It’s week five in our Back to the Basics series here at Volunteer U, and it’s time to talk about setting your volunteer team up for success. 

Volunteers are an incredible asset to nonprofit organizations.

According to research done in 2016, the average value of a volunteer hour is $24.14. With over 62 million people volunteering in the United States alone, and 7.9 billion hours of service, that equals over $184 billion. 

That’s a LOT of value. 

Volunteers add a tremendous amount of worth to organizations. It’s not enough to hold an annual party to thank the team or give everyone a free bumper sticker. Organizations have to start investing just as much into their nonpaid workforce as they do their paid staff members.

1) Ask what they need
Resourcing your team is more than giving them tools to accomplish tasks. It’s about communicating and understanding what their pain points are. What’s frustrating them in their processes? Do they have what they need to succeed and do well in their role? Even the process of talking things through can relieve stress and build trust between you and your team. 

2) Help them grow personally and professionally
At Volunteer U, we believe in resourcing volunteers. Resourcing goes far beyond giving your team the tools they need to get the job done (although that is important!). It is about stewardship. It recognizes the invaluable contribution of a volunteer and offers them a chance to grow their skills and feel like they are making a real difference. Give back to your volunteers by providing them opportunities to expand their experience, grow their network, learn new skills, or lead a team. 

3) Give them a voice
One of the best ways to resource your team is to empower them to make decisions and give feedback to the organization. If you recruit team members who are good fits for the organization and train them to follow procedures and understand the mission and values, there should be no problem giving them the autonomy to act.  

For more ideas on how to resource your team for success, read our How To: Series.