By Nonprofit Risk Management Center

A new volunteer shows up for their first day of service at your organization with a positive attitude. That’s a big plus, because several volunteers no-showed for that day’s client services. The new volunteer has a professional background in your nonprofit’s sector of service. Stressed but relieved, you skip the day’s planned volunteer orientation and send your new volunteer straight into working with clients. 

At the day’s end, the volunteer, looking harried, ducks out before you can catch up on how things went. Later, staff members say the volunteer seemed overwhelmed and repeatedly left their post to ask questions of staff, leaving clients waiting for answers past their designated time slots. A brief email from the volunteer the next day says they don’t feel the role is a good fit and they won’t be back.  

What’s the missing ingredient in this picture? 

Training. 

A great volunteer training program meets the needs of volunteers, staff and the organization and bonds everyone together in service of the mission. It ensures volunteers are prepared and equipped to perform their roles safely and effectively, addresses common risks that may arise within their service, and informs them when and how to ask for help or report a problem. A strong training program helps increase the likelihood that promising volunteer recruits will work with your organization long enough to reach some of their goals in volunteering and make a difference for your team and community. 

A training program that’s too rigid will deter people who might be great fits for volunteer service and increase the risk of a weak or unqualified volunteer pool. But if training is missing or underdeveloped, risks to safety and effectiveness multiply. How do you find the right balance? 

This article offers simple steps to develop a flexible and effective volunteer training program that can evolve as your organization’s needs do. 

Where Risks Arise in Volunteer Service 

Some areas of risk related to volunteer work may come quickly to mind. Others can be harder to spot. Here are some areas where risk tends to surface in volunteer roles. 

Physical safety: Volunteers may experience or cause injury or an environmental hazard. A lack of proper training or appropriate equipment can increase this risk. 

Reputational risk: A volunteer could behave in a way that damages your nonprofit’s reputation, or post information online that could harm the organization. 

Legal and compliance risk: A volunteer could do something that violates data privacy laws, mandated child abuse reporting requirements, or other legal or compliance requirements of your organization. 

Operational risks: A volunteer could provide poor or inconsistent service, as in the example at the beginning of this article. 

Great volunteer training can help make these risks less likely to become realities—and ensure your organization and its volunteers are as well prepared as possible if the risks materialize. Consistent messaging is key. So is sharing the “why” behind everything you ask volunteers to do.  

What makes this communication challenging? Volunteers have varied backgrounds and levels of experience. Their service with your organization is limited, as is their time commitment to you. 

To cross those barriers, a great training program offers multiple ways to learn, whether in-person, live virtual training, or asynchronous, self-paced virtual training. Having the right technology helps, but keep technological requirements simple and ensure products or systems truly serve the mission and your volunteer needs. 

Core Components of Risk-Aware Volunteer Training 

Nonprofit volunteer training programs are, and should be, as varied as the organizations and missions they support. Here are some core components to consider including in your risk-aware volunteer training program.  

Onboarding/Orientation (required for all volunteers): This should cover the organization’s mission and values, code of conduct and behavioral expectations, and give an overview of the key risks and responsibilities for all volunteers at your nonprofit. Spell out what volunteers can and can’t do, and what great work in the role and on the assignment looks like. Use online tools and file sharing services to make it easy for volunteers to find information about scheduling and key documents they’ll need to serve with confidence. 

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