When Working With Volunteers, Think, What’s in It for Them?

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

By Matt Hugg
July 29, 2024

Early in my career I worked for a youth services organization. One of the first things I was told was “never trust a volunteer who volunteers.”

It made sense. We were working with a vulnerable population. If someone just walked off the street and said, “I want to volunteer,” our first question was “why?”

Of course, we’d formally screen them using the available child-protection systems, but “why” was always top of our mind, even if they passed. The safety of the children we served was top-of-mind.

But have you ever asked, “why do you want to volunteer?” to any of your volunteers? Whether you’re serving vulnerable people or looking for someone to dig fence posts in a field, it should be the first thing we ask.

Why?

Of course, it starts with the protection of those you’re charged to serve. They come first, regardless of how badly you need a body with a pulse to do whatever you need them to do.

The problem is that you face a conundrum. You want people, staff and volunteers alike, to be committed to your mission. Yet you don’t want them to use their access to your mission to act out harmful motivations. For example, if you serve children and someone says, “because I love kids,” it should raise your eyebrows a bit. They may be sincere, but you need to understand more. Why do they love kids? What’s their experience with kids? Why your organization?

Typically, your mission is a vehicle to fulfill other needs. For example…

• They’re retired and want to remain active.
• They’re young and want work-like experience.
• They need to fulfill an educational requirement.
• They’re adjudication requires “community service.”
• They want to transition back into the workforce.
• They want to develop a new skill or reactivate one they haven’t used for a while.
• They work from home and want socialization.
• They’re new to your community and want to connect with new people.
• They want to better connect with a friend or loved one who is part of your organization.
• They want to build their professional network.
• They want to look good in your community.

I’m sure you’ve heard of others.

None of these are mission specific. They’re speaking to broader, more fundamental needs than “working with kids.”

Notice what I left out? “I want to give back” sounds admirable, but really says nothing about motivation. It makes me wonder, “what did they take that now they feel they want to ‘give back’?” If you hear “I want to give back,” dig deeper.

So, if you raise your eyebrows at “volunteers who volunteer,” how do you find volunteers? It sounds easy, but it’s not so easy: you ask them.

It sounds easy because our image of asking is the least productive way to recruit volunteers. Stand up and say to a group, “who wants to volunteer?” Yeah. How many times did that work, and if it did, did you get your best volunteers?

No, you need to personally sit down in front of a possible volunteer… in person is best… and say “will you volunteers to do [fill in your need]?

Okay, I can hear you saying… “sounds good, but how do I find these people?”

Referrals.

Everyone likes to point out others who can do something. They feel honored you’d ask, and it makes them feel they helped without actually needing to do so much. It’s even better if they can set up an introduction.

This is also an opportunity to “pre-screen” someone. Ask your contact, “why do you think they would like our mission?” With the above list in mind, ask what the volunteer recruit’s wants and needs are. What skills do they bring that fills your need? Ask why that specific person comes into their mind.

Getting a sense of their motivation from your referring contact also gives you some conversation points so you can confirm what you’ve been told and learn more about your possible volunteer as you recruit them. Plus, it allows you to assess whether you can fulfill their needs. It’s not enough to know why someone may make a good volunteer. You need to know what you can do to make them, and their experience with your organization, successful on their terms, and yours.

If you’re thinking that this takes a lot more time than just putting people who walk up to you to work and see how they’ll do, you’re right. I mean, who has time for all of this?

You do, or should.

You’re not just looking for a pair of hands. You want to build a relationship, because relationships connect them longer with your mission, and a longer relationship means you won’t need to recruit more people more often. In other words, if you do this right, you won’t need to do it as much.

Besides, what is the alternative? Picking up people who “volunteer to volunteer” can put those you serve at risk. Grabbing that reluctantly raised hand at your next meeting leaves your program’s success to a lottery. Do you feel lucky?

You have to recruit to be successful. And when you recruit, you need to ask, “what’s in it for them?”

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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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