To have a successful, functioning volunteer programme, you’ll need to avoid making simple but fatal mistakes. A detailed management strategy that puts the volunteer at the centre of it all is essential.

Volunteer management is like one big machine all the cogs need to work together in order to maintain efficiency, but sometimes this doesn’t always work out and errors are made.

Here are 3 volunteer management mistakes and how to avoid them!

1. Not taking advantage of digital

Having a digital strategy can boost your volunteer capacity and awareness of your organisation. The number of internet users in 2018 was 4.021 billion, up 7 per cent on the previous year. Charities with little to no online presence or digital strategy will quickly find themselves struggling to survive.

Issues it can cause

• Volunteers will be less inclined to donate their time if they can’t find you online
• Avoiding a digital strategy now will cost you more in the future
• Your organisation will not be as connected to its supporters

How to fix them

Invest time and money in creating a digital strategy. Many organisations still carry the assumption that going digital will cost them an arm or a leg, but there are several simple, free tools you can start using today. But utilising digital as an organisation doesn’t have to happen overnight. Start off with creating social media accounts and engage with hundreds of communities with the same ambitions as your organisation.

2. Lack of communication with volunteers

Communication serves as a foundation for planning. Without it, it’s very hard to get much done. So when it comes to managing volunteers there’s nothing more important than regular, clear communication. The workload on volunteer managers makes it difficult to keep track of everything and communication is usually the first thing that flies out of the window.

Issues it can cause

• Volunteers don’t know what is required of them on the day (arrival time, logistics, location)
• The struggle for volunteers to find upcoming opportunities
• Frustration from volunteer could lead to their departure from your organisation

How to fix them

Volunteer management software of course! A volunteer system makes communicating with volunteers straightforward. TeamKinetic’s volunteer software comes with several tools to help you stay informed and connected to your volunteers. Automated emails can be sent out to specific opportunities and volunteer subgroups. Feedback functions also allow for regular interactions between the volunteer and opportunity providers.

3. Poor recruitment process

Finding and working with the right volunteers is important for your organisation’s long-term survival. Every organisation needs a team of committed and skilled volunteers placed in suitable roles. Recruiting the wrong candidate can result in loss of time, energy, resources and opportunity. While the ideal candidate can transform parts of your organisation.

Issues it can cause

• Good volunteers will be sent to bad places and vice-versa
• Potentially allowing a convicted individual to work with a vulnerable group due to low entry standards
• Valuable time and energy are used up

How to fix them

When recruiting you should always start by understanding what it is you want out of the volunteer and define the role that is to be undertaken. Our volunteer software allows you to create specific, detailed opportunities with key information such as the volunteer requirements, perks of the opportunity and skills required. The system makes it easy to advertise volunteer vacancies with a click of a button. Opportunities can be shared across a wide range of channels such as social media, email and are linked to do-it.org.

Find out how TeamKinetic has helped organisations simplify their management process and reduce time spent on micromanaging volunteers.

For more information on the Volunteer Management Software please reach out to us.

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