Giving Compass' Take:

• The author details ways to get better engagement from volunteers and how to keep them inspired as retaining volunteers is difficult — and retaining good volunteers is even harder. 

• How can nonprofits use these methods to attract and engage the volunteers they want? 

• Learn about how to find the right nonprofit employer or volunteer. 

If you're a nonprofit leader or entrepreneur working in social impact, you may have been burned a time or two. Whether someone didn't show up or didn't deliver on a project, it hurts and causes setbacks.

Make this year more productive with better volunteer engagement. Here's how to get started:

Establish a vetting process. Don't take the first volunteer that comes your way. Establish a vetting process and stick with it, even when you're short staffed. A commitment to finding quality volunteers will help you promote good work ethic across your organization, and will boost overall productivity, morale and collegiality.

Don't hire your friends. It might be tempting, but try to avoid it. Friends can be a great help in the early days, as encouragers, founding board members or event volunteers. But unless they have skin in the game, their passion may wane over time. Look for board members and volunteers that are in it for the long haul and ask for commitment.

Be clear about expectations. One of the biggest pitfalls of leading volunteers is being fuzzy or unclear about expectations. You might bring on a volunteer in a moment when you really need them, and then realize over time that you need them more than you thought.

Read the full article about how to encourage more engagement out of volunteers by Tori Utley at Forbes.