Volunteer Management - Challenges and Opportunities Facing Nonprofits

In the fall of 2009, United Way of King County conducted an online survey of nonprofits in the greater Seattle area. The purpose of the survey was to better understand the challenges and opportunities nonprofits in King County face in engaging and managing volunteers. Findings are intended to guide United Way's strategic planning around strengthening and supporting nonprofit volunteer management capacity, and will be shared with other funders and policymakers to advocate for investment in the sector.  

Download the full report 

A total of 603 people, representing a broad spectrum of the nonprofit sector in King County, completed the survey. Respondents fill a wide variety of roles in their organizations, with 27 percent being volunteer managers and 19 percent being CEOs.

Overall, the study found that several key issues which have long troubled the field of volunteerism continue to challenge local nonprofits:

·         The critical role of the volunteer manager is undervalued and underutilized.

·         Nonprofit staff lack time and skills to manage volunteers effectively.

·         Volunteer retention rates are low.

·         Effective recruitment strategies for "hard to fill" opportunities are lacking.

·         Nonprofits do not effectively measure the impact of volunteer contributions.

 
The survey results also suggest some hopeful signs of improvement in volunteer engagement efforts:

·         The critical role of volunteers within local nonprofits is valued.

·         Nonprofits are seeking the professional skills of volunteers.

We will discuss these key issues further and will explore the implications for King County organizations and funders.  

Download the full report. 
Download the survey questionnaire.
Download United Way's strategic plan for volunteerism

United Way of King County wishes to thank to two terrific volunteers without whom this survey and resulting report would not have been possible: Amanda Buchan, with Accenture, who provided many pro-bono hours designing, conducting and analyzing the Volunteer Engagement Survey; and Rick Lynch, Lynch Associates, for sharing his expertise in volunteerism on a pro-bono basis - interpreting the survey results and writing this report.

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