9 Strategies for Preventing Volunteer Burnout & Keeping Your Leadership Pipeline Full
As we come out on the other side of the pandemic, things aren’t as rosy as we had anticipated. Association colleagues are telling us they’re having a tough time recruiting and retaining volunteers. Volunteer recruitment was already a problem before the pandemic—members were busy. But now they’re also burned out after a year of juggling work, home, and association life, often while dealing with economic pressures.
Many members can’t or won’t devote as much time to volunteering as they used to. Volunteers might be there in body but sometimes not in spirit. They’re trying to be loyal but they’re tired. You might be seeing unanswered emails, no shows, work taking longer or not getting done, and empty positions—all of which send the wrong signal to potential volunteers.
The Many Causes of Volunteer Burnout
Personal and professional exhaustion is not the only cause of volunteer fatigue. Other factors leading to volunteer burnout are ones you can control.
- A poor onboarding process leaving volunteers feeling lost and confused as to their role within the association.
- Perceived lack of appreciation for the time and effort they put in.
- Inflexible scheduling.
- Poor communication from leadership, for example, not providing insight into the progress your association is making towards its goals and the volunteer’s role in that accomplishment.
How to Prevent Volunteer Burnout and Keep Your Leadership Pipeline Full
You can prevent and alleviate volunteer fatigue by changing things within your control.
#1: Offer purposeful work: align volunteering with organizational strategy and goals.
Are volunteers working on the right things? Could their time be better spent elsewhere? Every year, assess how your association uses volunteers. Review the need for each governance and volunteer group/project. Make sure their tasks are appropriate for volunteers—they’re not tasks staff or temporary help should do instead. Prioritize tasks so your recruitment efforts are focused on the most critical work.
Every governance group—committee, work group, task force, etc.—must have a charge or purpose statement describing how the group’s work aligns with the association’s strategic plan and goals. This approach ensures the group’s work contributes to fulfilling a goal and the volunteer’s work is meaningful.
The yearly review process allows you to sunset volunteer groups and activities that don’t align with organizational strategy. Just because you’ve always had volunteers doing something, doesn’t mean they should continue to do it or they’re the appropriate people to do it.
#2: Answer unasked questions about volunteering.
Association governance could use more transparency. Members want to know what they’re getting into. They’re unlikely to volunteer if they’re unsure about the work involved. Provide volunteer position and task descriptions, including the time commitment required.
#3: Don’t waste anyone’s time.
Be a respectful steward of your volunteers’ time. Establish meeting and communication protocol for all volunteer groups, for example:
- Groups only meet when decisions or discussions are necessary.
- Reports are only shared via email or another platform, not during a meeting.
- The chair or staff liaison must send an agenda and supporting material well before the meeting.
- Establish rules for communication, such as who is allowed to send emails to the group, how frequently, and what the expected response time is.
If volunteers believe it will help, offer a collaboration platform, such as an online community or Slack.
#4: Offer microvolunteering opportunities.
Committee service is not for everyone. Members appreciate having other ways to contribute, such as ad hoc, low-time commitment, microvolunteering opportunities—a convenient way to try out volunteering risk-free. Take a look at all your committee and volunteer activities. Break larger tasks down into smaller tasks for microvolunteers. Publicize these opportunities on your website or member portal.
#5: Provide resources, support and TLC to volunteers.
Ask every volunteer to watch an onboarding video or meet for a quick call or Zoom that goes over the training they need:
- How the volunteer’s work or the group’s work fits into the association’s governance model—how it aligns with strategy and goals.
- Expectations for their performance.
- Their responsibilities as a volunteer.
Check in with volunteers throughout their term or assignment. Never take them for granted. Ask about the work—too much or not enough, meaningful or not. Invite their feedback on how it might be done differently.
#6: Take staff’s committee liaison responsibilities seriously.
Staff aren’t usually trained for their role as committee liaisons—it’s just part of the job. These responsibilities aren’t given much thought but require a special skill set. Staff should know how to:
- Collaborate with chairs to align committee work with strategic goals.
- Manage projects and volunteers.
- Coach chairs on their responsibilities, like leading a team, running meetings, and delegating work to microvolunteers.
Staff liaisons must understand why members volunteer in different capacities and how to channel those motivations into work that serves the association, not individual egos. Associations should dedicate time to discussion and scenario-training that helps staff liaisons keep their groups focused on goals.
#7: Invite feedback from ex-volunteers.
Muster up the courage to ask former volunteers about their experience. Invite them to be brutally frank. You want to understand what’s going on so you can channel their skills in a more appropriate direction or resolve issues that are alienating them—and perhaps others. These conversations could keep the door open if the volunteer ever wants to return.
#8: Recognize and thank volunteers.
Most associations recognize and thank volunteers serving on committees and other governance groups, but don’t stop there. Show every volunteer how much you appreciate their contribution of time and talent. Describe how their contribution made a difference. The volunteer who isn’t thanked wonders why they should bother helping out again. Never take any of them for granted. Create a process or routine for this recognition so this task isn’t continually put off.
#9: Publicize the impact made on the association and on members by volunteering.
In your newsletters, social media posts, and elsewhere, describe the impact made by volunteers so members become aware of volunteer opportunities and how their contribution could make a difference too. Share testimonials from members who explain how volunteering affected their career or life.
The stories of volunteers who have been fulfilled personally and professionally by their years of service are a testament to the empowering benefits of volunteering. Even members who think they’re too busy to volunteer are more likely to listen when they hear about the meaningful, and perhaps transformative, opportunities you’re offering to them.
See how technology can help you facilitate volunteering and boost involvement. MemberSuite’s Association Management Software includes a flexible Volunteer Management solution to manage and track all aspects of your volunteer programs in one place.