ARTICLE
How to Set Your Event Volunteers Up For Success: A Handy Checklist
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How can you set your event volunteers up for success? It starts with proper training, of course, but there are a few other supplies and tips to keep in mind so everyone has a great event experience. Have you provided your volunteers with everything on this checklist?
1) A Clear Job Description
Volunteers need to know what’s expected before they sign up. To help with this, check out our blog post here.
2) Access to You and the Rest of the Team
Establish a clear line of communication from the beginning. A volunteer management tool with built-in communication features & a mobile app, makes this easy by allowing you to post changes and updates that volunteers will receive right on their mobile devices.
3) The Right Clothes
Whether you’re providing matching t-shirts or offering guidelines for what they can choose from their own wardrobes, your volunteers need to know as soon as possible what they’re expected to wear. If you’re providing the clothing, make sure you’ve arranged a time to pick it up.
4) Practical Information
Where do the volunteers park? Where can they leave their personal items? Where’s the bathroom? Are there any off-limits areas at the venue? Where’s the first aid kit? Is it okay to eat during their shift? Anticipate potential questions and answer them ahead of time.
5) Water and Snacks
A little sustenance goes a long way in preventing volunteer burnout during a long or slow shift. If you cannot provide this for some reason, make sure the volunteers know to bring their own, and maybe offer a list of nearby restaurants they can visit during their breaks.
6) Job Hazard Protection
This sounds dramatic, but what we mean is some protection from the elements or inconveniences of the work. For example, if they’re working outside on a cold or hot day, they need a place to warm up or cool down. If they’re standing all day, provide some chairs where they can take a break. Offer shade, sunglasses, cool water, fans, heaters, hot chocolate, work gloves, rain ponchos, or anything that can make their experience a little more comfortable, particularly if the discomfort is unexpected (like a rainstorm!) and not explained in the volunteer task description.
7) Supplies
Check and double-check that volunteers have the supplies they need to do their jobs well. It’s no fun when a volunteer is five minutes into a shift and has to go searching for a pen. This particular part of the checklist requires its own checklist, and that will vary from task to task, but a pen almost always comes in handy. So do device chargers!
8) A Thank You Note
When the job is done, make sure your volunteers know how much you appreciate them.
What else would you put on your volunteer checklist? Comment below!
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