Volunteers are great. They help us to do the work that we wouldn’t be able to do without their service.

How can an organization help to create a stronger relationship with a volunteer and help them to become a leader in the organization? Here are some tips to help build a stronger relationship with your volunteers.

Ask them for more.

When you first got your volunteers, you had to ask for them, right? Just like asking someone to volunteer is the best way to get them to volunteer, asking a volunteer to step into a larger role with your organization is the best way to get them to do it.

Have a plan in place for when the volunteer says yes.

Chances are you’re going to be asking your volunteer to do something that they haven’t done (or done with your organization) before. Make sure there’s a plan in place for training volunteers on their new tasks before you ask them to do them. Asking a volunteer to do something and not being able to show them how to do it is a great way to lose the volunteer.

Trust your volunteer.

Give them a bit more freedom to do things. You asked the volunteer to do more with your organization because you trust them and the work they do, right? Let them try things on their own. They just might come up with a million dollar idea (maybe literally!) that helps your organization grow.

Let your volunteer grow their own programs.

After you know that your volunteer is working well in their new role, let them build something unique to them and their role in your organization. Don’t just tell them to do something new, though! Ask them to make sure that it’s something they’ll have the time to devote to, and that it’s something that they want to do.

Don’t forget that they’re volunteers.

After months of being involved with your organization, a volunteer can start to feel like part of the organization’s staff. This isn’t a bad thing, but it is important to remember that the volunteer is still a volunteer. Don’t forget the little things that let volunteers know that you appreciate the work they do, and don’t forget to say thank you!

For more on creating service leaders in your organization and across the country, check out Max Klau’s post about service and leadership development on the National Conference on Volunteering and Service blog and today’s post on the importance of service leader development on the Points of Light Blog!