by Doreen Martel

Created on: July 27, 2009   Last Updated: November 02, 2011

The numbers are staggering - thousands of volunteers are recruited annually and yet hundreds of thousands are lost annually for reasons that might not be immediately obvious. There are varying reasons for losing volunteers on an annual basis, some preventable, others not preventable. Organizations who depend on volunteers need to look at some of the ways to keep volunteers after they have been recruited.

Keep them involved - The quickest way to lose a volunteer is to have nothing for them to do. Small organizations that  hold a couple of events annually could find this problematic. Adding additional volunteers to your roster, means that the group should consider adding additional projects. This will help keep the volunteers active, interested and involved. It is by far the best ways to keep volunteers after they've been recruited.

Do not waste their time - If you are one of the hundreds of service organizations that is required by charter to hold regular meetings, do not have unproductive meetings. Meetings should be crafted with a specific agenda in mind and that agenda should be adhered to. Organizations that hold multiple meetings in a month, should review their policies and determine if multiple meetings are necessary. If not, consider moving to one. Volunteers are busy with work, family and social obligations and are unlikely to attend unproductive meetings. Volunteers feel you are wasting time at meetings, this is one way to lose volunteers after they have been recruited.

Recognition - One of the most effective methods to keep volunteers after they have been recruited is to recognize their efforts. If a group does not have any formal form of recognition, they should consider coming up with one today! For those with small budgets, a personalized thank you note, certificates printed from a computer and other inexpensive methods of recognition can be created. Mentioning names in newsletters, bulletins, in small "blasts" in group Emails or on a website can help recognition efforts as well.

Keep it meaningful - Volunteers join organizations for a reason. Volunteers want to see organizations adhering to their mission statement, their policies and doing their best to meet organizational goals. Volunteers who feel they are not actively participating in the overall goals of  an organization may leave to find more suitable volunteer projects that add meaning to their lives.

Every year thousands of volunteers flee organizations they once held in great esteem. Some will die, others will move out of the area - these are the losses that cannot be controlled and are understandable.  Making sure that volunteers understand their value to an organization and having a plan in place can help keep volunteers after they have been recruited.

For those organizations who are losing volunteers, there are several unique ways to encourage participation and new recruiting methods. However, before you determine that it is time to attract new volunteers to an organization, it is important to understand why your organization is losing members.

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