Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/volunteer-management-leadership-strategies-for-success/5024342/
Volunteers are priceless assets to our organizations. They are caring and committed to serving the children in our care. Directors are in a pivotal position to influence the management of these non-paid employees who offer so much. Doing so is demanding but can also be delightful. Volunteers each bring their own goals, skills, schedules, and expectations to our programs. You can involve these committed staff in the life of your center by using their strengths to ensure a positive experience for everyone and giving your program an overall boost. The potential benefits of using volunteers include greater staff diversity, increased skill sets, and positive energy.
Effective volunteer management is the key to a lighter workload because volunteers are offering their time at no cost; it is up to supervisors to ensure they are valued and maximally utilized. If care and attention is not devoted to your volunteer staff, they can become disenchanted. Your reward will be a staff committed to you, the children you care for, and the families you serve. It is vital to keep volunteers motivated and recognized; this can be done as simply as saying “thank you,” equipping them for meaningful work, and inviting them to be part of ...