Volunteers are quite different from your paid employees. They are 'working for free' but that doesn't mean they're less experienced or skilled than the paid workforce, nor does it mean that their time and commitment is less than the '9-to-5er.' Rather, it is best to think of the volunteer corps as a special part of a company's human resources, and leading them requires some special skills in turn.

(1) Organization. Those that lead volunteers must be able to juggle several different things at once. Volunteers often volunteer for a specified time, and/or a specified task, and thus, the make-up of the volunteer corps will be ever-changing. Those leading volunteers need to be able to understand what needs to be done on a given day, and who can do those tasks. Moreover, that person should be able to juggle the different schedules of many volunteers, as well as the company's deadlines. Being well-organized will help the person leading the volunteers not only to meet the company's needs, but to do so in an efficient manner, which will maximize the volunteers' expertise and not waste their valuable time.

(2) Flexibility. Volunteers work around their 'other life' and sometimes, that life can interfere with their volunteer work. It is important to understand this. Unlike a paid employee, a supervisor can't demand that a volunteer show up or meet a deadline - especially if that volunteer has to cancel at the last minute because s/he has to meet a deadline for his/her 'real job.' As such, being able to be flexible is a vital skill that a volunteer supervisor must possess. The ability to work around various schedules that may change with little or no notice, a workforce with an extremely high turnover rate and the ability to do so while motivating said workforce requires a flexibility that must be uniquely fine-tuned to the demands of the company and its volunteer corps.

(3) Commitment. Volunteers carve out time in their busy lives because they believe in what an organization is doing, and want to be a part of that. As such, nothing will motivate a volunteer corps more than to have its leader be truly committed to an organization's goals and mission. This commitment can be manifested in different ways. It could mean irregular hours because that's what is required to work with the volunteers. It could mean being available to the volunteers to handle problems or the answer questions. It could mean participating in community outreach programs to strengthen the ties

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