Diversity and Inclusion in Volunteer Opportunities: What’s the Role of Volunteer Managers?
The Top Line:
Promoting diversity and inclusion in volunteer opportunities starts with small, intentional actions from leaders who are willing to reflect, learn, and lead by example. By understanding who holds decision-making power and applying inclusive practices, organizations can create more equitable and welcoming spaces for all volunteers.
Read on to Discover:
The Challenge
Diversity in Volunteer Management Staff
Gatekeepers to Diversity and Inclusion in Volunteer Opportunities
Guiding Principles for Our Practice
The Challenge
Many leaders are passionate about advancing diversity and inclusion in volunteerism, but the path forward often feels unclear or overwhelming. On a personal level, you might question whether you’re equipped to lead such efforts—or worry about unintentionally causing harm. Organizationally, you may feel disappointed by stalled DEI initiatives, frustrated by a lack of progress, or skeptical about your nonprofit’s true readiness for change.
And let’s be honest—this work takes time. Building authentic relationships with diverse communities, rethinking systems, and shifting culture doesn’t happen overnight. For leaders of volunteers already juggling many responsibilities, it can feel like just one more daunting item on an ever-growing to-do list.
But what if you moved forward anyway?
What if, instead of trying to fix everything at once, you started with your own mindset, your immediate team, and the spaces you directly influence? What if your small, intentional steps sparked real momentum—transforming your volunteer opportunities into more welcoming, equitable spaces for all?
That would be worth it.
This article explores how leaders of volunteers—like you—can meaningfully promote diversity and inclusion. We’ll start by looking at who’s currently in these leadership roles, then explore how staff often act as gatekeepers to inclusion, and finally offer guiding principles to help you take practical, sustainable action—starting right where you are.
Diversity in Volunteer Management Staff
In this 2023 Volunteer Management Progress Report, we highlighted the continued and pervasive lack of diversity in volunteer coordinators. Even with a global survey, the results were striking.
When analyzing the data, we wondered – How does the diversity of volunteer managers compare with other workforces? Is diversity an issue within the nonprofit workforce, or is it limited to volunteer managers?
First, survey respondents continue to represent a homogenous group of professionals. And, because of the sheer number of respondents (nearly 1,600 people) – and many observations at gatherings of leaders of volunteers – we believe this to represent the field fairly well.
The consistencies are telling, too. We are a profession that is dominated by women, with 87.9% noting their gender identity as Female (for comparison, 88.1% identified as Female in 2022, 87% in 2020, 88% in 2019, 91% in 2018, and 88% in 2016/17).
We also overwhelmingly represent a single race. Almost 84% of respondents identify as at least partly White (with the opportunity to choose multiple races in the survey). This has also remained consistent over the years, with 84% identified as White in 2020, 91% in 2019/2018, and 89% in 2016/17.
Volunteer Manager Diversity
We asked – Which race(s)/ethnicity(ies) best describe you? (choose all that apply)
- White/Caucasian/European Descent – 88.0%
- Black/African American/African- 5.21%
- Hispanic/Latinx – 4.2%
- Asian/South Asian – 3.2%
- American Indian, Alaska Native, or Aleut – 1.1%
- Middle Eastern/North African- 0.6%
- Caribbean – 0.2%
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander – 0.2%
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander- 0.1%
- Prefer to self-describe – 2.5%
This data reflects a light shift in the diversity of our sector from the previous four years, with a 3.1% drop in White volunteer managers taking part since the 2019 report, where 91% indicated their race/ethnicity was White.
Also, important to note – the survey attracted a larger number of global respondents (leaders of volunteers from 39 countries took part); however, most respondents (79%) were from the United States.
In terms of the context within which volunteer managers do their work, we compared volunteer managers in the United States (or primary response population) and nonprofit workers in general.
According to the Independent Sector, in the third quarter of 2022, the nonprofit workforce in the US continued a trend of losing racial and ethnic diversity. The proportion of White workers (77.8%) is higher than pre-pandemic levels in the nonprofit sector (approximately 70%) and is slightly higher than the overall workforce (76.8%).
Volunteer Manager Homogeneity
According to our findings, volunteer managers represent significantly less racial diversity than the nonprofit workforce, with only 8.7% people of color and 13.5% more overall White nonprofit employees.
- US Workforce – White – 76.8%
- US Nonprofit Workforce (September 2022)
- White – 77.8%
- Black/African American/African- 12.2%
- Hispanic/Latinx – 10.8%
- Asian/South Asian – 7.0%
- American Indian, Alaska Native or Aleut – 1.0%
- Multi-racial – 2.1%
Multigenerational Volunteer Managers
The only area of demographic diversity in leaders of volunteers that represents a fairly equal distribution of people is age, where we find that our field continues to be a multi-generational group of professionals.
We asked – “What is your age?”
- 18 to 24 – 3.2%
- 25 to 34 – 18.9%
- 35 to 44 – 22.4%
- 45 to 54 – 23.4%
- 55 to 64 – 22.6%
- 65 to 74 – 7.8%
- 75 or older – 1.8%
To download your free copy of our 54-page state-of-the-industry Volunteer Management Progress Report, go HERE >>
Gatekeepers to Diversity and Inclusion in Volunteer Opportunities
If you are a leader who represents the majority, the data from our report may come as a surprise, or it may confirm what you already know.
You may also consider two things:
1) Does the lack of diversity in volunteer managers directly affect diversity and inclusion in volunteer opportunities?
2) Do I have a responsibility to investigate and root out any bias that impacts diversity and inclusion in volunteer opportunities?
From our perspective, the answer is fairly simple – yes on both counts.
Leaders of volunteers are the ultimate gatekeepers. You decide where to post volunteer opportunities. Volunteer managers determine where to share invitations to participate. You decide who to feature on your website or on social media, and how to vet volunteers.
What’s more, you decide to whom and how you will conduct outreach, to which communities, and to what extent.
You design volunteer work and roles, and flexibility levels. Leaders of volunteers serve as mentors and coaches.
There is a fair amount of power in your role, even if you don’t see it or it feels insignificant when compared to others in your organization. But rest assured, it’s there.
For a self-reflective look at inclusivity and some focused questions to ask, check out Volunteer Nation Episode #011: Is Your Org Ready for More Inclusive Volunteering HERE >>
Guiding Principles for Our Practice
It helps to reflect on what should guide our practice as volunteer management professionals. Is championing diversity and inclusion in volunteer opportunities part of the essential duties of a leader of volunteers? Or is it optional?
CCVA
When it comes to the ethical practice of volunteer engagement, the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration is the keeper of ethics for the global field of volunteer management.
Their Core Values and Principles specifically identify inclusivity as an ethical practice in two places:
CITIZENSHIP: The Administrator of Volunteers understands that volunteerism is a foundation of civil societies and guides the organization and its stakeholders toward active community participation.
- Dignity: Act in a compassionate manner that upholds the right of all volunteers to be valued and involved in decisions that affect them.
- Inclusivity: Encourage and facilitate the participation of individuals from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities.
- Privacy: Protect the privacy of individuals and information considered confidential.
FAIRNESS: The Administrator of Volunteers commits to individual and collective efforts that build and support a fair and just organizational culture.
- Honesty: Commit to the truth and strive for transparency.
- Integrity: Demonstrate consistency between word and action by practicing ethical decision‐making and addressing conflicts of interest.
- Commitment: Act in a forthright manner with sincere good intent and follow through on promises and agreements.
For more on the CCVA’s Volunteer Management Progress Report, go HERE >>
IAVE
What’s more, the International Association for Volunteer Effort Universal Declaration on Volunteering asserts the following.
This Declaration supports the right of every woman, man, and child to associate freely and to volunteer regardless of their cultural and ethnic origin, religion, age, gender, and physical, social, or economic condition. All people in the world should have the right to freely offer their time, talent, and energy to others and to their communities through individual and collective action, without expectation of financial reward.
We seek the development of volunteering that:
- elicits the involvement of the entire community in identifying and addressing its problems;
- encourages and enables youth to make leadership through service a continuing part of their lives;
- provides a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves;
- enables others to participate as volunteers;
- complements but does not substitute for responsible action by other sectors and the efforts of paid workers;
- enables people to acquire new knowledge and skills and to fully develop their personal potential, self-reliance, and creativity;
- promotes family, community, national, and global solidarity.
Once we understand the standards upheld by global governing bodies of volunteerism and volunteer administration, the question becomes: Have organizations that engage volunteers embraced these ideals? And, if so, to what extent? And what work is left to do to ensure that all volunteers are welcomed and treated fairly and equitably?
If organizations wish to seek and engage volunteer support for their missions, it makes sense that they not only support the corresponding ethical practices but also commit the resources to making them a reality for all volunteers.
Back to Our Questions
- Does the lack of diversity in volunteer managers directly affect diversity and inclusion in volunteer opportunities?
While we can’t say for sure, there certainly appear to be commonalities. It bears deeper exploration on a personal and organizational level. We must all ask ourselves – In what ways might we be creating barriers to diversity and inclusion in volunteer opportunities? And what can we do to ensure that everyone feels welcome?
- Do volunteer managers have a responsibility to investigate and root out any bias that impacts diversity and inclusion in volunteer opportunities? If we subscribe to the standards that guide our practice of volunteer management, then we must find ways to develop and promote more equitable contexts for volunteerism. And it’s up to us to educate our co-workers and leadership that this is, indeed, a required – not a “nice to have” – part of the job.
The role of volunteer managers in supporting and enabling diversity and inclusion in volunteer opportunities is to advocate, design, implement, and champion.
It’s also to be brave and to push through our own doubts and fears, fueled by the commitment that volunteering is for everybody, and that everybody has a right to contribute to the greater good.
Final Thoughts on Diversity and Inclusion in Volunteer Opportunities:
Creating truly inclusive volunteer opportunities doesn’t require having all the answers—it starts with a willingness to take thoughtful, consistent steps toward change. When leaders of volunteers recognize their influence, challenge assumptions, and commit to more equitable practices, they help shape a culture where all volunteers feel valued and welcome. Real progress comes not from perfection, but from persistence—and every step forward helps build a more inclusive and impactful volunteer program.
