How to Manage Volunteers

I believe living a balanced life is to have a vocation (something that is your primary revenue stream), a side-hustle or hobby, volunteering, and a community. When I coach people on getting involved as a volunteer, I advise them to find a role where they aren’t in charge. A role where they are responsible for completing tasks and reporting to someone in charge. It’s ok to lead as a volunteer, I just believe when you are leading it becomes more of a side-hustle or hobby than falling in the volunteering column. In my experience, humbling yourself as a volunteer helps keep you balanced, especially if you are an entrepreneur.

It’s important for those who do manage volunteers to make sure the volunteers know exactly what they are expected to do. A clear picture should be painted so the volunteer doesn’t have to second guess things or wonder about their role. As someone who has been in church ministry, this is something sorely lacking from staff members who manage volunteers. Often times, a staff member at a church will find someone who is “interested” in becoming involved. The staff member often gets excited and may or may not share their vision with the volunteer. The volunteer then starts getting requests to serve one, twice, three, (gasp) perhaps four times in a month. “I didn’t sign up for this!” the volunteer might say or think which means they will either stop volunteering or miserably show up week after week.

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