One of the many heroes of COVID-19 that has arisen is the volunteer, whether via neighbour-to-neighbour, nonprofit organizations, local business owners or faith-based and non-traditional volunteer groups. Thousands of volunteers have stepped up to the plate to help where they can, answering the calls from their communities.

On a personal note, I want to say thank you to all the volunteers who have stepped up to help in so many ways over the past few weeks. But I want to focus the bulk of this article on nonprofit organizations and their volunteer programs. This is the time for volunteer programs to have a seat at the table, have a voice, and have a dedicated staff member who can lead volunteer initiatives through these choppy waters. To successfully run any volunteer program, there needs to be a leader of volunteers to help coach and manage the volunteer team. Now is the time to ensure that nonprofits have the capacity to have a paid staff in that role.

Volunteer programs have to shift gears in how volunteers help and are supported. We are seeing a fundamental shift from what is considered traditional volunteering. Historically, virtual volunteering was always an add-on to a traditional volunteer model, something that was sitting on the side of the desk of the administrator of volunteers. Now it is the way to volunteer…and it is the way of the future.

Virtual volunteering is an exciting way to engage our volunteers and will have a huge impact in our communities. Some great examples of virtual volunteering are:

  • Digital content developers and editors
  • Translating content to a variety of languages
  • Project proposal writing
  • Creating videos for education, health and wellness, arts and leisure
  • Friendly visiting and chatting
  • Development of reference materials and tools and resources
  • Virtual arts and crafts

This is just a small list of unique opportunities for volunteers to share their interests, skills and knowledge. Since this is the future of volunteering for the next few years and possibly beyond, there needs to be a structure in place to support these initiatives now, while also looking to the future of how this type of volunteering will stay in the forefront.

For this to happen:

  • Senior leadership and the Board of Directors need to encourage creativity through volunteer engagement
  • We have to educate our organizations on the value of volunteering
  • There needs to be a budget to support volunteerism
  • Organizations have to ensure that they have dedicated staff to create these programs and sustain them
  • Organizations have to invest in their professional development and volunteer management best practices
  • The  volunteer program must be part of the strategic and operating plans
  • Policies and procedures need to be adapted to the “new normal” for volunteers
  • There needs to be a way to share and network and support one another
  • Administrators of volunteers need to have volunteer management education to understand the nuances of managing volunteers

Finally, administrators of volunteers should be encouraged to pitch their own ideas, while also encouraging their colleagues to look at how volunteers can assist in these unprecedented times.

On personal note, I believe that volunteer management education is key to building a foundation for a successful volunteer program with a dedicated paid staff to lead the team. I also believe that volunteer programs have to adapt to the “new normal” and build volunteer programs that can respond to the ever-changing landscape.

As a faculty member of Humber Colleges’ Volunteer Management Leadership certificate program, I know how a solid foundation based on learning can make a huge impact on how a volunteer program is successfully run.

For more information, advice, or if you have a question, please feel free to reach out to me at lorigotliebconsulting@gmail.com or check out my website for articles and workshop ideas at www.lorigotliebconsulting.wordpress.com.