Anyone who manages volunteers can identify with the analogy of herding cats. Volunteers want to be more engaged than ever, but often nonprofits fail to capitalize on their skills and passions. Organizations need actionable ways to change the way they engage with volunteers. Whether you’re developing interns, young professionals, or working with retirees, learn how to turn your herd of cats into a pack of lions!

1. Volunteers:
Herding Cats into a
Pack of Lions
Stacy Dyer @stacydyer

2. Your Partner in Dialogue
Stacy Dyer
Principal, Tomato’s Garden Consulting
Speaker Programmer, 501 Tech Club Austin –
local affinity group of NTEN
15+ years working for/with nonprofits
Asolo Theatre of Florida, Zachary Scott Theater,
Ballet Austin
Superhero power: Gizmo Empath

3. Goals for today:
Review potential of volunteers
Understand why volunteer programs fail
Take away actionable strategies to
improve volunteer engagement

4. Do you feel like this?
Cowboys herding cats

5. Volunteering in America
2009 Quick Stats
63.4 million volunteers, 1.6 million increase over 2008
Largest single year increase since 2003
Contributed +8.1 billion hrs, = ~$169 billion in services
Volunteer rate up to 26.8% (26.4% in 2008)
“To volunteer successfully
there must be an
infrastructure that can
recruit, place, and manage
prospective volunteers.”
Corporation for National and Community Service, Office of Research and Policy
Development. Volunteering in America 2010: National, State, and City Information, Washington, DC.
2010, June.

6. Obama Administration and
Nonprofit Pains
$201 million to Corporation for National and Community Service; $5.7
billion bill to expand national service programs
Adding 4 new national service corps programs; and triple current
number of annual AmeriCorps volunteers by 2017
40% of charities have too few staff members; 34% rely on volunteers
to fill gap1
34% of nonprofits say they do not have the infrastructure in place to
deploy volunteers2; 57% do not have the infrastructure to deploy an
influx of volunteers2
1 The Johns Hopkins Listening Post Project, Recession Pressures on Nonprofit Jobs, 2010
2 2009 Executive Summary: Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT survey, 2009

7. Volunteer Persona and Roles
Who is volunteering?
Retiring Boomers
Recent rise in volunteer rates
fueled by:
Women, ages 45-54
Have children
Employed full-time
*Source: Corporation for National and Community Service,
Office of Research and Policy Development.
Volunteering in America 2010; National, State, and City Information,
Washington, DC. 2010, June.

8. Diverse Ecosystem

9. Why volunteer programs fail
Don’t understand the vital role they fill
Under utilized – not engaged in meaningful way
No path for sustainable growth
Org treats all volunteers the same – ME ME ME ME

10. Get a Volunteer Coordinator
Human Resources = potential organizational wealth (both
money and skills!)
Capacity to capitalize on volunteer resources
Don't rely on existing staff who have other mission-critical duties
Should be dedicated staff member
Not just another volunteer
Acts as liaison
Must have perspective
to balance needs

11. Coordinator as Tamer
Identify gaps in staff
Create sustainable
volunteer program
Capitalize on current
resources
Develop the next line
coming up
Foster long-term
relationships Photo by: Andrew Kaufman

12. Volunteer Job Descriptions
Create detailed volunteer job
descriptions, including roles and
responsibilities
Set quantifiable goals volunteers can
work towards
Engage in a regular performance
review feedback process
Revise and update descriptions and
goals as needed

13. Align Roles to Passions
Don’t have expectations based on the volunteer’s
external experience or skills
Let them pursue their interests!

14. Rotate Roles
Allow volunteers to try out various roles
They may discover a passion they never knew they had!
Reduce volunteer fatigue
Encourage frequent
volunteer feedback
Be flexible and don’t force it

15. Provide Continuing Education
Encourage growth and development
As volunteers acquire new skills, not only will your organization
benefit from their increased capacity, but the individual that
feels engaged will be easier to retain.
Yuri Kuklachev of
Moscow Cat
Theatre

16. Use Volunteer Mentors
Create a system that gives
volunteers the opportunity to
lead other volunteers
Share experience and knowledge
Improve skill retention
Rely less on paid staff to train new recruits
Continue personal and professional development journey

17. Benefits of Investing in Volunteers
Engage volunteers in a
professional
development system
Skilled volunteer
marketplace from which to
draw resources
Stakeholders for life with
greater philanthropic
potential

18. Time is More Valuable
Than Money
The #1 reason people
don’t buy season tickets isn't
their cost – it’s because they
don't have time to attend^
Easier to just write a check and
be done
Volunteers invest their time –
value it accordingly!
^ Source: Performing Arts Research Coalition,
Performing Arts Research Coalition Sarasota Community Report, pg 47

19. Nurture Volunteers
Your volunteers are your greatest investors
Volunteers give you their TIME.
It is, in many ways, more valuable than money.
A volunteer who is deeply engaged is your most likely
source of monetary investment.

20. Escalate Engagement
Track directly in donor database, CRM or volunteer
management system
Set thresholds for escalation
Sometimes all you have to do is ask!
Use flags and reminders
Publically track goal attainment as a motivational tool

21. Powerful Pack of Lions
Hangzhou Sapphire Circus
A successful volunteer engagement program means volunteers
will be lining up to be a part of your organization!

22. Take-aways to remember:
Have a Volunteer Coordinator
Specific volunteer job descriptions
Align roles to passions
Rotate roles to reduce volunteer fatigue
and maximize opportunistic exploration
Allow for growth journey
Respect their investment by investing
in them
Nurture relationships
Be proactive - volunteers can become
your greatest investors!

23. Thank You!
Stacy Dyer
Follow me on Twitter: @stacydyer