You can never volunteer to little or too much.
There are literally dozens of types of volunteer managers and different types of volunteer jobs such as coaches, teaching, fund-raising, and working in homeless shelters, religious functions, animal care, political services, and many others. Nonprofit organizations need volunteers to help recruit new volunteers and help them fund the cause and work towards its goals. Smaller nonprofit organizations have volunteers do much of the overall work while in larger nonprofit organizations the volunteers have a specific duty they are assigned.
Volunteer managers have responsibilities such as finding new volunteers and have an overall understanding of what type of work that needs to be done and how to get it done around peoples schedules. They assign those who wish to volunteer assignments based on their experiences and skill levels. Volunteer managers have an interviewing process to find those who show enthusiasm, and generally care to help, while identifying their strengths so that they are applied to the right kind of job. They must perform clerical duties as well by making sure their volunteers are there on time, how many hours they have volunteered, make phone calls and keep recordings of these events. Volunteer managers make sure that their staff is working properly and everything is running efficiently. Like, any other business, established procedures and a good structured environment will ensure that maximum amount of work can be done. Volunteer managers promote and advertise the organizations goals and mission to attract others in helping the cause as well.
Those who are interested in a volunteer job but have no experience in that particular field will be trained by those who are more experienced. Depending on the nature of the volunteer work will determine how long the training process will continue. There are no educational requirements in volunteer work but those who maybe volunteer managers will have a bachelor’s degree in human resources or related studies. Volunteer managers have excellent communication skills because they are constantly instructing and teaching others on a daily basis.
There are certifications available who wish to advance their teaching and managerial skills such as The Association for Volunteer Administration. This administration purpose is to help volunteers understand and structure tasks, produce ideas, and solve problems. Certification is granted by those who show commitment and dedication by submitting a portfolio, essays, pass a multiple -choice exam, and have a minimum of three years experience in resources management. Recertification is done every five years.
Volunteer managers do earn wages who work in the State or Federal organizations. The average salary for volunteer managers is around $35,000 per year. Depending on how large the organization is will determine the type of wages you will make. Many volunteers do not volunteer for the pay but do volunteer for the enriching life experience. While, volunteering is rewarding, and will give you a sense of fulfillment, it also can be very stressful at times. Those who supervise a large number of volunteers will have an extensive amount of work to ensure their staff is properly doing their job in a timely manner. Those who do truly enjoy their work will find that the cause is worth their efforts.
Volunteering is taken on by those who have other jobs but in some cases, part time volunteers want to become full time volunteers and make it their career. For example, those who volunteer their time in construction may need additional formal training, while volunteers in healthcare may need additional training in nursing. Volunteer managers need to have a variety of skills to be beneficial to the cause. Life experiences are critical in positively effecting and achieving organizations goals, but also formal education will give you the tools necessary to do so. If your desire and will is strong, and you are able to put the time in, there is no telling how successful you can become as a volunteer manager.
