5 Unappreciated Reasons Why Volunteers Quit
The Top Line:
You’ve probably had a volunteer leave and wondered what really happened. The truth is, most volunteers won’t tell you the real reason; they’ll blame it on busy schedules or family commitments. In this post, we’ll uncover five hidden reasons why volunteers quit, backed by research, and give you practical strategies to address each one before you lose another dedicated supporter.
Read on to Discover:
- The High Cost of Volunteer Turnover
- The Difference Between Paid and Unpaid Workers
- Why Volunteers Quit – 5 Things You May Be Missing
If you’re plagued by volunteer retention issues — or want to encourage deeper volunteer engagement — it helps to know what the research says about why volunteers quit.
You may think you understand why a volunteer quit, but they usually don’t tell us directly. Giving critical feedback is difficult. Most people won’t come right out and say you interrupted them one too many times or they didn’t feel accepted by paid staff members. It’s much easier for a volunteer to blame it on external circumstances like lack of time or family responsibility.
The High Cost of Volunteer Turnover
Before we dive into the reasons, let’s look at what’s at stake. Volunteers in the U.S. provide an estimated 8 billion hours of free labor annually. But roughly 1 in 3 volunteers becomes disengaged within a year, burnt out by overuse or disillusioned when tasks aren’t to their liking, and their departure represents about $70 billion of lost economic value.
According to AmeriCorps, the average volunteer turnover rate is about 35%. That means more than a third of your volunteers will eventually stop working with your organization. Each hour contributed by a volunteer is valued at approximately $33.49, and volunteers generate an estimated $122.9 billion annually. When volunteers leave, you lose not only their time but also institutional knowledge, incur repeated training expenses, and face disrupted services.
The numbers are sobering, but the good news is that retention is something you can actively improve, once you understand what’s really driving volunteers away.
The Difference Between Paid and Unpaid Workers
Before we delve into plummeting volunteer retention, there are three things that set volunteerism apart from paid work. These affect volunteers’ expected experience, levels of satisfaction, and, ultimately whether or not they decide to stay.
First, volunteers have a choice. They do not have to engage with your organization (or specific tasks), and they can disengage at any point.
Second, people have all sorts of motives for volunteering – mostly for altruistic reasons. They want to help others. Employees, on the other hand, may be drawn to social conscious workplaces, but their primary motivation to work is to get paid.
Last, volunteers attach a stronger value to incidental and intrinsic rewards than paid staff. Meaning they enjoy the byproducts of volunteering: making friends and working together for the common good. Again, employees’ primary motive is money.
While there are many circumstances that lead to decreased volunteer retention, you might be overlooking a few significant contributors. So, here are five key areas, backed by research, that might explain why volunteers quit. What’s fascinating is they have little to do with the plethora of human resources management activities and organizational structures in place and more to do with the perceptions and emotions of the volunteer.
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Why Volunteers Quit – 5 Things You May Be Missing
When you think about designing an intervention to increase volunteer retention, consider these five areas for better results.
Competency
Volunteers must feel they have the required knowledge and skills and are adequately prepared for their assignments. Skills-based volunteering has increased over the past few years. And, with the rise of technology in the workplace, there are a number of areas in which volunteers must be competent in order to be successful.
If they don’t feel competent to the point of confidence, they will not be as satisfied with their jobs.
Research shows that job satisfaction, affective commitment, engagement, and organizational commitment are among the strongest predictors of volunteer turnover. When volunteers don’t feel competent, their satisfaction plummets — and turnover follows.
Implementation Tips:
- Create a structured onboarding process. Don’t assume volunteers will “pick things up as they go.” A formal training program builds confidence from day one.
- Provide job aids. Checklists, tip sheets, and quick-reference guides reduce anxiety and give volunteers something to rely on.
- Assign mentors. Research shows that the presence of experienced volunteers on a shift increases new volunteer retention by 52% — with a substantially stronger effect (125% increase) for group volunteers.
- Check in early. Ask new volunteers after their first week: “What would have made your first few days easier?”
Questions to Ask Yourself
– Do volunteers receive adequate training to feel comfortable in their new roles?
– Do they have the right tools for the right job?
– What other tools and support can you offer?
– Is your workplace a safe place to ask questions? Are you and your staff approachable?
Participation Efficacy
Similar to competence, volunteers also need to feel effective. They want their time to be well used and their work to make a concrete difference. When a volunteer feels underused and unnecessary, they’ll find little reason to commit long-term.
Volunteers are more likely to stay when they can choose tasks that best meet their needs and even design their volunteer opportunities with motivating and meaningful tasks tailored to their preferences. Task significance — the sense that one’s work truly matters — is a key factor in sustained volunteerism.
Implementation Tips:
- Celebrate wins publicly. When a volunteer reaches a goal, share it. A simple shout-out in a team meeting or newsletter reinforces their sense of efficacy.
- Connect tasks to impact. Instead of saying “Please stuff these envelopes,” say “By stuffing these envelopes, you’re helping us reach 500 more families with our services.”
- Offer next-level opportunities. Give volunteers who’ve mastered their role a chance to take on more responsibility — training others, leading a project, or mentoring new volunteers.
- Reduce bureaucracy. Look for administrative roadblocks that slow volunteers down and eliminate them.
Questions to Ask Yourself
– Is their work designed to be efficient with minimal bureaucracy and roadblocks?
– Do you report and celebrate when volunteers reach goals?
– Do you offer next-level learning opportunities on a regular basis?
Group Integration
This refers to the social aspects of volunteering and being part of the “in-group.” Volunteers need to feel that they have positive relationships with both their peers and paid staff.
Strong bonds within groups and connections between groups are important to all areas of an individual’s participation. When volunteers feel isolated or excluded, they’re far more likely to leave.
Implementation Tips:
- Use icebreakers. Start meetings or shifts with a simple get-to-know-you activity.
- Rotate teams. Avoid the formation of cliques by occasionally mixing up who works together.
- Create a buddy system. Pair new volunteers with experienced ones for their first few shifts.
- Include volunteers in team communications. Don’t leave them off email chains or meeting invites that affect their work.
- Address staff-volunteer tensions proactively. If you sense friction between paid staff and volunteers, address it directly and constructively.
Questions to Ask Yourself
– Do you ensure that new volunteers are fully integrated into the larger group?
– Do you actively work against the formation of cliques and “insider” groups?
– Is everyone kept in the loop with emerging information?
– Do you address volunteer-paid staff relations issues proactively?
Organizational Support Depending on Age
This refers to the ability to get help when needed, acknowledgment of work, and feedback on performance. Perhaps surprising, this need varies with age, and research shows that this support does not affect the intent to remain of those over 40 years old.
Implementation Tips:
- For younger volunteers: Provide more frequent check-ins, clear feedback, and opportunities to build skills they can use in their careers.
- For volunteers of all ages: Recognize that flexibility is increasingly important. One in four volunteers are considering stepping back within two years, citing time pressures and stress.
- Offer flexible roles. Allow volunteers to choose shifts that work for their schedules rather than forcing everyone into the same time slots.
- Personalize your approach. What motivates a 22-year-old college student may be very different from what motivates a 65-year-old retiree. Learn what each volunteer values and tailor your support accordingly.
Questions to Ask Yourself
– For your younger volunteers, do you have a plan to provide more in-depth supervision and support?
– Do you have a feedback system in place to help volunteers make corrections and work more effectively?
Perception of Voice
Voice is a volunteer’s perceived opportunity to provide input and be heard. Studies show, volunteers have a much greater chance of burnout when they feel they have no say in circumstances that impact them. Burnout, as we know, is characterized by exhaustion, hopelessness, irritability, and negativity. All of which, ultimately lead to the volunteer deciding to quit.
Volunteers who feel valued and heard tend to have better decision-making skills, have positive views of authority, set more goals, and experience increased cooperation.
Implementation Tips:
- Conduct regular satisfaction surveys. Ask volunteers what’s working and what isn’t — and act on what you learn.
- Create multiple feedback channels. Some volunteers prefer anonymous surveys; others want one-on-one conversations.
- Watch for burnout signs. The best volunteers are usually the ones most prone to burnout, because they’re so dedicated they often fail to ask for assistance. Signs include constant tiredness, irritability, resentment, and disengagement.
- Act on feedback. If volunteers tell you something isn’t working, make changes and let them know you heard them.
Questions to Ask Yourself
– Are you listening to your volunteers? Not just their voices, but their body language?
– Are you paying attention to how they interact with their peers?
– Do you have systems set in place to identify and respond to burnout before it leads to resignation?
Where to Start
By focusing on these five areas, you are more likely to increase volunteer engagement and retention.
Don’t know where to start? Why not poll your volunteers with a satisfaction survey to find out which area is the most important to them? Tackle that first. Good luck! And, let us know how it goes in the comments.
