I suspect you’ve read the heading several times and thought, why is this post about seven deadly sins? What on earth have the seven deadly sins got to do with volunteers?
In truth this series of posts has grown from ever increasing incidences of poor practice from groups who involve volunteers and I thought I would try to address these in a slightly different way, rather than preaching the benefits of good practice when involving volunteers. I am sure none of these practices go on in your group or organisation, but they are happening out there for sure!
They are called deadly sins, as these are things that can kill your volunteer programme if allowed to continue and could cost you volunteers along the line, as well as your reputation as a great organisation to volunteer with. It’s not rocket science and a few simple steps can ensure that volunteer involvement is heaven rather than hell, so please take heed and try to avoid these seven deadly sins!
- Disorganisation
- Misinformation
- Non-communication
- Formality
- Neglect
- Ingratitude
- Detachment
