Non-profit organizations are known for their use of volunteers, but not everything can be managed effectively without professional support. If your non-profit is lucky enough to have techie volunteers that you can trust to run your systems, you’re in better shape than most.
One question you need to ask as an organization is “what happens if this volunteer leaves without training staff?”. Volunteers come and go, and your organization has to be able to thrive through any number of transitions. It can be devastating to have a crucial volunteer leave without key systems in place.
Budget
Ideally, your budget will allow for a company like Mainstream Nonprofit Solutions to provide professional level IT support so that there are no gaps in your service. However, it is possible to utilize our company for the trickier aspects while relying on your volunteers for the things that won’t matter if they suddenly disappear.
Here are some ways tips and tricks for working with volunteers and integrating our services to maximize your volunteer potential.
Regulars
When establishing your volunteer support, be sure to rely on people who have been volunteering regularly for at least six months. People who pop up and raise their hand for everything when they first join an organization are terrific, but they often burn out quickly.
Validate Credentials
Validate your volunteer’s credentials. This can be tricky, but just because someone says they can do something does not mean they actually can. However, as an organization, you don’t want to alienate your volunteers with demands of “prove it!” Unless you or the person assigning volunteers their tasks are able to make such determinations, we can help. Through discussion with your proposed volunteer, we can evaluate their abilities without them really knowing that’s what we’re doing discreetly.
Documentation
Document, document, document. Having procedures written clearly for anyone to be able to pick up the process is critical. If you require your volunteers to label and document appropriately, it will be much easier for someone new to jump in and keep things running smoothly.
Learn More About Combining Volunteer and Professional IT Support
Volunteers are key to any non-profit’s success. Giving them professional support can help keep them effective in their tasks. Sometimes a volunteer can do almost everything needed to keep your IT systems running, but maybe they have a gap here and there. By filling those gaps with a professional service, you can help prevent burnout and volunteer dissatisfaction.