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.