While volunteering may benefit both the organization and the volunteer, what do you do when you are faced with a toxic volunteer? Here are some tips:
1. Don’t ignore inappropriate behavior. If the unacceptable behavior is not handled directly, then the volunteer will not know what they are doing wrong and the behavior will continue.
2. Speak one-on-one with the volunteer to help them decide if the volunteer placement is the right fit for them at this time. Often, people are eager to volunteer but don’t understand the expectations of the position and these misperceptions can be the root of the problem. Sometimes they need to try out another position before they know what they really want to do.
3. Ask for the volunteer’s point of view privately about what the issues could be. Some clues to listen for are whether the problem could be from within their personal life, burnout, illness or the work environment. Discussing it with the volunteer can help you discover the source of the problem.
4. Once the volunteer is aware of the issues, an agreed upon deadline should be made for the volunteer to correct the problems. By setting up a second meeting, accountability is increased and the chances of the behavior changing is also increased.
5. If problems continue to occur, it may be best to refer the volunteer to another position or organization in order for both parties to get more out of their experience. Remember, if you are spending more time in the administration, leadership and management of the volunteer than they are productively volunteering, your volunteer becomes a cost, not a benefit!
(From Dr. Mimi’s Program on Working with Volunteers)