The Real Lives of Volunteer Coordinators
A Blog for us to Learn from Each Other
Written by Jordan Galerkin 
Recap for November 22nd - November 29th
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Facebook community this past week!
Children Volunteering & Volunteer from Home
It’s great to see children get into the spirit of volunteering, however it’s not always practical to have them volunteer onsite or in-person due to staffing, scheduling, or type of volunteer work. Thankfully, our community has shared some engaging ways children can volunteer their time and energy from home!
Comments from the group
“Check out habitatcltregion.org ...and look at 'Ways to Help from Home'.” (Opportunities listed include gift-making, shopping, and writing cards or letters)
“One of the things our local [animal] shelter can always use is handmade toys or materials that would otherwise be thrown away. One local shelter used to make [cat] toys out of corks & feathers, for example.”
Check out all of the comments here!
Leadership Changes and Volunteers
It can be difficult for organizations and their volunteers when there are changes in leadership. Some volunteers may feel uncertain about reporting to a new volunteer manager, and may want to leave as well. It’s important to understand where these volunteers are coming from and see if there are other underlying issues, so communication is key in this situation.
Comments from the group
“...They may want to have a talk with the volunteers and find out what the underlying issue is.”
“With a change in leadership, all you can do is make efforts to recruit those current volunteers as quickly as possible. Get to know them, find out what drives them to volunteer, then figure out how to deliver that to them.”
“We asked them to remember the reason they are here and move forward with us. When the dust settled those who stayed did so for the right reasons and we noticed a positive culture shift.”