Once you have published your Guide to Giving and Getting Involved and have identified your school’s volunteer needs, it is time to develop job descriptions for each position.

Without job descriptions, you risk matching the wrong person to the job, misusing the volunteer’s time, and having no formal means of giving feedback and celebrating your volunteers’ contributions to your school. Include the following points when creating your job descriptions:

Describe What Needs to Be Done (Job Title and Description of Duties)
Create a job description detailed enough to give the volunteer a clear sense of what is expected, and offer the experience of others who have done the work before.

Give the Length of Service and Estimate the Time Commitment
Often overlooked, an accurate estimate of the time required to complete a volunteer task is critical for establishing trust between the volunteer and the school. You do not have to be exact, but try to give a fair picture of the commitment.

Provide Resources to Support the Volunteer
Be sure to include information about how the school will support the volunteer. Nothing can be more frustrating for a volunteer than wanting to do a great job—without adequate resources. Spend time working with each volunteer to discern their needs and make it easy for them.

Determine Metrics to Measure Success
In the job description and when working with the volunteer, state your goal.

Illustrate Why Your School Needs Support
Make the case for volunteer support with inspiration and context that motivates and inspires support for your school. Focus on your school’s Purpose and Outcome Statements, including your mission and Portrait of a Graduate. High-quality volunteers may be a part of your strategic plan.

Are you interested in other areas of strategic planning? Join us for our upcoming workshop, Strategic Financial Planning: A Comprehensive Approach.