Are Volunteers Worth It?

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Matt Hugg
September 30, 2024

In this era of labor shortages and high labor costs, the idea of recruiting volunteers can seem pretty attractive. It’s a win/win/win, right? You get things done. It’s budget friendly. And the person who volunteers gets something to do.

Ah, not so fast.

Yes, there are a lot of pros to recruiting volunteers. But it’s not all kittens and flowers. There are some downsides, too. Let’s take a look at both. We’ll start with five good reasons to add volunteers to your workforce.

1. Getting work done. This may be why you thought of volunteers in the first place. You’re overwhelmed and a volunteer could do a lot of tasks that you don’t have time for. Maybe that’s back-office work? Maybe that’s direct program work? How about facilities and maintenance work? Good volunteers can do all of this and more.
2. What’s even better than getting work done? Getting work done by an expert, for free! A lot of experts are willing to volunteer their time for a cause they love. Some businesses encourage their staff to volunteer their expertise in their community as part of their annual review process. You might even find someone in a job transition who wants to keep their skills up. Whatever the reason, it’s possible to get quality work at no pay at all.
3. Depending on the volunteer’s life stage or employment status, you can get a lot of flexibility from volunteers. Do you get slammed with tours in the summer? Do you have work in the evenings that no staff will take? Do you need people on call? Volunteers can be a resource for all of these, and more.
4. Maybe the most undervalued advantage of volunteers is their marketing potential. In short, volunteers talk. They will tell their friends where they volunteer and why your mission is essential. They’ll bring them along to help—adding to your volunteer pool. They’ll also bring their fresh eyes. A volunteer will see things that for you, just fade into the background, like peeling paint, outdated brochures or errors on your website. It aye feel like a pain, but this is good. It means they’re engaged and gives you a chance to see your world from your client’s point of view.
5. Charitable gifts. Volunteers who make charitable gifts are invested in your success. You might think, “they won’t give money. They give their time.” Some, maybe. But a lot will do both. And don’t dismiss it if it’s only a small gift. Not only is any giving empowering, but people who make small, consistent gifts over time are known to be major benefactors after their passing. (For more, see this article from HumaniTru.)

Now that you’re pumped up on volunteering, I’ll throw a bit of water on your enthusiasm. Sorry. Let’s look at some of the issues you may face with volunteers.

1. Human Resources. Volunteering doesn’t mean they’re angels, nor does it mean that you can ignore all of the human resources rules. They’re human, so they’ll make mistakes like humans do, and so will you and your staff. Know that all your human resources rule apply. And don’t think that because they’re volunteers, you or they are automatically protected from liability issues. Ellis Carter, a nonprofit lawyer with Caritas Law Group, P.C. gives a good summary of volunteer liability in her article, “Protecting Nonprofit Volunteers from Liability.”
2. Management issues. It’s hard enough to manage someone you pay. Just think how hard it could be to manage someone who won’t care if you cut their pay in half! Working with volunteers calls for a different management style. For a lot of managers, working with volunteers is a growth experience that translates positively to working with their paid staff. For others, it’s frustrating not having the leverage of a paycheck to motivate a worker.
3. While some volunteers will be more dedicated and sacrifice more than anyone on your payroll, many will only work at their convenience. You’ll get to know who is which type very quickly. Plus, a lot of volunteers are very wary of long-term commitments, especially if they haven’t had experience with your organization. Therefore, get good at breaking down big projects into small tasks, and keeping track of all of them.
4. Training Time. You can’t just say “go,” and the volunteer does a job. Like any staff member, they need training, in both your mission and in the task at hand. Proper training is the Achilles Heel of a lot of volunteer relationships. Being an “insider” to your mission is a real perk for a lot of volunteers. Plus, they care about what you do. They want to do their job right and well. Help them help you—train them and keep it up!
5. Staff perception. A lot of staff push back against volunteers. Why? To start, they may not take volunteers seriously. Some can’t imagine why anyone who brings value would work for free. At least as common is someone feeling threatened by the volunteer’s experience. Then there are issues where someone may think they’ll be replaced. This can be particularly sticky in labor union environments. All of this is a warning not to be surprised that what you think is a great idea, isn’t fully embraced by others.

So, is it worth it? Only you can say. Just know that volunteers can be great, but go in with your eyes open.

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Author: Matt Hugg is president of Nonprofit.Courses, and mentor at the John S. Watson School of Public Service at Thomas Edison State University. He can be reached at [email protected].

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