Non Profits: How to Motivate Volunteers and keep them

Non Profits: How to Motivate Volunteers and keep them

All potential candidates for a volunteer position are usually screened. The scope of selection depends on the nature of the job to be done like working directly with people or sponsors etc. it involves cautiously probing each submission, carrying out background checks for instance to authenticate information in the resume, make out any legal trouble, and so on,  as well as interviewing the most appropriate applicants.

Once the screening has been done the organization should establish a cost effective method of rewarding the volunteers for example can consider the cost-per-hire method. After all the calculation is simple, total costs linked with the enrolment course divided by the quantity of whole-time volunteers in a specified period of time (Hall and Calcutta. 2005: 5-6).

The structure of an induction course depends on the size of the organization and the nature of the employee. Induction starts at the recruitment step into employment or when the volunteer acquires that position. New volunteers should know the organisation, the people, and the culture, and their role. A new volunteer should be quickly acquitted with the evacuation, health and safety policy, emergency exits, procedures site map (canteen, first aid post), organisation chart (global and department, official secrets Act, security pass and any other information to enable the organisation to beat the deadline.

During the induction process and after the recruitment process the manager should ensure that the scope of the employee is well stipulated and fits into the time limit of the volunteer to avoid leaving some pending work (Hall and Calcutta. 2005: 6).

The level of turnovers fluctuates from region to region. The maximum rates are found where redundancy is lowest and where it is trouble-free for people to obtain attractive alternative employment. To improve the retention of the employees it is important to make the supervisory manager for the employees’ accountable, carry out career development and training among the volunteers as well as giving prospective employees a realistic job preview at the recruitment stage.

It is also important to consult the volunteers to give them a chance to voice their dissatisfaction. The manager should also be flexible in terms of working hours by working with their schedule as well as defending the organization against the penetration of head hunters and others seeking to snatch the volunteers. It is also important to find out the volunteers motives and what keeps the coming back to prepare for eventualities (Hall and Calcutta. 2005: 7).