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4 Factors In Effective Volunteer Coordination

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Volunteers

The Buyer’s Guide to Volunteer Management Software

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Coordinating your volunteers doesn’t have to be like herding cats—there’s a better way! If you want to be an effective volunteer coordinator, there are a few skills and characteristics you’ll want to develop.

Communication

Communication is where it all starts. Your volunteers can’t read your mind, and you can’t read theirs. You need to be able to reach them quickly and get feedback when required, both leading up to and during the event. Providing your volunteers with a way to contact you will ensure your volunteers feel empowered to ask questions as things change throughout the day.

Check out – Volunteer Scheduling: Top Strategies and Tools for Success

Adaptability

In the world of event planning, things change rapidly. Sometimes that’s due to vendors or weather conditions, and sometimes it’s because of the volunteers themselves. They might show up wearing the wrong clothing or not show up at all. Communication can clear some of that up, but you always need to be ready to adapt to the circumstances, regardless of what you had planned. Staying on top of changing conditions and having the tools required to take action is critical to remaining adaptable.

Careful Scheduling

It’s not great when two people show up for the same shift and look to you for answers about what happened and who is inconvenienced by having to go home and return later. It’s even worse when you know it’s your mistake because of a scheduling error. Filling the schedule with the right people at the right time is a matter of proper organization and knowing who’s available and when.

Organization

Speaking of organization, it’s the word we can use to this up. Being organized brings it all together: knowing your volunteers and what they’re capable of, knowing how to contact them quickly, and having the resources on hand to deal with any unforeseen situations.

Does that seem overwhelming? It shouldn’t. You don’t need an in-depth personal growth and development study to achieve this. Bloomerang Volunteer can help. From recruitment and scheduling to real-time communication, you have all your resources in one volunteer management tool. It’s your one-stop shop for becoming an effective volunteer coordinator.