Here's how you can cultivate strong professional relationships with volunteers.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of an organization, driving its success through their dedication of time, energy, and skills. In return, it's important to invest the same effort into building relationships with them and understanding how they prefer to be recognized. While some may appreciate a public shout-out during a meeting, others may value a personalized text message or a one-on-one coffee meeting just as much.

Do you have introverted volunteers on your team? They may not enjoy public recognition but they might like a personal hand-written note, or a no-strings-attached phone call to acknowledge a specific contribution. Generic gratitude has its place, but specific thanks can give volunteers the sense that they are known, appreciated, and uniquely valuable to your team.

Regular volunteer appreciation events are a big step to making your volunteers feel - well, appreciated! Whether it's an annual awards presentation, quarterly lunches, or holiday parties, giving something back to those who give you so much just makes sense.

From the beginning, set clear expectations for your volunteers. Make sure volunteer training is consistent and thorough. Utilize social media - Facebook groups, Slack, etc - to communicate broadly. Ensuring that your volunteer manager is accessible is major, too! Provide that contact information in multiple places.

Transparency in communication ensures that volunteers feel valued and informed. They need to understand how their efforts contribute to the broader mission, what the organization hopes to achieve, and any potential obstacles that may arise. This openness helps manage expectations and empowers volunteers to take ownership of their roles, leading to higher levels of engagement and satisfaction.

One of the biggest mindset changes some folks have to make when dealing with volunteers is, assume the best intent. These people are here because they want to be, so if they ask questions or express frustration or confusion, the best approach is an open one. It can be easy to get defensive; don't fall into that trap. If they're bothering to come to you, it means they care, and you can work with that.

Make sure you're recruiting from all corners! Don't just have booths at the same old events every year; branch out. Set up tables at cultural festivals, put up flyers in new parts of town. Don't forget to tap your current volunteers, either! They'll probably have suggestions for good places to recruit.