Steier Tips

Strategies for Success
Part One: Job Descriptions - The Importance of Clearly Defining Volunteers' Roles

For nonprofit organizations, volunteers provide much-needed support, expertise and resources to further the mission of the organization. They serve as a vital link to your community— volunteers are a walking billboard for your organization's mission. In order to efficiently and effectively utilize every volunteer's time and talent, it is vital that nonprofits communicate and define the role they expect from their volunteers.

Clearly communicated expectations and responsibilities ensure a well-organized and cohesive plan for the entire organization. By creating job descriptions for your volunteers, you are maximizing their abilities and setting your project up for success.

Your job descriptions should include:

1. Specific tasks to be accomplished
2. Time and duration of the leader's role
3. Approximate number of meetings to attend
4. Financial responsibility
5. Publicly supporting the effort as ambassadors of your mission

In order to motivate your volunteers, it is important to be flexible to their time and talents and make them feel they are an integral part of the project and their work is appreciated. If the volunteers have a vested interest in the effort and feel like a part of the process, their contributions will be much more substantial. Job descriptions ensure that you have volunteers committed to the endeavor and are prepared to devote themselves to your mission.

As your organization continues to garner volunteer support remember to say THANK YOU, and celebrate each success no matter how minimal.

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Other Steier Tips articles:

Ask Amounts
Creative Campaigning
Getting Read
Development Doldrums
Getting to Goal
Selling the Mission
Preparing for the Feasibility Study
Volunteer Involvement
Striking Out in a Campaign
New Year's Resolution
Preparing for Campaigns
Past Donors
Strategies for Success: Leadership Recruitment
Strategies for Success: Successful Donor Evaluations
Strategies for Success: Solicitation Training
Strategies for Success: Communications
Strategies for Success: Efficient and Effective Databases
Strategies for Success: Thanking Your Volunteers and Donors
Tax Provision a Great Benefit for Donors
"Challenge" Your Campaign
Hosted Events in Capital Campaigns
Are You Ready for a Capital Campaign?
Strategies for Success: The Tortoise and the Hare
The Importance of Personally Visiting Foundations
Make Summer Special
Post Campaign Strategy
Continuous Cultivation
Staying in Front of "Seasonal" Donors
Assessing Your Organization's Year-End Giving Program
Differences Between Development Audit and Capital Campaign
Identifying the Right Leaders
Campaign Communications
Assessing Your Organization's Campaign Readiness
Recruiting and Training Volunteers
The Magic Words
Donor Evaluation - Setting the Request Amount
Consistency in your Development Efforts
Keeping Your Donors Involved
Keeping the Excitement Alive
The Ask
The Importance of Hosted Events
Back to the Future
The Internet: Taking Advantage of the New Normal
The Importance of Recognizing Your Donors
Getting Off to a Good Start: The Importance of the Feasibility Study
Volunteer Training

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