Are Volunteers Really Free?

I've been managing volunteers for years now and have seen the benefits it can bring to an organization. But for charities looking to implement a volunteer system, they often ask me if having one is actually "free" for the organization.

The short answer is, no they're not. (Is anything even free anymore?)

Volunteers are much like staff, just that they don't get paid. But that doesn't mean money is not coming out of your organization's pockets. . They can also incur expenses as a result of completing a task on behalf of the charity, or perhaps volunteers may need special attire or equipment to help out.

The specificities of costs and expenses largely depend on the operations of your organization and can vary widely from simple things like thank you cards, to more complex expenses like staff hours needed to coordinate volunteers. In any case, here are several things you may have to consider when having volunteers:

Staff Time
Who is managing your volunteers? In the book 'Leading Today's Volunteers', authors Flora Macleod & Sarah Hogarth suggest that a successful volunteer program usually has one staff dedicated to managing the process. This may pose as a challenge for many organizations who are struggling to maintain program funding, much less fundraise for indirect costs. There is also another challenge that most funders will only pay for program-related stuff and volunteers can be a hard sell sometimes. If that's the case, talk to your staff to see who would be interested in taking that on, or perhaps recruit a volunteer coordinator who's a volunteer! Alike staff, volunteers need to be recruited, trained and managed.

Equipment
If your volunteer task involves creating reports, tracking statistics or a lot of administration, your organization may have to invest in equipment for the task to be completed. Equipment can include tools (like if your volunteers have to plant trees), computers/laptops, and even vehicles (like if your volunteers are required to pick up/drop stuff off).

Recognition & Retention
In order to reduce high turnover rates, organizations must retain volunteers. To retain them, organizations need to offer "perks" to keep volunteers interested and invested. For example, if your volunteer is using his/her own car to run an errand, offer to reimburse a portion of mileage used. If you're hosting a fundraising event where volunteers are helping out, set aside a ticket or two for their guests. Another way is to recognize and thank volunteers for their time and commitment by using things such as thank-you cards and volunteer recognition events, which both have costs.

While there may be costs associated with the entire volunteer management process, it is a process worth investing in. Volunteers bring on a ton of new skills, attitudes, energy and ideas that can tremendously impact an organization's successes. What are some of the things you find worth investing in a volunteer system? What else can you add?