Managing Volunteers

Tips and resources for Friends Groups about managing volunteers

Volunteers are a crucial part of any Friends Group. Even one-off or occasional volunteers can lend a helping hand to events, contribute vital financial support, and spread the word about the Friends Group to the wider community. But managing and retaining volunteers is a challenging task for even the most successful group. This page includes resources, compiled in coordination with your fellow Friends Groups, that will help guide and direct your group’s volunteer management efforts.

Tracking Volunteer Hours

Tracking volunteer work performed on behalf of your organization is the first step in figuring out your long-term volunteer needs. These tracking tools will help your group know:

  • Total volunteer hours contributed
  • Hours from each volunteer
  • Hours by activity type
 

Knowing these numbers will help your group illustrate the impact you have on the park or trail you support and tell that story to your community (and prospective funders).

Volunteer Recruitment Resources

Advice from the field: 100+ Tips, Tactics, and Tools for Keeping Pace with Today’s Volunteerism

Check out this list of ideas from the Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement (MAVA) to see what strategies your group might consider to better recruit and retain volunteers.

Further Resources