence.

I have worked for and with many faith-based and nonprofit organizations and associations that rely on volunteers to accomplish their mission, events, goals, tasks, or responsibilities. I have listened to leaders make their pitch for someone to join their team or have read a promotional piece in a church’s bulletin asking for help. I cringe when I hear or read the language used which implies desperation, overwhelm, a huge burden that needs to be met, or the need for life-long commitment by someone.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, people are reluctant to commit to serving in a role where they feel trapped; if they feel they are not going to have the freedom to let their leader know they ended up not being a good fit, their work scheduled changed, their kid made the soccer team after all… These days, people all lead busy lives and the thought of adding “one more thing” to the calendar when it looks like the one more thing is going to take up every weekend for the foreseeable future (even if it won’t) the answer will most likely be no.

Besides changing how volunteers are invited into a partnership with you and the terminology used in doing so (see my blog “Invite, Don’t Recruit”), sharing a vision for the serving opportunity and the process for becoming part of the team will help someone choose to say yes. When interviewing a volunteer, explain the process for onboarding, training, and checking-in. Create a culture where volunteers know they are free to ask to be released at any time without shame or guilt.

There is a balance here, however, between allowing someone to try something new after fulfilling their promise to you and someone who just jumps ship when the work gets hard. Volunteering is a sacrifice. People are choosing to give up doing something they would normally do to help an organization further their mission (spending time with family or friends, working, sharing financial resources, etc.). The expectation that a person is making a commitment to try their best to do what they’ve signed up to do, ask for help when needed, learn a new skill if necessary, and communicate with their leader frequently should be the norm.

By developing a healthy volunteer program, your organization should have no trouble inviting, equipping, and maintaining a sustainable team. And remember, there’s no need to impose a life sentence on any volunteer.

Have you seen the results of a volunteer staying too long? Share you story here
or send me an email, I’d love to hear it.

Do you work with volunteers? Then you need Tracy’s book Cultivating a Healthy Volunteer Team! Get your copy today!