Want to increase volunteer retention? Here’s how to do it and enjoy the process.

It’s start the New Year by taking a show of hands. How many of you subscribe to this belief?:

Guest post by Warren Fowler. 

Volunteering is often thought of as a selfless act — one where you give up your time for a worthy cause without being paid. While this may be true, what is often less obvious are the many benefits people experience when they volunteer.

The end of the year can be a rough time for many people. Days are shorter and darker; nights are longer. In colder weather, people are less inclined to go out and some struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Spending the holidays alone can feel isolating, and traveling to see loved ones can be stressful. Some see the end of the year as a time for self-reflection, leading to feelings of regret, inadequacy or inferiority.

Guest post by Kenneth Waldman

Getting your employees to volunteer can be a challenging task. However, it can provide your company and your employees with many benefits that aren’t obvious right away. Employees may see volunteering as something that cuts into their time — either on or off work. In reality, volunteering represents a way of giving back to one’s community while strengthening relationships and building new skills, all of which ultimately improves the workplace and boosts employee engagement and retention.

Angel Beltran is a marketing coordinator at Antis Roofing and Waterproofing — a roofing and waterproofing provider for homeowners’ associations and multi-family residential communities in Southern California. Their mission: to keep families safe and dry. They accomplish this through their prowess in roof maintenance and by supporting nonprofits!

Editor’s Note: January is National Mentoring Month! To celebrate, we’ve partnered with Cricket Media to share stories about the positive impact mentoring — especially eMentoring — can have on young people’s lives.

Guest post by Jason Miner

With National Volunteer Week approaching, and events in Boston and Texas reminding us of the importance of community, it’s become even clearer that volunteers really are the backbone of nonprofit organizations.

Volunteers help with fundraising, administrative tasks and operations, and they help spread the word about the mission of the organization. And although volunteers tend to perform such duties out of the care and concern they have for the goals set forth by the organization, there are a few key strategies that can be used to make these all-important volunteers feel recognized and appreciated:

Guest Post by Mila Sanchez

It’s easy to think about volunteering in places like hospitals, food banks, schools, and animal humane societies, but some places that are commonly overlooked [and could really use volunteers] are prisons.

Guest post by Lesley J. Vos

Even the most devoted volunteers experience a lack of inspiration and motivation from time to time.

As a volunteer leader, it’s you who can change this. You can encourage your volunteers, engage and motivate them to grow, and become a source of inspiration!