Tip of the Week: Hold a volunteer reflection event

Drafted by Caroline Poland

As Michelle Nunn discusses in Chapter 33 of Nonprofit Management 101,
holding a volunteer reflection event will enhance your volunteer
program by it opening up communication among your volunteers and
allowing your organization to reflect on the important role these
individuals play within your organization.

The first agenda item of a volunteer reflection event is to formally
thank your volunteers and honor the work they have done. Let them know
the impact they have contributed, and how their efforts have helped you
accomplish your mission. This is best done by the person who works
directly with them (the volunteer coordinator) AND the leadership.

It is important for the leadership of the organization to be at the
event and recognize and show their appreciation for the these
individuals that give their time, knowledge, and experience to the
organization. After all, they are ambassadors for you and will
encourage others to learn and become impassioned with your cause. Also,
make sure that all staff attend the event, and are getting to know the
individuals your organization depends on and is honoring.

The second agenda item of a volunteer reflection event is to ask for
feedback about your volunteer program. Be sure to ask both specific and
generic questions. You?ll want to gather specific feedback about the
tasks and work the volunteers do, things they like, and things they
would improve. Are they being effectively managed, and are the tasks
they do rewarding? Also make sure to get their feedback about
volunteering with your organization as a whole. How does it make them
feel, and do they feel a part of your organization, or like an
outsider? In addition to a dialogue, using a survey is a great way to
get overall satisfaction rates and feedback about your volunteer
program.

A volunteer reflection event will yield more meaningful
relationships with volunteers, while also informing your volunteer
program. The information you glean from this process will be extremely
valuable to the development of your volunteer program and will inform
your strategy for engaging volunteers in the future. Remember,
volunteers are one of your organizations most valuable assets; they are
champions, donors, and friends. If you treat them as such and cultivate
these relationships properly, you?ll build loyal volunteers who are
deeply connected and devoted to your organization and your volunteer
program will thrive.