Being a volunteer coordinator is about making connections. It's about inspiring people and bringing out the best in them. It's about showing them ways of contributing that will add purpose and meaning to their own lives.
Jason Campbell studied business at university. But he always felt drawn to the nonprofit sector. In between classes, he volunteered and worked part time for an agency that helped children.
After graduating, he first thought about teaching. Then the Multiple Sclerosis Society hired him.
"Originally, my job was in the administration area, helping the society upgrade its computer and office system," Campbell says. "However, as time went on, I became very interested in volunteer management and training."
The society decided to make him its full-time volunteer coordinator. Campbell now recruits and oversees volunteers working in administration, finance, client services, education and fund-raising.
"It was very much by accident that I got into the field and not part of any long-term plan," he admits.
LeeAnne Gillaspie didn't plan on becoming a volunteer coordinator, either. "I had worked for a number of years in a volunteer capacity for local music festivals, coordinating volunteers among other things," she says.
She earned a degree in history and later took graduate studies in preservation law from the University of Missouri in Kansas City. Shortly thereafter, she joined the Jackson County Historical Society as its volunteer and development coordinator.
The historical society collects and preserves materials for researchers, operates a museum and two heritage sites, and produces a newsletter.
"I accepted the position because of my desire to work for an organization devoted to history and historic preservation," says Gillaspie.
"This organization, like most not-for-profits, is very dependent on volunteers. And it is essential that a professional staff [member] have the responsibility to coordinate their work and act as the volunteer liaison."
In order to recruit volunteers, volunteer coordinators must keep their finger on the pulse of today's society.
"People are volunteering for different reasons," says Campbell. "More and more people volunteer either to upgrade or acquire new skills. Also, people are a lot busier, so volunteer managers need to be more flexible with hours or ways people can volunteer."
For example, the Internet has now enabled volunteer coordinators to use "virtual volunteers." They can perform tasks such as data inputting or mentoring via e-mail wherever they live.
Another important development, notes Gillaspie, is the number of retirees who are looking for meaningful volunteer work.
Gillaspie feels it's essential that volunteer coordinators have empathy for the volunteers. You must recognize that they are giving up a precious commodity: their time.
"The fact that volunteers work for love, and not for money, does not detract in any way from the value of their work and from the respect and consideration they deserve," she says.
In some organizations, staff members act as though volunteers are making more of a nuisance of themselves than making a difference.
"One of the things I hate to see is when paid staff treat volunteers as second-class citizens," says Gillaspie. "Volunteers deserve the highest degree of respect for their contributions."
Indeed, Campbell has often found himself in awe of the volunteers with whom he works. He considers them "some of the most amazing and inspiring people I have ever met." Their enthusiasm and generosity help ease the strain of working in an environment where money is always an issue.
"As government funding of charities has come down, more and more groups have had to do their own fund-raising and it can be quite competitive," says Campbell. "Some people have found the transition quite difficult."
At the same time, nonprofit organizations have also assumed a greater role in addressing society's needs. Because of that, Gillaspie feels that the job of volunteer coordinators has become more important than ever before.
"Many volunteer coordinators work in many different arenas that fulfill essential functions for the populations that they serve, such as food, housing and education," she says.
Ultimately, Campbell thinks that volunteer coordinators help to build community by bringing people together in support of worthy causes.
"Many people volunteer because their job does not give them complete satisfaction or they want to meet people," he says. So while they provide organizations priceless time and work, "volunteers also get something in return."
And everybody's happy -- including the volunteer coordinator. "The best part of my job," says Gillaspie, "is giving people the opportunity to perform valuable work that they enjoy and that they would not otherwise have the chance to do."