Monday Buzz: A Few Tips for Volunteer Managers

Volunteers are a valuable resource for your association, and their contributions can be most effective with proper guidance from staff. In a new post on the VolunteerMatch blog  (opens in a new tab), Emma Bennett, volunteer coordinator at Leeds Supplementary School, details what makes volunteer management different from more traditional administration.

Volunteers “have different motivations, needs, wants, and concerns. I’m still in my first year of volunteer management and I love it, but it has come with its fair share of challenges,” she writes.

Writing especially for first-time volunteer managers, Bennett stresses the importance of treating volunteers as individuals.

“Taking on a new responsibility can be difficult and time consuming, but making some time for each of your volunteers is a great way to get going,” she says. “You’ll find out about their needs and motivations, how they like to communicate, what they’re hoping to get out of volunteering, and their goals.”

List of the Day

“I’ve always been busy—there is no way not to be in an industry like ours,” event planner Bethany Smith writes on the EventManagerBlog.  (opens in a new tab) She describes six ways event planners can tame the craziness of a busy schedule with good time management.

Other Good Reads

New York Times International Business Editor Adrienne Carter is all about finding the best seat on every flight. She explains in this story  (opens in a new tab) the complex methodology, and the results, of her search for airplane seat Nirvana.

Does your productivity wane as the day drags on? Empact  (opens in a new tab) cofounder Michael Simmons spoke with several entrepreneurs to see how they keep their productivity consistent from morning to afternoon in this post on Inc.  (opens in a new tab)

When everything is connected, how can industries ensure their systems are safe? Journalist Jamie Carter explores the risks and rewards of “Industry 4.0” in this story for TechRadar  (opens in a new tab).

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