The Missing Link to Your Volunteer Engagement Strategy: The Skilled Volunteer Engagement Leader
Global Voices, Local Impact
Nicole R. Smith, CVA, USA
There is little argument from the community that volunteers are essential to expanding organizational reach, mission fulfillment and creating meaningful community impact. In fact, some leaders of NGO’s, governmental and other organizations may even venture to say that volunteers are a vital part of their establishments.
Volunteers are so important, in fact, that ensuring they are stewarded properly should be top of mind for any entity that engages volunteers, but it is often overlooked or, worse yet, an after-thought. This often leads to high volunteer and volunteer staff turnover and unnecessary disruptions in how volunteers and their contributions are integrated into an organization.
If you find yourself in the position of looking to fill that ever-so-important role of someone to lead your volunteers, or looking for ways to help upskill the current leader of volunteers you have, consider these 5 fundamental traits when selecting and/or upskilling the person for the role:
1. They Have the Capability of Having Difficult Conversations: One vital trait people often overlook is the ability of the person leading your volunteers and/or volunteer department to have difficult conversations. So many people are afraid to have corrective conversations with volunteers because after all, “they are volunteering their time and may walk away.” To this I say, one bad apple spoils the bunch. If a volunteer is exhibiting behavior contrary to the organization’s culture, meaningful conversations need to be had, otherwise a toxic environment may result and that one volunteer isn’t the only one walking away.
2. Patience: An effective leader of volunteers demonstrates a high level of patience. When managing multiple different personalities and needs, there will be a lot of diversity of thought, input and even execution of assignments. A great leader of volunteers will not be easily frustrated or angered. Additionally, they can patiently listen to a volunteer who needs someone to talk to, but can gently get the volunteer to where they need them to be without the volunteer feeling rushed, dismissed or undervalued.
3. Excellent Problem Solving Skills: A great leader of volunteers is a seasoned problem solver. Every challenge presented is approached with a “how do we solve this” attitude instead of always seeking someone else to solve the issue for them. They bring solutions to the table and make magic happen; even solving problems before they happen because they are always forward thinking.
4. Organized: An effective leader of volunteers understands that efficient systems are the lifeblood of any volunteer strategy/department. They have systems in place in such a way that they can find what they are looking for at the touch of a button, or, if they left for a week, the program will still be able to run efficiently and colleagues are able to find what is needed, people know who to go to and work can still move forward.
5. Impeccable Communicators: An excellent leader of volunteers is a phenomenal communicator. They are able to share their ideas and needs clearly, detect if someone doesn’t completely understand and restate the need in such a way that it resonates with the receiver. They are also able to share the fulfillment of the organization’s mission through translating volunteer metrics (number of hours etc.) into impactful compelling stories that build community trust, encourage the community to donate financially to the organization, and/or become a volunteer for the organization themselves.
At the end of the day, leaders of volunteers are the backbone, the driving force, of volunteerism. Their skills expertise exponentially increases the notion that volunteer engagement is strategic, effective, and rewarding for both volunteers and organizations. Recognizing and investing in the growth and skill development of these leaders, is essential to sustaining impactful strategic volunteer engagement and advancing the mission of organizations across sectors.
Nicole R. Smith, CVA
Executive Director
Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE)
