Handling Tricky Volunteers

Let’s be honest, some volunteers aren’t the best fit for your organization. Did a new volunteer just say a profanity at or near a guest? Do you have a volunteer who opted to play on his phone for an hour instead of setting up the merch table?

Poor performance isn’t always grounds for firing; so we’ve put together a handy guide for how to deal with the not so helpful volunteer.

The Easy One

If a volunteer does something so terribly inappropriate that your mouth falls open when you find out… it’s definitely fair to let them go. If more than a few volunteers or attendees report that they can’t work with a certain person… it’s decision time again! Use your best judgment, but if you’re floored by a volunteer’s behavior and they’re a risk or detriment to your event, just get let them go. It’s tough, but warranted.

It’s Not You, It’s Me

While volunteer coordinators may be the smartest people we know (we’re biased), they’re not mind readers.

You may have not foreseen a certain characteristic or (lack of) skill in a volunteer that would become problematic in their volunteer role later. How could you have known? There is nothing wrong with admitting you put someone in the improper spot. Just find a new position that is a better fit for them! This will make your volunteer feel more fulfilled and your team work more efficiently.

Walk it Off

What may be an easy two hours of standing for one person could be an agonizing lifetime without a snack break for another. Pay attention to when your volunteers might not be faring well and know when it’s time to offer them a break. Maybe that cranky volunteer at the check-in table is just hungry or struggling through a sugar drop.

Overall, we usually suggest avoiding firing a volunteer unless they have done something truly unacceptable. At the end of the day, volunteers are there to support your cause. They have a variety of strengths and skills, and they may shine better in certain areas than others. Nurture open, honest communication with your volunteers and put yourself in their shoes from time to time. Where would they be most comfortable, confident, and pleased? That might just be the perfect spot for them.

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Six Fresh Ways to Jumpstart Volunteer Recruitment

Volunteer recruitment—it’s just one of those things that is never fully crossed off the list, right? When you’ve fulfilled your volunteer need for one event, the next project is right around the corner. It can be a bit relentless, but that’s when we work together! Sometimes freshening up your recruitment strategies is as easy as browsing a new list of ideas to boost your brainstorming.

1.  Make it Exclusive – Work the perks 

Enticing new volunteers or returning volunteers can be as simple as offering some perks! Not everyone has the budget to provide volunteer-only swag, but I bet there’s something you can give to your volunteers that is different than what’s available to the public. Are there certain hours you can give them exclusive access to your event or vouchers for a VIP area? Or are there some perks that you’ve used in the past that you can bring back?

2. Make it Competitive – Recruit-a-friend challenge

Play up your volunteers’ competitive sides while also letting them help you with you job! Set up a volunteer challenge that rewards volunteers who recruit others to volunteer with them. The more people you recruit, the better the prize! Plus friends who volunteer together tend to have more fun and are more likely to come back to help again. 

3. Make it Easy – Remove the barriers

Take a look at your volunteer sign up methods. Are you making it as easy as possible? Sometimes we overcomplicate things in the name of getting all the information we could ever need. But remember, volunteers may just quit filling out the form if we make it too difficult. VolunteerLocal has some great tools to help keep it simple!

And what about that website? Are you clearly presenting who you are? Keeping your online presence easy to read and simple to navigate helps people fully understand why their time is valuable to your organization and why your organization is valuable to them.

4. Make it Fun – Host some recruitment events

Build bridges to the local community by hosting some purely fun events! What fits best in your context?  A trivia night? Karaoke? 3-on-3 basketball? These simple events not only increase your brand awareness, but can also help you connect with potential volunteers you wouldn’t have found otherwise.

5. Make it Visible – Update those flyers

Brochures, posters, and press releases are essential tools for volunteer recruitment. How can you bump up their effectiveness? Think about updating the design or expanding your normal posting places. Keep a list of community organization that may welcome you as a guest speaker! Work all these avenues to get your volunteer need as visible as possible.

6. Make it Social – Social media can work for you

Find the best social media platforms for your goals! Creating a private Facebook group for your volunteers may help increase camaraderie. Instagram’s story feature may be the perfect avenue to increase behind-the-scenes excitement and get quick feedback. Think through your event and how to best connect to your people. There are so many tools out there. Make them work for you!

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Six Fresh Ways to Jumpstart Volunteer Recruitment

Anne Summers

Volunteer recruitment—it’s just one of those things that is never fully crossed off the list, right? When you’ve fulfilled your volunteer need for one event, the next project is right around the corner. It can be a bit relentless, but that’s when we work together! Sometimes freshening up your recruitment strategies is as easy as browsing a new list of ideas to boost your brainstorming.

1.  Make it Exclusive – Work the perks 

Enticing new volunteers or returning volunteers can be as simple as offering some perks! Not everyone has the budget to provide volunteer-only swag, but I bet there’s something you can give to your volunteers that is different than what’s available to the public. Are there certain hours you can give them exclusive access to your event or vouchers for a VIP area? Or are there some perks that you’ve used in the past that you can bring back?

2. Make it Competitive – Recruit-a-friend challenge

Play up your volunteers’ competitive sides while also letting them help you with you job! Set up a volunteer challenge that rewards volunteers who recruit others to volunteer with them. The more people you recruit, the better the prize! Plus friends who volunteer together tend to have more fun and are more likely to come back to help again. 

3. Make it Easy – Remove the barriers

Take a look at your volunteer sign up methods. Are you making it as easy as possible? Sometimes we overcomplicate things in the name of getting all the information we could ever need. But remember, volunteers may just quit filling out the form if we make it too difficult. VolunteerLocal has some great tools to help keep it simple!

And what about that website? Are you clearly presenting who you are? Keeping your online presence easy to read and simple to navigate helps people fully understand why their time is valuable to your organization and why your organization is valuable to them.

4. Make it Fun – Host some recruitment events

Build bridges to the local community by hosting some purely fun events! What fits best in your context?  A trivia night? Karaoke? 3-on-3 basketball? These simple events not only increase your brand awareness, but can also help you connect with potential volunteers you wouldn’t have found otherwise.

5. Make it Visible – Update those flyers

Brochures, posters, and press releases are essential tools for volunteer recruitment. How can you bump up their effectiveness? Think about updating the design or expanding your normal posting places. Keep a list of community organization that may welcome you as a guest speaker! Work all these avenues to get your volunteer need as visible as possible.

6. Make it Social – Social media can work for you

Find the best social media platforms for your goals! Creating a private Facebook group for your volunteers may help increase camaraderie. Instagram’s story feature may be the perfect avenue to increase behind-the-scenes excitement and get quick feedback. Think through your event and how to best connect to your people. There are so many tools out there. Make them work for you!

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Juggling On-Site Operations

We spend a lot of time focusing on the people-side of volunteer management, and for good reason! But for today, let’s focus on some of the underlying support systems that make your event run smoothly. In event planning there are some basic on-site tools and procedures to equip your staff and volunteers in the ways of efficiency, safety, and communication. 

Super exciting topics? Not necessarily. But let’s think of each of these topics as a ball in the air you must juggle. To keep anything (everything) from hitting the floor, you need to keep moving, stay balanced, and show confidence. It may not be the most fun part of your job, but you can do it! Let’s dig into some of the details.

Efficiency

Working your way through the logistics part of your event is crucial to success. Your guests want to have a smooth, simple experience. Yet we know that the easier something looks, the more planning it usually takes. Invest some time into mapping out all the procedures and tools needed to keep things working at the highest efficiency.

1. Identify and Outline Required Tasks

Tackling all the aspects of an event can be daunting. I know I’m guilty of avoiding jobs that seem overwhelming! But get everything down on paper. Not only does this allow you get a high-level view of the work yet to be done, but it also helps you see connections among the items that need to be accomplished.

2. Organize Task Orders

Once your list is complete, let’s put them into helpful categories. When you see related items, put them into a task order that helps you and your team know where to start and where to proceed. For instance…

  • In order for guests to have a smooth check-in experience, you need to have well-staffed gates.
  • In order to know how many volunteers you need to properly staff check-in, you need to know how many gates you’ll provide.
  • In order to figure out how many gates you should open, you first need to anticipate an expected volume of guests.

Great! Now you have a starting point to move forward.

3. Delegate

You’ve put in the time and work to capture all the task information and sort it into to-do lists. Now it’s time to get really efficient and delegate! Your work has equipped your team to carry it to completion.

Safety

Ok! Your tossing one ball in the air, and you’re doing awesome! Time to go to the next level. Safety is another topic that usually stays in the background until something goes wrong. When efficiency goes haywire, people are annoyed. When safety is mishandled, people get hurt. It’s worth your time! 

Keeping people safe starts with simple things like establishing a clear perimeter through permanent structures and portable fencing or implementing a bag check. When you’re training volunteers, outline different safety procedures like directing guests to safe locations in case of severe weather or how to convert an entrance into an exit in the case of an evacuation. By putting thought and effort into these situations before the event, you are able to confidently lead your team and successfully serve your guests when the time comes.

Communication

Juggling wouldn’t be juggling without a third item hurling through the air, right? Communication—the true power that drives efficiency and safety and allows you to be an effective leader on the day of the event. 

VolunteerLocal’s Happy Volunteering Blog has a plethora of resources for interpersonal communication, but make sure you’re also outfitted with the right tools to get things done. Make sure your team has access to radios, extra batteries, and relevant contact numbers. If you’re offering public Wi-Fi, it can be hugely beneficial to set up private Wi-Fi access points to keep your digital tools working well and to keep your team’s communication moving freely. With these tools and plans in place, you’ll be able to handle whatever your event throws at you and perform like a pro! 

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Perks for You and Them: Making the Most of all that Volunteer Data

Managing volunteers looks different for different organizations and may shift from season to season or event to event. But at the core of the job are three phases: recruiting volunteers, managing jobs and relationships on the day of the event, and recording the work that’s been accomplished.

Today let’s take a look at that last piece—recording what’s been done. 

Setting up a volunteer hour tracking system and training your volunteers to use your system gives you a huge advantage and infuses some fun competition among your volunteers.

Creating the right system for your organization does take an investment of time from you as a volunteer coordinator. But keeping things as simple as possible for both you and your volunteers reaps great benefits! Just remember to keep it to the essentials. 

Your volunteers don’t want to spend extra time tracking trivial aspects of their role, and you don’t need superfluous data to deal with after your event is completed. Just asking for the necessities is a big win for everyone!

Perks for You

Instant Feedback

I love running events! There’s so much camaraderie and adrenaline as you navigate and the highs and lows. But there have been times I’ve been asked at the end of the day, “How did it go?” And I had been too busy to know how to answer. Anyone else have that problem? 

Taking the time to collect volunteer data after the event and through a proper system helps volunteer coordinators gain the proper perspective to reflect on the event as a whole and celebrate successes.

Demonstrate Value for Others

When the Board of Directors, donors, or sponsors asks for a report on the event, volunteer data is a great place to start! It offers concrete numbers that helps to demonstrate investment from the community and the reach of your organization.

Perks for Them

Let’s be honest, tracking hours isn’t the most fun thing to do, whether you’re getting paid or volunteering. Use your tracking statistics to showcase your high level volunteers!

Individuals

When creating incentive programs for your volunteers, think about how to reward those certain individuals who go above and beyond the typical level of volunteer commitment. These might be people who have played a major role in an event for multiple years in a row or it may be someone who commits to volunteering multiple hours each week. Assessing the data may show some surprising trends!

The incentive may be as simple as posting a volunteer spotlight in a prominent place in your office. Or if you have the resources, recognize your top volunteers at a volunteer appreciation night.

Teams

Want to really play up the competition aspect? Encourage people to recruit their friends or coworkers to volunteer together in a volunteer team competition! The team with the most volunteer hours tracked wins. This works especially well when your organization is frequently hosting volunteer groups from companies who offer Volunteer Time Off. 

In similar ways to individual recognition, these teams can be recognized by something as simple as a social media post or as involved as creating a traveling trophy or a specially designed t-shirt for the winners.

Volunteer tracking is a simple tool that creates a significant impact, not just for you, but also for the people who work alongside you to bring success to your organization!

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Tackling the Big Hurdles

Congratulations! You’re in charge of organizing an event! Whether it’s your first time or your fiftieth, there are certain challenges that can disrupt your planning process. But have no fear! There’s always a solution or another way of looking at things. 

 

We each tend to have different things that intimidate us, and other items that don’t stress us out at all. Below are some typical categories of stressors you may encounter. Let’s take a look at some of these major obstacles and how you can set yourself up for success!

PEOPLE

Volunteers

I have vivid memories of recruiting volunteers during my first event. For me, defining volunteer job descriptions was an easy task. Coordinating volunteers and building relationships with them before, during, and after the event seemed to come naturally. But where in the world do you find these volunteers? That was the piece that seemed insurmountable. 

Thankfully my organization had an existing volunteer database that I could use as a starting point, and over time I learned how to extend and leverage my professional network to make recruitment a little easier. What assets are at your disposal? List them out to help you see your strengths as well as the gaps you need to fill.

No matter what part of volunteer management is tripping you up, VolunteerLocal has likely covered it! Take a look at some of these top posts. As with most things in the world of volunteer management, investing in solid strategies pays significant dividends in future years.

 

Event Attendees

Some people have a knack for resolving issues with guests or participants on the day of an event. For others it takes more planning ahead of time. Think through communication strategies to efficiently alert the necessary people of developing complications. Identify as many possible problems that may arise and have standard responses for each. As you incorporate these strategies and responses into your volunteer training, you can gain confidence and experience when the actual event arrives.

 

PLACES

Venue

Location is everything! But it’s also not worth being paralyzed about the decision. Before securing space, define the scope of your event as far as number of guests, type of atmosphere you’re hoping to create, etc. This list is now your wish list! It helps limit your search and focus on the essentials when visiting potential venues. Though there are times we have the means to get our dream venues, be sure to note which items on your wish list are negotiable. Many times simple décor and lighting tweaks can enhance ambiance; the location and number of bathrooms, however, cannot be adjusted. Think about the big picture and get creative!

 

Vendors

Once you secure a location, there’s usually still a myriad of vendors to select: catering, concessions, DJ, printers for marketing items, etc. Again, be sure to list out all your needs before you start calling potential vendors. Knowing what you’re asking for gives you more confidence and makes for more effective communication.

 

THINGS

Budgeting & Sponsors

Where would we be without the numbers? Creating budgets and securing sponsors make a huge difference, yet these two topics come with the biggest intimidation factor, at least for me personally. We have some great resources on this topic, as well, but be assured: research in this area really pays off! 

Just as with other categories of challenges, taking the time to fully define what you’re asking for makes a difference. Know your financial boundaries. Know what you’re looking for in a sponsor partnership, and know what you have to offer in return. 

 

Tackle the hard things, and you’re bound to have a great event!

 

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Setting Your Volunteers in Motion Before the Event

The other day I had a conversation with a coworker about a crazy situation that happened leading up to a major event several years ago. She just said one sentence, and we burst into laughter as we recalled all of the stress and scrambling that happened behind the scenes.

 

Things like that have a way of growing funnier the more time passes, especially when the crisis is averted. But it brought up an interesting point. Since my coworker and I lived that stressful situation, we could recall all the details in an instant, and yet no one attending or volunteering for the event had a clue what happened. That happens a lot in our line of work, doesn’t it? Staff members put in a huge amount of hours and have crazy work experiences surrounding the event, but typically we keep the last-minute crises under wraps.

 

It’s often a necessary part of the job, but there are ways we can communicate with our volunteers in the days and weeks leading up to the event that can help both volunteers and staff be more efficient and prepared at the time of the event.

 

Transparency: Tell them what you and your team are doing

As previously stated, there are plenty of behind-the-scenes happenings that don’t need to be shared. But it can be helpful to communicate to your volunteers about the work you and your team are doing. Giving them a high level overview helps them understand the broad scope of event planning while also demonstrating how they fit into the grand scheme of things.

 

By sharing some of the details of your preparation and goals, your volunteers are both better ready to jump into the middle of things. They are also more prone to show grace to you and to others when the unexpected things derail the original plan along the way.

 

Share these details 5-7 days before the event in order to get your volunteers into the right mindset.

 

Preparation: Tell them what they should be doing

Let’s get practical! Communicate the necessary details that allow your volunteers to arrive with everything they need, including realistic expectations. List items to bring along, clothing recommendations, maps of the venue including meeting places, and other amenity details such as restroom locations and food and beverage options. When your volunteers show up prepared, they are more confident and eager to work while also more likely to have an enjoyable experience.

 

Share these details 3-5 days before the event to give your volunteers time to gather things they may need.

 

Teamwork: Tell them what you can be doing together

One of the best parts of coordinating volunteers in the age of social media is that you don’t have to do all the communicating yourself! Alert your volunteers of your organization’s social media posts so they can share it on their personal accounts. Or provide them with approved images and talking points, so they can create their own posts. Whatever approach you take, celebrate these little ways you can work in tandem with your volunteers before the event.

 

Share these details 1-3 days before the event to build buzz leading up to the big day.

 

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How to Plan a Safer Event

Leslie Knope is a fictional real hero of mine.

Not only is she a rare character that I enjoy watching again and again, but she’s the Queen of Preparedness. She’s the Type A, obsessive, binder making genius who has backup plans for her backup plans. (My personal favorite being her Mission Im-Pawnee-able Knope Protocol in “Emergency Response.”) I personally share very little of her unfettered enthusiasm for detail, but when it comes to thinking about the safety of your volunteers and event attendees, it’s necessary to adopt that Leslie level of commitment

 

Real life problems are rarely solved as quickly as in a 22-minute sitcom, but working through each possible scenario well before the event ensures that you can set an effective solution in motion quickly after the need arises. Keep reading below for some tips to keep your people safe and prepared.

 

Do Your Research

Warning: I’m about to use terms like ‘liability’ and ‘exhaustive list’ and other terms easily found on the Least Exciting Words list. But again, we’re talking about keeping real people safe and cared for, so hang in there with me.

 

When you are brainstorming topics to address in your emergency response plans, be thorough. If you’re an eternal optimist, meet up with your opposite personality to create an exhaustive list of possible problems that may arise. This can include, but is not limited to, severe weather, haphazard infrastructure, disruptive volunteers, assorted sources of violence, and general liability. Many of these topics can be categorized together and may share similar emergency plans, but listing each possibility individually helps ensure you’ve properly covered your bases.

 

Make a Plan

It’s time to conquer that list with a plan. Outline the action steps necessary to diffuse emergency situations, and compile your work into a central document. This document or binder should provide the details of your emergency management tactics. It’s also a great place to keep pertinent information such as contact information, event and venue details, contingency plans, permits, etc.

 

Share the Details

It sounds simple, but distribute the plan. Too often I’ve found myself in situations where crucial information existed but the one person who knew the plan was nowhere to be found. So frustrating! And completely unnecessary.

 

Place printed copies of the emergency protocols in multiple, easily accessible locations, and communicate these locations to your team leaders and volunteers. Include these details into your volunteer training events and be sure to walk through the essential details again on the day of your event. Your team and volunteers will find peace of mind knowing emergency plans exist and can perform with greater confidence if those plans need to be enacted.

 

Keep in Touch

As the event goes on, use your preferred communication method to keep in touch with your volunteers. As effective volunteer coordinators, you’re already doing this to encourage and manage your team. Remember to also use these lines of communications to keep tabs on any emerging situations that may need your attention.

 

In the end, we hope and pray these plans and protocols are completely unnecessary. We can’t all match Leslie Knope’s energy, but we do care about our volunteers just as much. In the event of an emergency, taking these steps to keep your team and your attendees as safe as possible.

 

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How to Grow Your Volunteers into Brand Ambassadors: Part II

Let’s keep talking about brand ambassadors! In our first post on growing brand ambassadors, we talked about putting together intentional steps to help move your volunteers from people who work with you occasionally into people who are fired up about what you do and talk about you even when they’re not volunteering. (If you missed the first post, go ahead and catch up! We’ll be here when you’re done.)

 

Today we’re talking about letting go. You’ve done the hard work of instilling knowledge and experience. Now it’s time to give a little guidance and let them do their thing! On the day of an event, you have the unique opportunity to observe your brand ambassadors in action and cheer them on. Take a look at a few ways you can set them up for success.

 

Offer Final Instructions

Repeating organizational language and ideology is extremely important as you communicate with your brand ambassadors in between events. As an event approaches, think through how your values and mission statement are played out in this specific instance and share that with your volunteers. This way they can visualize your mission in action.

 

This is also a great opportunity to give last minute guidance before the event begins. Think through the probable situations your volunteers may encounter and train them with best practices before they head out to work. For instance, my current employer throws a three-day fall festival each year. The first night is reserved only for families who have children with special needs. It’s a special night of celebration, and volunteers are usually eager to get involved. However, it also requires a few tips to help them be prepared to do their jobs well. We offer examples of positive phrases to use, ways to modify activities, people to contact if they need help, and reminders to slow down and enjoy the night together. These final pieces of information make your event better while also empowering your volunteers.

 

Give Official Gear

When asking volunteers to step into a broader role, help them get into a confident mindset by giving them official apparel to wear throughout the day. There’s just something about wearing a uniform, right? It makes us remember why we’re here and helps us stay engaged throughout the long event hours. This can be as simple as creating lanyards or creating volunteer shirts and hats. If your budget allows for new apparel every year, gift these items to your volunteers! Just another way to remind them of the great work your organization does after the event is completed.

 

Be Encouraging

When you see your volunteer embracing the role of brand ambassador, tell them as soon as possible! Call it out in person, text, or email to reinforce those great actions and attitudes. If you’re running a group text thread for your volunteer team, send encouragement and affirmation there. These little comments don’t take much time, but they help create a culture of encouraging each other and grow camaraderie among your team. Plus it offers an easy medium to address problems as soon as possible.

 

These steps are simple ways to equip your volunteers and release them into their role as brand ambassador. As they grow in their skill, experience, and passion, you’re able to shift into a support role and watch them be awesome—a true win for you both.

 

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How to Grow Your Volunteers into Brand Ambassadors: Part 1

There’s an abundance of buzzwords in our industry, and brand ambassador is right up there on the list. But don’t look past this one! Spend some time and resources on the concept of brand ambassadors, and you’ll maximize your volunteers to the great benefit of your organization.

 

Word-of-mouth is still one of the most effective ways of spreading your message and increasing awareness of your organization, and yet there’s not a lot we can do to control what people talk about. That’s where brand ambassadors come in. The idea is that people get fired up and passionate about your organization—what you’re doing and how you’re doing it—and they can’t help but talk about it and share the great work with others.

 

Like so much in the world of managing volunteers, it takes intentionality. But here are a few steps you can take to grow your volunteers into brand ambassadors.

 

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition.

When you’re asking volunteers to buy into your vision and mission and share it, you’ve got to make sure they know it. Even when it feels like a broken record, keep repeating your central language. Include it in your email communication. Infuse it throughout your conversational language. Ensure every training or meeting includes a focus on your mission statement or on a specific organizational value. The more your volunteers hear it and see it, the more they will use the same phrases when talking you up to their friends!

 

Increase your Access

While being intentional with your language is important and necessary, seeing really is believing when it comes to converting your volunteers into brand ambassadors. Do your volunteers have access to seeing your organization in action?

Brainstorm with your team to develop ways volunteers can see more of you. Perhaps this looks like having an open door policy or office hours when volunteers can stop by. Or maybe it looks like inviting an individual or family your organization has served to a volunteer appreciation night. If privacy is an issue for the population you serve, think of ways you can create a simulation, so your volunteers can get a grasp of how things work firsthand.

These experiences give depth and meaning to the knowledge they’ve gained from working with you. As they see you demonstrate your effectiveness, they’ll share what they’ve seen!

 

Make Space

As you train and invest in your potential brand ambassadors, be intentional about giving them space to grow. As you look at your organizational structure, do you have high-level volunteer roles available and waiting for your brand ambassadors? Think through social media options, guest experience positions, etc. and identify a track for your brand ambassadors to grow. Planning specific roles that promote ownership and responsibility is key to helping your people see they are a part of the team.

As your volunteers continue to buy into your organization and gain knowledge and skill, you have already provided space for them to utilize their passion and to help your organization be more effective.

 

As volunteer coordinators, we understand how much preparation goes in before volunteers arrive. Creating brand ambassadors is no different! A little intentional planning makes for a smooth path to equipping your volunteers!

 

 

 

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