How Do Nonprofits Retain Volunteers? The Best Practices for Volunteer Management Rachel Bolin

Introduction O Volunteers play an integral role in many organizations O Volunteer retention O “Volunteer turnover can decrease organizational morale and services, and revenue can be lost…” (Clary, Snyder, & Ridge, 1992) O Valuing Volunteers O Should not be viewed as free labor O Should be managed differently than staff

Review of Literature O “Even if you have only a few volunteers, it’s worth taking the time to think through how you will manage them to maximize the effectiveness of this important resource” (Chapter 6, 2011, p. 201) O It seems organizations can place majority of their effort in recruitment of volunteers, but do not invest in the volunteers once they are a part of the organization.

Strategic Volunteer Plan (Eisner et al., 2009)

Review of Literature O Who manages volunteers? O Traditional Model O The New Model O Volunteer Advisory Council O Volunteer Functions Inventory: Understanding volunteer motivation O Measures six primary functions: O Values, Understanding, Career, Social Esteem, and Protective (Clary, Snyder, & Ridge, 1992)

Best Practices for Volunteer Management 1. Volunteer Placement 2. Volunteer Training 3. Thanking Volunteers