9 Things to Keep Your School Volunteers Happy

I admit that my possibly offensive title probably sounds like I think volunteers are a nuisance.  Actually, the point of this article is to help you find practical ways to involve school volunteers who are always asking, “how can I help?”

First of all, while volunteers are a blessing, they come with conditions.  It cannot be denied that volunteers on your marketing team operate differently than paid staff or outsourced consultants.  Administrative officials and hired contractors work for results which are often tied to how much money they make or how long they keep their job.  It’s one reason to consider NOT assigning critical, timely marketing tasks to volunteers.  While they may indicate a willingness and eagerness to help, they MAY not operate with the same sense of urgency you have.  Nor may they offer the same level of excellence you would demand of an employee or contractor.  You want to have the freedom to dislike their work without feeling like you are going to offend them and run them off from volunteering ever again (or worse, writing a bad review about your school . . . uh, see #7 below).  You want to be able to “fire” them if they do not perform.  But how do you fire a non-paid volunteer?

So what jobs can you create for your eager beavers?  Here are 7 ideas your school volunteers can do from any computer or mobile device: (more…)