The value of volunteers

A free resource for nonprofit organizations, NGOs, civil society organizations,
charities, schools, public sector agencies & other mission-based agencies
by Jayne Cravens
via coyotecommunications.com & coyoteboard.com (same web site)

The Value of Volunteers

Involving volunteers because of a belief that they are cheaper than paying staff is an old-fashioned idea that's time should long-be-gone. It's an idea that makes those who are unemployed outraged, and that justifies labor union objections to volunteer engagement. And it manifests itself in statements like this, taken from a nonprofit in Oregon:

Volunteers play a huge role in everything we do. In 2010, 870 volunteers contributed 10,824 hours of service, the equivalent of 5.5 additional full-time employees!

Yes, that's right: this nonprofit is proud to say that volunteer engagement allowed this organization to keep 5.5 people from being employed!

Another cringe-worthy statement about the value of volunteers:

Organization-name-redacted volunteers in name-of-city redacted put in $700,000 worth of free man hours last year... It means each of its 7,000 volunteers here contributed about $100 - the amount their time would have been worth had they been paid.

This kind of valuation of volunteer service is called "replacement value of labor costs" - literally, volunteer service replacing the need to pay employees or consultants (labor). It's a misguided model fully embraced and promoted by the Points of Light Foundation and the United Nations.

Even the Independent Sector continues to promote this model, which angers professionals trying to make a living at their careers, including union members, angers paid staff members making much less per hour than this rate, and perpetuates the myth that the primary value of volunteers is from money saved from not paying staff to do the work:

The estimated dollar value of volunteer time for 2010 is $21.36 per hour... Charitable organizations can use this estimate to quantify the enormous value volunteers provide.

These statements, and others that equate volunteers with money saved, have dire consequences:

I was contacted by a state historical agency once upon a time. There were frequent patrons of the state historical library that helped fellow visitors in finding information on an ad hoc basis. The agency decided to formalize the activities of these passionate patrons as a volunteer program, so visitors would know they were talking to someone who officially-represented the organization, so helpers received the proper training, and so helpers received the proper thanks. The informal helpers became formal volunteers, and the volunteers loved it -- they saw it as a "promotion", as a recognition of their knowledge and past help. The volunteer program flourished over just a couple of years, and the agency decided to present it as a success story to the state legislature, which provides funding for the library. Unfortunately, agency representatives presented it in terms of money saved: they calculated a dollar value for each hour the volunteers had contributed, and said, "This is how much money we saved involving volunteers." And the state legislature was very impressed -- so impressed that they cut one of the paid staff member positions and other budget items, and told the agency to do more with volunteers "so you can save even more money"

Unionized school employees in Petaluma, California protested when parent volunteers did the work they were once paid to do.

The International Association of Firefighters is against volunteer firefighters, seeing them as a threat to professionals.

A hotel and restaurant in Chattanooga, Tennessee became a non-profit business so that it could lay off most of its staff and replace them with volunteers.

Volunteers have sued for back wages when their value has been assigned a dollar value

Initiatives opposed to some or all volunteering (unpaid work), and
online and print articles about or addressing controversies regarding volunteers replacing paid staff

The consequences of talking about volunteers only or primarily in terms of money saved/the dollar value of each hour they provide:

It reinforces the idea of volunteers are free (they are not; there are always costs associated with involving volunteers)
It reinforces the idea that the number of hours contributed by volunteers is the best measure of volunteer program success (quantity rather than quality and impact)
It negatively influences how staff relate to and think of volunteers, as well as the person in charge of recruiting and supporting such -- the volunteer manager
It can lead to conflict with employees; consider those employees who are not making the hourly rate that the Independent Sector says volunteers are worth - they may feel that volunteers' times is more valuable than theirs.

How to talk about the value of volunteers?

What have volunteers accomplished at your organization, to date, in the last month, last year, etc.? How many clients did they support? How many activities did they make possible? What projects did they lead or staff?
What do your clients or the general public say about the support they receive from volunteers, their interactions with volunteers, etc.?
Involving volunteers -- representatives of the community -- can help educate the community about what the organization does. As a result of the work of your volunteers, do more people know about what your organization does, and/or have perceptions been changed about whatever cause your organization is concerned about?
Community engagement is community ownership. Volunteer involvement demonstrates that the community is invested in the organization and its goals. What demographics are represented among your volunteers, and how does this show community involvement at your organization?
Involving volunteers can help your organization reach particular demographic groups -- people of a particular age, in a particular neighborhood, of a particular economic level, etc., especially groups who might not be involved with your organization otherwise. How does diversity among your volunteer ranks reflect the diversity of your community?
What feedback have volunteers provided that's affected your organization, such as improving your services?
Involving volunteers can be a reflection of your organization's mission. If you are a nonprofit theater, for instance, you probably involve unpaid ushers. What have ushers experienced that is a reflection of your mission (which may be to present theater productions of that are of cultural significance for your community, or to ensure that community members of all ages and backgrounds are introduced to and educated about the place of theater in our society, etc.)? Volunteer engagement can support an organization's mission of building clients' skills.
Volunteer involvement allows members of the community to come into your agency, as volunteers (and, therefore, with no financial stake in the agency), to see for themselves the work your organization does. What do volunteers say about your organization's performance?

And as for showing the value of volunteers internally, to your fellow staff and volunteers and to your board of directors:

How many volunteers are also financial donors/vice versa?
Have volunteers spoken at local government meetings or written letters to the editor of your local newspaper on your organization's behalf?
How has involving volunteers created partnerships with other organizations (nonprofits, government, business)? Involving volunteers from a corporation might spur that corporation to give your agency a grant. Involving volunteers from a government office could lead to a program partnership.
What good PR (media reports, government reports, blogs, etc.) has resulted from your volunteer engagement/community involvement?

Survey your volunteers, formally and informally, frequently, to gather this information.

Also, be on the look out for how volunteer engagement cultivates innovation at your organization: new solutions – products, markets, services, methods, models, processes – that lead to new or improved capabilities and better use of assets and resources by your organization. Innovation is transformative for the organization and those it serves - and volunteers can get you there. Have they? Have they taught staff to use a new social media tool that's helped you get your message out in new ways, have they introduced you to communities you weren't reaching before, have they developing a great system for all staff - paid and volunteer - to check in about what they are doing?

May you talk about the dollar value of volunteers? Yes, but with GREAT caution, and never, ever as the primary, central reason you involve volunteers. In fact, be careful of any statement like, "We couldn't exist without volunteers!" unless it includes narrative that shows volunteers are not involved in order to not have to pay staff.

In addition to carefully crafting the way you talk about the value of volunteers, your organization should also consider creating a mission statement for your organization's volunteer engagement, to guide employees in how they think about volunteers, to guide current volunteers in thinking about their role and value at the organization, and to show potential volunteers the kind of culture they can expect at your organization regarding volunteers.

What does all this advice look like in practice? Two fantastic examples:

How El Centro de la Raza in Seattle involves (and values) volunteers (PDF). "Volunteers are engaged in every aspect of El Centro de la Raza. Direct service volunteers support the food bank, enter data and staff the reception desk, teach and practice English, and run cultural and neighborhood events. Group volunteers help with painting, landscape, and maintenance projects. Skilled information technology volunteers provide graphic design and search engine optimization. Community volunteers run off-site food drives. Taproot Foundation volunteers built a new website and designed an organizational brochure. Every operation and program is fodder for including volunteers." This short document represents EVERYTHING I believe about the value of volunteers to an organization - but I didn't write it!

Tiny-but-high-performing-nonprofits involve volunteers effectively. A research project found a small but exceptional group of nonprofits outperforming their peers across all the core capacities measured by the study: leadership, adaptability, management and technical capacities. And guess what they all have in common? They all have well managed volunteer engagement programs. Terrific blog by Greg Baldwin of VolunteerMatch that also represents everything I believe about the value of volunteers to an organization.

Also see:

Mission statement for volunteer engagement: creating a mission statement for volunteer engagement - saying WHY your organization involves volunteers - guides employees in how they think about volunteers and in creating appropriate tasks for volunteers, guides current volunteers in thinking about their role and value at the organization, and shows potential volunteers the kind of culture they can expect at your organization regarding volunteers.
Research and case studies regarding recruitment and retainment of volunteer firefighters & justifications for involving volunteer firefighters that do NOT relate to "money saved"
A little bit of commentary and a long list of resources, compiled from various sources. Updates welcomed!
Valuing volunteer engagement: an imaginary case study
What valuing volunteers should look like - and what it looks like if you stick to a monetary value for volunteering hours.
Initiatives opposed to some or all volunteering (unpaid work), and
online and print articles about or addressing controversies regarding volunteers replacing paid staff
This is a list of organizations and initiatives opposed to some kinds of volunteering (unpaid work), or ALL kinds of volunteering, including unpaid internships at nonprofit organizations / charities. It is also a list of online and print articles about or addressing controversies regarding volunteers replacing paid staff. Most of the links are to initiatives or actions in Europe or the USA. This list has been compiled to help researchers regarding volunteerism, as well as for policy makers and volunteerism advocates who want to avoid these kinds of controversies at nonprofit organizations and government agencies. This list is also compiled to refute those who believe that there are no such controversies (believe it or not, those people DO exist).
The Information About & For Volunteers You Should Have on Your Web Site
If your organization or department involves volunteers, or wants to, there are certain things your organization or department must have on its web site - not by law, of course, but from a point of view of ethics and credibility. To not have this basic information about volunteer engagement on your web site says that your organization or department takes volunteers for granted, does not value volunteers beyond money saved in salaries, or is not really ready to involve volunteers.
Screening Volunteers for Attitude
When an organization involves volunteers in high-responsibility, long-term roles, volunteer turnover can be a program killer. Screening is vital to finding the right people for high-responsibility, long-term volunteer roles, particularly those where the volunteer will work with clients and the general public, and to screen out people who may be better in shorter-term assignments or assignments where they would not work with clients or the general public, or who would not be appropriate in any role at the organization.
Letting Fear Prevent Volunteer Involvement is Too Risky
About how choosing NOT to involve volunteers is often, in fact, a greater risk than choosing to involve volunteers. To say, "We can't involve volunteers - it's too risky!" puts your organization at a profound disadvantage. This is a blog I wrote for Susan Ellis and Energize, Inc. - you leave my web site if you click on that link.
Different volunteer roles require different screening. Yet another reason why volunteer managers aren't exactly the same as HR managers...
Do you know who will be a great volunteer just by the "vibe"?
Spoiler alert: no. You don't.
Recruiting Local Volunteers To Increase Diversity Among the Ranks
Having plenty of volunteers usually isn't enough to say a volunteering program is successful. Another indicator of success is if your volunteers represent a variety of ages, education-levels, economic levels and other demographics, or are a reflection of your local community. Most organizations don't want volunteers to be a homogeneous group; they want to reach a variety of people as volunteers (and donors and other supporters, for that matter). This resource will help you think about how to recruit for diversity, or to reach a specific demographic.
Online culture
What is it like to work with people -- volunteers, donors, remote staff -- you seldom or never see onsite, face-to-face? Can you build trust among a remote group online? Can a person learn to work with others online successfully, or does one have to have an instinct for it? Does the Internet take the human element out of volunteering and community? Does online civil society exist? This is a portal into all of my resources related to working with and supporting others online.

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