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This week we are so jazzed to welcome guest blog writer Jessica Pang-.Parks. Jessica is an award-winning Volunteer Engagement Thought Leader who loves cats, learning, and sharing her Chinese Canadian culture. She is the principal of Learn with JPP.

Volunteer engagement is often underestimated. It’s seen as a nice-to-have, something nonprofit organizations will get to once fundraising, programming, and communications are sorted. But here’s the truth: Effective volunteer engagement is strategic work. It shapes reputation, drives impact, and builds lasting relationships with your community.

As someone who teaches, consults, and advocates in this space, I’ve seen how small shifts in understanding can lead to major improvements in outcomes. And, I want to help more nonprofits move from reactive to intentional when it comes to volunteer engagement.

Let’s begin with a common misconception: volunteers are not unpaid interns, and they’re not placement students either. Interns are paid entry-level staff gaining hands-on experience, often with an eye toward future employment. Placement students exchange their time at an organization for academic credit, which is a form a compensation. 

Volunteers, on the other hand, give their time freely without compensation or expectation of compensation. That distinction is not just about semantics. It matters legally, ethically, and operationally, especially for organizations that want to build trust and long-term engagement.

On the topic of ethics, volunteers should never replace paid roles. Their contributions should supplement, not supplant, staff efforts. Organizations need to be mindful of employment standards, labour laws, and the risks associated with human resource misclassification.

Beyond compliance, there are missed revenue opportunities. For example, did you know 2024 research shows that people who volunteer are more likely to donate? Yet few organizations are analyzing their volunteer and donor data together to identify individuals to steward in new ways. If you haven't explored that connection yet, now is the time.

Another common trap: focusing only on recruitment. Recruitment is just one piece of the larger volunteer engagement cycle, and not even the first step. This cycle is centered on stewardship and starts with planning. You need to be ready to welcome, support, and retain volunteers before you ever start spreading the word. That includes having systems in place to respond to inquiries, onboard volunteers, provide training, and keep people informed.

Unfortunately, too many candidates never hear back from an organization after they express interest in volunteering. This not only harms the organization’s reputation, it undermines trust in the sector as a whole. Consistent follow-up, even when the answer is no, matters. If responding to every inquiry or application feels daunting, I’ve created a free Volunteer Response Template that can help you build stronger communication and trust from the first point of contact.

I also offer one-on-one coaching for teams who want to strengthen volunteer engagement processes or train their teams on ethical and responsive volunteer communication.

Another thing to consider is revisiting our language. Phrases like “using volunteers” or “free help” may seem minor, but they reveal a transactional mindset. Volunteers are not tools to be used or a resource to be extracted. 

Volunteers are people, and the way we talk about them reflects how we interact with them. These subtle cues can either build trust or erode it. My challenge to you: find one or two ways for your organization to shift its language (written, spoken, form, and informal) to be more human-centered, values-aligned, and respectful?

Similarly, we often reduce volunteer impact to hours and headcounts. While tracking time is important, it’s not the full picture. What if you also reported on meals delivered, legislation passed, or stories of changed lives? If you’re ready to go deeper, I recommend these tools from Sue Carter Kahl that will help you showcase volunteer impact in innovative ways. 

Recognition is another area worth rethinking. The most meaningful forms of recognition are personalized and connected to the volunteer’s contribution and goals. A branded water bottle is nice, but what truly matters is the quality of the volunteer experience. If volunteers feel disorganized, unappreciated, or disconnected from the mission, no gift will make up for that.

Finally, we need to stop treating volunteer engagement as a side project. It is complex, nuanced work that requires real expertise. A 2017 survey by the Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement found that volunteer engagement professionals were expected to have more skills across communication, program development, and partnerships than either HR or fundraising staff. So why do we keep assigning volunteer engagement work to new grads, or tacking it on to someone else’s already full plate?

If your organization is ready to take volunteer engagement seriously, I can help. Whether you’re looking to hire a dedicated volunteer manager, audit your current practices, or upskill your team, Learn with JPP offers tailored consulting and fractional executive support to meet your needs.

You work hard to build community trust. Volunteers are part of that story. Investing in their experience will return value in ways you can see, measure, and feel across your organization.