Project HEADWAY: What I Have Learned About Volunteer Leadership

 

It is one thing to manage or lead in a professional setting. It is an entirely different thing to lead in a volunteer setting. Volunteers are there of their own free will, and choose whether (and how much) to participate in any given project. Their choice to be involved is wanting to contribute, to be a part of something and to make a difference. They will only be present to the extent that they believe that is true. The experience is also a social one; it is where people look to connect, to find community and to find like minds.

That means that leading in a volunteer situation requires a deft touch. We can't require, expect or demand. And while we often don't have much control at work, no where is that reality more clearly demonstrated than in a voluntary setting. This presentation explores successful strategies for leading volunteers.

It is one thing to manage or lead in a professional setting. It is an entirely different thing to lead in a volunteer setting. Volunteers are there of their own free will, and choose whether (and how much) to participate in any given project. Their choice to be involved is wanting to contribute, to be a part of something and to make a difference. They will only be present to the extent that they believe that is true. The experience is also a social one; it is where people look to connect, to find community and to find like minds. That means that leading in a volunteer situation requires a deft touch. We can't require, expect or demand. And while we often don't have much control at work, no where is that reality more clearly demonstrated than in a voluntary setting. This presentation explores successful strategies for leading volunteers.