Engaging VolunTOLDs: Making Strategic Decisions About Required Volunteers

Not long ago, Beth Steinhorn and about 140 other volunteers arrived early to a volunteer site, watched an orientation video, waited for assignments that primarily never came, and left in a few hours when told they wouldn’t be needed after all. Turns out, Steinhorn hadn’t actually volunteered – she had been summoned for jury duty. Steinhorn had been “VolunTOLD.”

Volunteer Engagement professionals increasingly encounter people who may be completing court-ordered community service, fulfilling a school requirement, participating in an internship. In this Engage feature, Steinhorn, a profession volunteer strategist, discusses how the field should approach these required volunteers or, as she calls them, VolunTOLDs. She provides examples of what thoughtful engagement looks like for individuals and organizations, offering suggestions to help transition VolunTOLDs to volunteers. Writes Steinhorn: “We cannot control what brings them through the door. But if we choose to open that door, we can decide what they encounter on the other side.” 

Available November 13