There are two types of people in this world, those who love the holidays and those who relate a little too much with the Grinch. Whether you are a holiday lover or a hater, it is important to be prepared for the instability the holidays bring. We are sure you will agree that volunteers are more than deserving of a relaxing break but we also appreciate the stress that comes with a majority of volunteers taking a break at once. Want to know the best way to skip the holiday dread and have a holly jolly holiday season? Take some advice from the expert of Christmas himself

Count your reindeer

It takes 8 reindeer to pull Santa’s sleigh, how many volunteers will it take to run your shifts or events? Leading up to the holidays it is important to determine the minimum number of volunteers you will require to continue operations over the holidays. When determining this golden number, it is important to not only keep in mind the minimum number of volunteers required, but the minimum number of volunteers to comply with your health and safety processes while providing a great experience for the people you are helping and your volunteers. While you may only need one volunteer to drive a vehicle or run a food stand, it may not be safe to only have one person in attendance.

For each different activity that your volunteers undertake, consider the minimum number of people required to conduct the activity ensuring that safety has been factored in. Try to keep in mind the desirability of this number for your volunteers, would you want to volunteer all by yourself? You will often find that volunteers are most comfortable when they have a familiar face or two by their side, while fewer volunteers may be easier to find and lock in, too few volunteers will be just as dangerous as the rostered volunteers are less inclined to volunteer alone. 

⭐Volaby Tip: Set minimum and maximum volunteers in each Activity. When rostering volunteers for each activity, Volaby will notify Leaders and Managers if the number of volunteers is outside of the minimum and maximum requirements. 

Make a list 

Rostering over the holiday period will be a little bit different to your usual process. To make this process run as smoothly as a sled on ice, we suggest sending communications out early to your volunteers to let them know when you will be operating over the holiday period. Give your volunteers enough time to check their plans and confirm their availability. 

The holidays can be full of unexpected events, and the best way to avoid last-minute changes to plans is to communicate early and often. When making your initial roster, remind the volunteers of the dates and see if any plans have changed since they initially communicated their availability. 

Remember to let your volunteers know that taking a break over the holidays is not frowned upon. Being accepting of volunteers’ desire to take a break will result in your volunteers being more open about when they are available/unavailable, this will give you a clear picture of the operations that can run over the holidays. 

⭐Volaby Tip: Ask your volunteers to set their availability at the start of December to ensure you have sufficient time to determine rosters. You may also find it useful to ask volunteers to set their unavailability for the whole month of December, this will give a better picture of who is available for each activity. 

Check it twice

So, you now have a list of volunteers available for each activity over the break. It is time to check it twice. Your first check will be a few days before the date. It is important to give your volunteers a few days notice allowing them to be prepared for volunteering during the holiday period. The holidays will likely come with a maze of commitments and tasks for most volunteers, and with that much to focus on it can be easy to let a few things slip through the cracks. By reminding your volunteers of their rosters a few days before, you will both give them time to ensure their plans line up and ensure that you have time to adjust the plans if your volunteers have other commitments. 

We suggest checking in again 24-48 hours before they are rostered to volunteer. As volunteers may be out of their usual routine, it is likely that they will forget what day of the week it is. Avoid being short-staffed due to volunteers being so caught up in the festivities that they forget they are meant to volunteer that day by conducting a second check. 

⭐Volaby Tip: Use the Bulletins function to send communications to volunteers. Segment your bulletins to Programs, Activities or specific roles to ensure your message is reaching the right people. You can also choose to send the bulletin as a notification to ensure your volunteers get the message. 

Install a turbine in your sled

Sometimes even the reindeer need a break. When that happens, Santa can always turn to his last resort, the backup turbine on his sled. If all else fails, it is always good to have a backup plan. Consider having a pool of volunteers on standby for each activity to ensure your operations can run rain, hail or shine. Talk to your staff to see if anyone would be willing to step up to ensure operations can continue. Consider reaching out to former volunteers who were not able to make the time commitment. Ask your family and friends if they would be interested in volunteering over their break. 

No matter how much planning and confirming you do to ensure your volunteers are available, you want to be sure that if someone cannot make it on the day, you have a second option. 

⭐Volaby Tip: The Volunteer Roles feature is a great way to track standby volunteers, however, a new feature is being developed that will take it to the next level. The feature will allow leaders to roster people as ‘backups’ meaning they will be automatically rostered in the event someone pulls out. We are excited about this feature and how much time this could save volunteer leaders and managers!

Sing it loud for all to hear

As they say, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear. And that is exactly what you should be doing these holidays. When all is said and done, do not forget the most important part of surviving the holiday season, the volunteers who made it all possible. Take the time throughout and at the end of the break to show appreciation to the volunteers who stepped up when needed. Whether they continued volunteering for the usual hours or took it upon themselves to cover multiple empty spots, all volunteers are giving up their own time to help out and should be celebrated for their generosity. 

Loving and thanking your volunteers does not have to be expensive! Here are some ideas on how to love and thank your volunteers these holidays 

• Send a personalised thank you card
• Make a Christmas card 
• Gift some branded goods 
• Organise a lunch or gathering
• Post on social media
• Spotlight volunteers who have gone above and beyond
• Pay them a visit while they volunteer 

⭐Volaby Tip: Volaby will record the impact hours of your volunteers even when volunteering outside of their regular hours. Show appreciation to your volunteers by recognising the hours they devote to your cause. 

Want some more ideas on how to thank your volunteers? Check out these articles 

Valuing and Appreciating Volunteers

Saying Thank You Doesn’t Need to Cost the World

Volunteer Certificate of Appreciation Template

Feeling more confident about the busy month ahead?

It’s hugely important to make your volunteers feel valued – and that’s because they are!

Reduce the stress this holidays and focus your energy where it counts – loving and thanking your volunteers! It’s easy and commonplace to get bogged down in admin and not have time to show the endless appreciation you have for your volunteers.

We created the Volaby volunteer management system after our Australian-born charity Orange Sky found ourselves working around the clock just to keep the wheels turning – with most of that spent on administration. Our aim is to minimise the time spent managing volunteers, so you can spend more time implementing measures and activities that make your volunteers feel truly valued. 

We are proud to be able to help volunteering organisations of all shapes and sizes across the globe work towards a common goal  – to make it easier than ever to create an impact in our community using technology!

Our platform is made by nonprofits, for nonprofits. We’ve made it easy-to-use and intuitive for all users. We invite you to trial Volaby for free today, with no obligations.