Giving Compass' Take:

• This Blue Avocado post gives some advice for organizations who may have to handle frustrated or disgruntled volunteers; it's always best to be responsive, rather than dismissing their concerns.

• Can these steps also apply to nonprofit employees in general? How can leaders in the sector be better listeners and invite more feedback?

• Here are more details about the benefits and motivations of volunteers.

"You can't fire me — I'm a volunteer!" If you’ve worked in volunteer management for any length of time, you’ve probably heard some version of this fear-inducing refrain. Your first encounter with it may be as a direct threat, a mild joke, or overheard when the volunteer speaking doesn’t know you’re around. And I’m going to tell you the truth: there is no easy resolution to this comment ...

The core thing to remember is that communication is key: people fear what they don’t understand, and all too often volunteers are kept in the dark when nonprofits change strategy or processes:

  • Listen to concerns and invite volunteers to freely share solutions and challenges. What changes don’t align with their take on the broader vision of the nonprofit, and are they even aware of your goals and overarching strategies?
  • Perhaps a bit of context can sort things out.
  • Identify how tasks and roles fail to advance the organization’s mission, or clarify how they do. Identify the disconnect so you know what intervention will be most effective.
  • Respond! Based on insights from the first two steps, take the appropriate action. This might include explaining changes in your goals and operations and sharing why those were made, and how new strategies can lead to more impact on those you serve.
  • If possible, invite feedback about the changes and any new roles and processes. People who are allowed to provide input, even when that input isn’t incorporated, are more likely to have buy-in to processes instead of trying to sabotage them.

Read the full article about addressing volunteer dissatisfaction by Kevin M. Ressler at Blue Avocado.