Volunteer Management (read time: 12 min)
What jobs exist in volunteer management?
What types of organizations have volunteer coordinator jobs?
Volunteer Coordinating by the numbers (pay and hours)
How to get a job in volunteer management
Pathways to get your foot in the door
What to demonstrate in your application
Exit opportunities
Next three steps
So you want to work in Volunteer Management?
Throughout our lives, many of us have taken an afternoon, evening, or day on the weekend to volunteer. Volunteers form the backbone of many nonprofit organizations, whether they are food banks, homeless shelters, or after-school programs. Therefore, these organizations also rely on Volunteer Managers to recruit, train, and manage the many volunteers who pass through their doors. If you are a people person, are excited about contributing to a mission-driven organization, and believe in the importance of volunteer communities, you will want to consider being a Volunteer Coordinator for your next (or first) job. Working with volunteers is an intensive, energy-demanding profession. At the same time, it can also be incredibly rewarding and will rarely be boring. Being a people person is crucial to both your success and enjoyment of work as a Volunteer Manager. While you may have to deal with difficult people, you will also meet new and interesting individuals who are passionate about the same issues as yourself. After working for a few years, you may choose to continue in the field by taking on a managerial position or use the network you’ve built and the excellent communication and organizational skills you’ll have to succeed elsewhere.
If this career path sounds exciting to you, this guide will take you through everything you need to know about working in volunteer management. To inform our work, Second Day has spoken to experts in the field and gathered the best information out there for upcoming graduates and recent graduates. First, the guide will take you through the different entry-level positions to look out for in this field. Then, we’ll provide tips on actually getting those jobs in volunteer management. We’ll finish with our next three steps: actionable items you can take to make progress towards finding your first job in volunteer management. Let’s get started!
This guide was written by Rachel Angle (SDIF '20) in partnership with the Second Day team.
Many thanks to experts in the field who supported this work:
King Adjei-Frimpong, Volunteer Coordinator at CEO (Commission on Economic Opportunity)
Katie Clendenning, Volunteer Programs Manager at Habitat for Humanity Chicago
Dillon Ficca, Manager of Volunteer Programs and Community Engagement at Housing Up
Victoria Tejeda-Gervais, Volunteer Engagement Coordinator at the Greater Chicago Food Depository
Becky Terlep Gee, Midwest Regional Administrator at Catholic Relief Services
What jobs exist in volunteer management?
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
This is the most common position in volunteer management (occasionally the title 'Volunteer Manager' is also used for the same role). The primary role of a Volunteer Coordinator is to recruit, train, and manage your organization’s volunteers. Depending on the organizational context, your job will likely be unevenly distributed between each of these duties. At a large nonprofit with a reliable volunteer pipeline, you will have to train lots of incoming volunteers and work on keeping them engaged; whereas, at a small nonprofit, your primary role might be to build up the volunteer base, drawing from existing organizations and members of the community. In order to manage volunteers, you will have to use relationship building tools like CRMs and email lists to turn one-off volunteers into those who become more consistent. As mentioned above, much of this work involves interacting with people, and drawing them in with your energy and enthusiasm. As a result, it’s incredibly important that you care about the work you are doing, and can relay that to your volunteers.
PROGRAM ASSISTANT/DUAL ROLES
Though larger organizations may have an individual designated as a Volunteer Coordinator, others will have the duties associated with the role wrapped up in a broader job description such as a Program Assistant. As the Program Assistant, you will be responsible for helping your manager run volunteer programs in addition to assisting with managing the volunteers yourself. You may end up working with clients directly or alongside volunteers, filling the necessary gaps for your organization. For example, if you’re a program assistant with an after-school program, you may spend some time working directly with the kids in the program. A program assistant job can be a great way to get your start in the field, and build the necessary skills to eventually run volunteer programs yourself.
In addition to this more general catch-all role, your job description may include other specific duties. One example of a dual role is taking on community engagement work alongside volunteer coordination. This type of work is focused on finding partners and building relationships within the community. You may work with another nonprofit to hold activities together or find a religious organization looking to build a volunteer partnership. Your role may also involve securing donations of items or pro bono legal support from other groups in the community. This type of work is tied into that of a Volunteer Coordinator, which is why you may see a dual role in a job posting. Beyond community engagement, also be on the lookout for other volunteer coordinator positions that include work in marketing and communications. Jobs in volunteer engagement might also crossover/work closely with the fundraising/development team since donors are potential volunteers and volunteers are potential donors.
What types of organizations have volunteer coordinator jobs?
Though many volunteer coordinator roles are at traditional nonprofit service organizations, these roles exist in a plethora of other spaces, as long as you know where to look. This list will give you an idea of different organizations in your area that might have a volunteer coordinator.
Service providers: Food banks, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, permanent supportive housing providers, refugee service providers may host volunteers to help with back end support or one on one connections
Education providers: After-school programs, english as a second language (ESL) programs, summer school/care may host volunteers to help with tutoring or support
Museums: Local museums may host volunteers as guides or greeters
Hospitals: Local hospitals may host volunteers as greeters or to lift spirits of patients and families
Religious organizations: Churches, temples, mosques, religious youth groups host volunteers at services and for efforts in the community
Corporate volunteer management: As large corporate organizations increase Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, they may use volunteer coordinators to facilitate their employee’s activities with a range of difference organizations
Volunteer Coordinating by the numbers (pay and hours)
Similar to community organizing or campaign jobs, you’ll have a non-traditional work week that will include some nights and weekends (since these are the time other full time employees will have available). However, by setting boundaries for yourself with your supervisors, you can still work about 40 hours. Since you’ll have weekend and evening meetings, you can take time off during the week or in the mornings to keep your schedule manageable. Work as a volunteer coordinator will also be somewhat cycle dependent. For example, work might pick up around the holidays or National Volunteer Week in April. This will balance out with times when your organization is less busy.
The pay as a volunteer coordinator will start out at the bottom end of the scale for a typical nonprofit job. You can expect to earn between 35K and 40K starting out. This may depend on the organization you end up at, so look to larger, more structured volunteer programs for higher pay and more room for growth.
How to get a job in volunteer management
Pathways to get your foot in the door
VOLUNTEERING
The best way to understand the Volunteer Coordinator position is to gain valuable experience and build connections within an organization is to be a volunteer yourself. Though you may not have long hours to dedicate to volunteering, participating in some activities on a semi-regular basis can provide a pathway to a paid job. Look into volunteer opportunities with college clubs and in the community to get started. If you enjoy the work and want to further your involvement, you can gain more freedom and responsibility as a volunteer leader, which will only set you up further once you are in the job market. Network with your own volunteer coordinator to learn about other organizations in the area and who might be hiring.
SERVICE YEAR
Many volunteer coordinators start their career path through an Americorps service year. By participating in a service year, you may either complete your service as a Volunteer Coordinator or work closely with volunteer coordinators. After your year is over, your experience provides an excellent pathway to continue at your service site in a more formal job. Understandably, Americorps is not the pathway for everyone because the pay is frankly not enough (around $20K per year). Some fellowship programs do provide housing or other benefits and this is more doable in cities with a lower cost of living. However, if you want to do this type of work and are in a financial situation to do so, a service year can be an excellent opportunity. If an organization has multiple Americorps service members, they may even have an Americorps manager role at the site. In this case, you may advance from being an Americorps service member to Americorps manager to a broader Volunteer Coordinator.
CAMPAIGN WORK
Working or volunteering on a political campaign will provide you with volunteer management skills to transfer into this work setting. Check out the Second Day guide to working on a campaign here.
MOVE FROM ANOTHER NONPROFIT ROLE
Since many volunteer coordinator roles are combined with another department, you may be able to move from a traditional nonprofit back-end role in development or communications into volunteer coordinating.
What to demonstrate in your application
PEOPLE SKILLS
As mentioned above, you should highlight your people skills and ability to manage relationships in your application materials. You can start with direct volunteering or volunteer management experience, but make sure to also mention any customer service roles you have had in the past. A big part of volunteer management is making volunteers feel valued and looked after. That can mean having patience and staying enthusiastic一even when dealing with difficult volunteers on difficult days. Working in a store or restaurant is a great way to develop those skills. Another experience to highlight is any mentorship or teaching you have done. The skills of a teacher translate excellently to those of a volunteer coordinator.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
In a similar vein to people skills, you will need to feel comfortable as a public speaker in order to succeed as a volunteer coordinator. When leading training sessions with volunteers, you’ll need to display confidence and competence in what can be a chaotic environment. Think creatively about your past experiences and which may display public speaking credentials.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Realistically, you will also have to do plenty of administrative work as a volunteer coordinator. Especially when planning for training sessions, you’ll need to keep track of individual volunteers and stay quite organized. Think of any administrative work you have done, and explain how that experience has helped you build organizational skills.
MISSION ALIGNMENT
Like with any nonprofit job, understanding and being able to articulate your investment in their mission is a crucial part of the job application process. This is especially true as a volunteer manager since your position requires you to sell the organization to volunteers and potential partner organizations. Preparing your elevator pitch for “why this organization” can be a great way to impress in an interview.
Exit opportunities
Working as a volunteer coordinator is a great starting point with plenty of exit opportunities. To begin with, if you enjoy your work and want to continue, you can work your way up to a managerial position of other volunteers. There are also specific Americorps volunteer management positions you could look for. By collaborating during your work with departments like programs, development, or communications, you can build connections across your organization to leverage if you’re interested in moving within your organization. Beyond connections at your organization, being in volunteer management will provide you an excellent introduction into the members of your community. Especially if you’re moving to a new place, meeting the network of volunteers is a great way to become embedded in a new place and understand the other organizational opportunities available.
If you’re interested in pivoting to another sector, you also have plenty of opportunities. For example, if you want to take on a CSR or foundation role, volunteer coordinating will provide the direct service experience valued in these fields. On the other hand, you can channel your volunteer management skills towards community organizing or campaign organizing roles.
Next three steps
If you aren’t already, get involved with volunteer opportunities in and around your community. Schedule at least one informational interview with your volunteer coordinator and ask them to connect you with others in the area.
Evaluate whether or not a service year is a viable opportunity for you. If it is, and even if a service year is not your first choice, apply. This can be a great option and a chance to learn about the industry through meeting people during the interview process.
Write a cover letter for volunteer coordinator jobs highlighting your people skills, ability to manage multiple priorities at once, and attention to detail. Leave room for an organization-specific paragraph.
Last updated: July 2021