Organizational Communication

Tutor:
13/05/2010

Electronic Magazine

Volunteers are the lifeline of many organizations. Unlike corporate businesses, other businesses do not have funds to attract highly qualified experts for all roles within the organization. They must rely on the unselfishness and dedication of people who are willing to donate their time.
There are a few key actions that organizations can do to keep their volunteers engaged and dedicated to their efforts.

OFF TO A GOOD START

We must support volunteers from their very first day. Volunteers may not have training for the job they are volunteering to do. They need as much knowledge as they can get in order to feel like an informed member of the team. Informational workshops, talks from other volunteers, team listening sessions will go a long way to preparing volunteers for the work ahead.

On the first days, the organization must run an intense all-day training session to volunteers. For some hours (maybe some days) all the new volunteers have to learn about the organization's mission, how it was carried out, the struggles they might face ahead and how to handle them. They must feel armed with information, but also feel supported from the whole team.

SUPPORT THROUGHOUT

Once our volunteers begin their work it’s important for the organization to maintain communication with them. This is especially important if the volunteers work individually off site and do not have the opportunity to interact with the central office frequently. They must receive a continuous support, like the one they received at the beginning. When the efforts or direction of a cause change, it’s crucial to share the changes with volunteers so they may adjust their work appropriately as well.

We will need, a monthly or quarterly “re-training” session which would be helpful to the volunteers. These sessions could be a refresher of the original training combined with new developments and techniques and carrying out volunteer work.
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