by Charles Simmins

Created on: July 09, 2009   Last Updated: March 19, 2010

Nonprofits are always short of volunteers. Sometimes, however, a volunteer is not the right fit. Sometimes you have to say no to a potential volunteer.

An obvious reason to turn down a volunteer is some sort of legal impediment that would prevent him from working with the group. A potential volunteer on the sex offenders list would be told no by a child care agency. Someone with a criminal record for embezzlement would not be a good fit as a ticket seller at the fund raising carnival. If such situations could exist with the group, the Board or management should have a very clear policy in place that spells out the legal reasons a volunteer may be rejected.

Another reason to say "no" is that you have nothing for the volunteer to do. It may be the group's slow season, or the group may have all the volunteers it can manage effectively. It is up to the staffer talking with the potential volunteer to obtain contact information with a promise that when there is an opening, the individual will be contacted. And this is a situation where the organization must follow through. There is nothing worse than to have the opinion in the community that the not for profit turns away people who want to help.

Saying "no" to a potential volunteer carries with it some of the same pitfalls that the hiring process has for employers. The not for profit status of the organization depends, in part, on abiding by the various non discrimination laws at the state and federal level. Saying "no" should be a polite, and a short process. No detailed explanation is necessary but the gratitude for the act of volunteering should be honest and open.

Unfortunately, many groups say "no" to people for reasons that do not serve the purpose and mission of the group. In smaller communities, relationships and grudges come into play. Some not for profits are very much the "property" of a small and tight knit group of people. And in other groups, the people recruiting volunteers enjoy the authority far too much. These are situations where saying no hurts the organization.

The Board of Directors or leadership of the group should be very clear on the need for volunteers, the actual requirements that the volunteers should meet and the methods through which volunteers will be recruited, evaluated and possibly turned down. Potential volunteers, whether accepted or rejected, expect that their time and labor will be valued by the organization that they are approaching. The process should be as professional as possible and potential volunteers should not receive any surprises.

There is a place for every volunteer. It may not be with the group that he approaches. Saying "no" to a potential volunteer just means that another organization might better use his time and efforts. Saying "no" should be a part of directing the potential volunteer to a group where he may be a better fit. Done correctly, the volunteers that the group rejects could be the group's biggest boosters in the community.

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