Volunteers may be different from the salaried staff in terms of age, race, social background, income, educational level, etc. This translates into many more points of view and perhaps even a form of counterbalance to the danger of the staff becoming myopic or inbred. Skills that complement the ones employees already possess. Ideally, volunteers are recruited exactly because the salaried staff cannot have every skill or talent necessary to do all aspects of the job. Community ownership of solutions to mutual problems.
Research suggests that satisfied volunteers frequently become donors of money and goods as well.
They also support special events and fundraisers by attending themselves and bringing along family and friends. If your organisation's volunteer programme is to be successful, it will need thinking about at top management level. It is important to avoid wasting the time of volunteers - which is exactly what happens if there has been insufficient planning to define and prepare the work to be done. It is a form of volunteer recognition to establish standards for who can become a volunteer, how assignments are made, and whether accomplishments will be evaluated. The point is not to bureaucratise volunteering.