13 Ways To Get Rid Of Volunteers

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As fall approaches, many senior living communities prepare for an influx of new volunteers. That’s why it seems like the perfect time to reintroduce this popular blog post from 2018. 

Today, I want to talk about how we can get rid of those pesky volunteers that make their way into our organizations. As you read my suggestions, I hope you’ll think seriously about whether you use any of these approaches.

1. Don’t give volunteers a voice.

Never ask for input from your volunteers. If one happens to offer a suggestion, become defensive and let them know why their idea won’t work. Or listen to the suggestion and then shrug it off.

2. Make volunteers feel unappreciated.

Volunteers get plenty of personal satisfaction from the work they do. They don’t need a thank-you from anyone else.

Your volunteers will see posts on social media, letting them know how other organizations show appreciation for their volunteers. That’s good enough; they don’t need appreciation from you, too.

If you absolutely must do a volunteer appreciation event, do the same thing every year. Don’t consider the ages, roles, or preferences of volunteers when planning these events.

3. Assign volunteers to all the tasks your employees don’t like to do.

Volunteers will do anything, so give them all the grunt work nobody else wants to do.

4. Insist on a different time commitment than they expected.

When interviewing prospective volunteers, make it sound as if you’ll be extremely flexible with scheduling. Then surprise them by being very rigid.

Assign volunteers to the times when you need work done, not when it’s convenient for them. Then make them feel guilty if they can’t pick up a shift or if they need to cancel.

5. Make volunteers feel like they’re not welcome.

You certainly don’t want volunteers to feel like they’re part of the team, so never invite volunteers to employee events. Encourage employees to treat volunteers as if they’re a burden.

6. Don’t let your employees understand the value of volunteers.

Never tell your employees about the purpose of volunteers, how much time they contribute, or stories of how they’ve helped your organization.

You also don’t want to ask employees for input as to how volunteers can be of greater help to them.

You’ll know you’ve succeeded in this area when employees view volunteers as just one more interruption in their already swamped shifts.

7. Help volunteers feel bored and uninspired.

When interviewing prospective volunteers, don’t ask about their interests or goals. Only focus on the work you need to get done.

Ask volunteers to do the same assignments over and over again. Never check to see if they would like to try something else.

8. Burn them out.

Volunteers never experience burnout (compassion fatigue) like the paid employees, so don’t bother worrying about that.

9. Make volunteers feel like they’re wasting their time.

If you don’t have a specific assignment for your volunteers, just assign any old project to keep them busy. 

10. Provide poor training.

Only teach volunteers the very minimum they need to know to comply with regulations. Dump the rest of their training on the staff who happen to be there when the volunteers arrive for their first shift.

11. Don’t communicate with your volunteers.

Never check in with your volunteers to see how they’re doing. If there are changes in routines or procedures, don’t let volunteers know. Let them find out when they do something wrong, and an employee corrects them.

Also, remember that it’s a waste of time to get volunteers together for meetings, social activities, or ongoing education.

12. Be unprepared for volunteers when they arrive.

Don’t let your employees know the volunteer’s assignments. Better yet, don’t even let them know when volunteers are coming. Surprise your staff by asking them to direct and supervise these unexpected volunteers.

You also don’t want to waste your valuable time making sure all the equipment and supplies are ready when volunteers arrive. Let them improvise.

If you’re not there when volunteers arrive, never arrange a follow-up contact person in case they have questions. They can figure it out themselves.

13. Offer unrealistic expectations.

When you’re talking with a potential volunteer, make them think volunteering will always be easy and fun. For goodness’ sake, don’t tell them about any of the bad stuff, or they might decide not to volunteer.

In conclusion

Okay, I’ll admit that I’m being tongue-in-cheek and perhaps a bit silly as I write this article. Yet, here’s the sad part. I’ve seen every one of these problems scattered throughout organizations I’ve been a part of over the past few decades.

I realize volunteers can’t replace regular employees. But they can lessen the heavy load your employees carry, and they’re available to do those little extras that greatly enhance the lives of your residents. Volunteers are worth keeping!

What else have you seen that drives away volunteers? Please share in the comment section!