Our Top 10 Volunteer Management Blog Posts of 2020

If you’re looking for a little inspiration, we’ve put together some of our fan-favorite volunteer management blog posts of the year.

There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a very … long … year.

With so much going on in the world these past twelve months, volunteer management in 2020 has not been immune to the changes happening in our society.

And, as the VolunteerPro blog follows the topics and trends you care about most, we’ve inadvertently documented much of the flux we’ve all been experiencing.

In case you missed any, below is a rundown of the most popular volunteer management blog posts published in 2020.

1. Coronavirus & Volunteers: Your Guide for Managing Uncertainty

Without any surprise, one of this year’s most popular VolunteerPro blog articles is on the subject that has dominated global headlines for most of 2020 – Coronavirus and volunteers.

Back in March (feels like a decade ago!) we were all thrown into a sudden world of uncertainty where not much was within our control.

In this volunteer management blog post, we share how we can all employ our influence to make things easier for our colleagues, partners, and volunteers by harnessing the tremendous power of social capital. Volunteerism catalyzes social networks that are latent and ready in every volunteer..

During good times and bad, we can continue to engage volunteers as community educators, supporters of our organizational continuity, trusted advisors, and support networker. And, with technology, we can do this without endangering the health and safety of volunteers or those they assist.

2. How to Talk About Race & Volunteerism: Advice for Allies

Long overdue, June of 2020 forced us to confront the injustice of racial disparity.

Large demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter spread across major cities in the United States and throughout the world.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion issues were suddenly brought to the forefront of everything else going on. And that most definitely bleeds into our work as volunteer managers in 2020.

While there are plenty of discussions, both inside the VolunteerPro community and elsewhere, about how to build a more diverse volunteer base that better reflects the communities served, our blog post lays out our core beliefs, values, and stance as a company moving forward.

3. Volunteers are Important Right Now. Why? Two Words: Nonprofit Sustainability

Volunteers are going to help get us through this!

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a great opportunity for you to bring your supporters closer and engage them in a conversation about your work now and into the future.

A such, volunteers are essential to your organization’s sustainability and should be supported and resourced appropriately.

In this blog post, we argue that the investment in time and effort WILL pay off.

And, that now isn’t the time to put them on the back burner, or those who support and lead them. Instead, it’s time to reinforce our safety nets of supporters.

In this article, we explain how to do just that by keeping volunteers updated, tapping them for advice, engaging them in special projects, developing their skills and talents, having a little fun, and yes inviting them to give financially.

4. Are You Ready to Manage Today’s Volunteer Needs?

Way back in January, when the concept of a “pandemic” was pretty much just fodder for science fiction fans, many of our members were worried about a decline in volunteerism.

It seemed some had given up all hope that volunteerism would still be a viable way to deliver service.

As it turns out, that worry has turned out to be a huge misconception!

This popular blog post shows you how to make the changes needed to tap into the vitality of today’s volunteers. Not just lip service — a few new volunteer job descriptions, revamped volunteer training, or a new recognition program — but real, authentic change.

5. Building Better COVID-Related Volunteer Roles

In light of local shelter-in-place guidelines, volunteer-driven organizations been getting creative about how to design COVID-related volunteer roles.

Whether volunteers are working on-site or remotely, it turns out there is still plenty to do to move missions forward. In other words, it’s time to innovate!

One of the primary responsibilities of a volunteer manager is to mobilize human resources for an organization. It’s what we do. But in these times, simply creating volunteer busy work in the name of “engagement” won’t cut it.

As people have been overwhelmed, overworked, and over-stressed, non-essential activities easily fell to the wayside. But, in this article, we show that there is another way – design roles that really matter and make sense in today’s environment.

6. The Top Volunteer Recruitment Challenges for Nonprofits

Just because interest in volunteerism hasn’t shown any signs of decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, doesn’t mean it’s gotten any easier to recruit folks to your cause.

Many volunteer organizations are still struggling to connect with volunteer talent.

So, in this post, we share a rundown of the key challenges that nonprofits are facing, both from the perspectives of the leaders of volunteers we interviewed personally and responses we received in the 2020 Volunteer Management Progress Report survey.

7. Developing and Engaging a Volunteer Community Online

Throughout the course of the pandemic, we have been getting a lot of questions in the VolunteerPro Membership Community on the topic of making a plan for developing and engaging your volunteer community online.

Before 2020, engaging with anyone in-person was compulsory. You pass people in the hallways. You interact with folks in a training session. You’re onboarding a new group of volunteers. All these micro-touches build relationships and trust. Even just a smile and saying, “Hello” goes a long way in building connections with volunteers. But when you’re mostly interacting online, you can’t really do that.

In this volunteer management blog post, we make the case for integrating digital content marketing into your volunteer engagement strategy that that this focused use of technology will go a long way in modernizing and streamlining your efforts.

8. How to Prevent Burnout – For Yourself and Your Volunteers

If you’re like most volunteer program administrators, you “wear many hats.” The constant need to multi-task is a critical issue that needs a solution to prevent eventual burnout.

But, given the current economic climate and budget shortfalls, it’s not likely that help is on the horizon anytime soon. To succeed in this environment, it may be time to work smarter, not harder.

In this popular article, we include a simple list of time-saving tips that might help your volunteer program improve productivity and prevent burnout.

9. My Top Nonprofit Webinar Advice from a Decade Online

No doubt, the age of Coronavirus has made us all way too familiar with a variety of teleconferencing, webinar, and video chat platforms.

But, VolunteerPro has been Zooming since before it was cool!

That’s why we put together this guide, early in the pandemic, to help you utilize the right tools to boost your confidence and tap the true power of webinars to engage with your supporters during social distancing mandates. In this volunteer management blog post, VolunteerPro president and founder shares her top tips and insights from over 10 years of experience.

10. How to Prepare for and Negotiate Your Next Volunteer Management Job: A Complete Guide

The end of 2020 has left us all a bit… frazzled.

So much is still uncertain. As a result, many of us may be facing an employment transition soon.

In this blog post, we share our best advice for managing employment transitions and how to ask for, and get, what you need to succeed (even at your current workplace).

Onward to 2021!

While we’re not prepared to guarantee that 2021 will be your “best year yet!” (please don’t listen to anyone who tells you that), we will wish you a Happy New Year, best of luck in the coming months, and good health for you, your family, and friends.

One thing that you can count on is the VolunteerPro staff being here for support.

If you’d like to level up your know-how a bit, we have a ton of free content and learning opportunities right here on this website.

For example, you can try our free mini-course on the Art & Science of Volunteer Accountability.