Communication with Volunteers with guest Bart Gibson

In this episode, Serah discusses communication in a volunteer setting with Bart Gibson, Volunteer Coordinator for the Mystic Moon community.

Bart has been a member of his community for about 10 years. Now the group has enough volunteer help to organize service projects and put on large special events that benefit hundreds of people.

To make this happen, Bart recommends first understanding the abilities and time constraints that each potential volunteer has. Truly listening to their intentions and helping to overcome any barriers they face goes a long way toward helping them contribute to the best of their abilities.

Second, develop a core group of reliable volunteers and plan around their schedules to make sure things are well-attended.

Another principle of great community organization is to clarify roles and responsibilities whenever there is confusion or overlap. When people start to wonder who is doing what, it's hard to get things done in a timely fashion.

Setting standards for the community in advance helps to resolve any conflicts that might come up. Bart says it's easier to bring these up before there's any issues, but anytime is better than not at all.

For these and other insights, listen to the full interview with Bart Gibson, Volunteer Coordinator with Mystic Moon. Reach Bart at http://www.mysticmoonevents.com/.

Resources

• Five volunteer coordination tips: https://www.volunteerhub.com/blog/5-volunteer-coordination-tips-nonprofits/
• How to recruit and manage volunteers effectively: https://www.eventbrite.com/blog/academy/how-to-recruit-and-manage-volunteers-effectively/
• Ways to motivate and engage your nonprofit's volunteers: https://donorbox.org/nonprofit-blog/motivate-and-engage-your-nonprofits-volunteers/
• Seven ways to keep volunteers coming back: https://blog.mobileserve.com/7-ways-to-keep-volunteers-coming-back

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm