How to Start a Successful Volunteer Program

What is a volunteer program?

A volunteer program is an organized way of onboarding and carrying out activities to serve a particular cause. It allows an organization to improve efforts for its mission, and also opens opportunities to members of the public who are willing to work for the same purpose. 

Setting up a volunteer program can be tricky as it involves a lot of searching and even possible training to get the most suitable volunteers on board. Depending on the type of volunteer program, an organization may curate different activities that align with the program goals. 

Types of volunteer programs

1. Short-term volunteer programs: These programs require volunteers for a short period of time and usually focus on community service of cultural education. Short-term programs make up the majority of the volunteer programs held as they can focus on a particular goal and work towards achieving it in a short span of time. These programs don’t require volunteers to have specific educational or professional qualifications and are held for durations of one to three months.
2. Long-term volunteer programs: The programs often focus on empowering people through skill-building activities and more. Long-term volunteer programs may require educational/professional qualifications to join and generally take place for a period of six months or more. One of the benefits of such programs is that they allow volunteers to work closely with a community to resolve long-term problems and achieve better results.
3. Conservation volunteer programs: These programs revolve around improving environmental issues and creating solutions. They focus on local or global problems at hand and help raise awareness to encourage higher involvement and conservation activities.

How to start a successful volunteer program?

1. Set up a mission statement: Creating a clear mission statement is the first step to starting a volunteer program. It helps set the tone for every process that will be undertaken. Your mission statement should contain the purpose of your volunteer program. What are you looking to achieve, the impact, how to bring in volunteers, etc. The mission statement should be clear in addressing the purpose of the program, the problem it intends to solve, and how the program will move forward.
2. Set program goals: Before starting a volunteer program, it is necessary to write down clear goals you want to achieve. Do you want to fundraise, build a facility, or create a channel of resources? Having objectives will help you take the most appropriate steps to conduct a successful volunteer program. The goals should also be such that volunteers can conveniently work and take the necessary measures for the best results.
3. Create a strategic plan: Having a plan set in place will help you take a volunteer program forward. Make a strategic plan that details how you plan to gather and allocate resources, onboarding volunteers, training programs, funding sources, etc. It helps streamline each process involved and enables the best results for a successful volunteer program.
4. Developing and managing relationships: When volunteers are taken on board, it is necessary to maintain a healthy relationship and communication network to maximize efforts. You can do this by utilizing any volunteer management software that helps you keep a database of volunteers, organize activities, set up meetings, and much more. It helps create a better work environment for volunteers, thus encouraging better performance.
5. Align volunteer interests with activities: When volunteers join a program, they are looking to work towards a cause or purpose they highly value. Aligning them with activities that match their interests will help improve efficiency. When volunteers are able to work happily, it increases the chances of having better success with the volunteer program.
6. Provide recognition: When volunteers join your program, they are choosing to make time and put in their efforts to work. Acknowledging volunteers for their time and hard work makes them feel appreciated, and they are more likely to join any future programs. It also helps maintain a healthy relationship with volunteers, thus increasing the credibility of a volunteer program to the public.

Endnote

Volunteer programs are one of the most beneficial programs an organization can hold. They contribute towards the betterment of our surroundings and encourage public involvement. When volunteers join a program, they contribute to a large-scale process and mission of improving the community around them. They are interested in making a change and choose to join programs that match their beliefs. A successful volunteer program also helps improve an organization’s credibility and trustworthiness.