volunteer problem solving procedure

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How to Manage Difficult Volunteers: Strategies and Solutions

Identify challenges and find effective solutions, free volunteer recruitment ebook.

Annelise Ferry

In volunteer-powered organizations, volunteer leaders will inevitably encounter a difficult volunteer, or one who has poorly-integrated into their role. And when your organization relies on the time, energy, and expertise of dedicated volunteers in order to achieve community impact, this is an important challenge to address. A misaligned volunteer can not only disrupt  the cohesion of your team, but they can even impact your program’s goals. As a volunteer leader, your organization looks to you to navigate these challenging situations with efficiency, empathy, and professionalism. But dealing with a difficult volunteer is hard , especially because they’re giving their time ! 

This guide is designed to help you navigate this discomfort. You’ll learn to identify challenges with volunteers, find effective solutions, handle the termination of a volunteer relationship, and get the strategies you need to prevent these situations in the future.

Article Contents

• Assess and Identify the Volunteer-Related Problem

How to Turn the Situation Around

When to fire a volunteer, strategies for preventing difficulties with volunteers, how to assess and identify the volunteer-related problem.

First thing’s first: you’ll need to objectively assess the situation with your volunteer before choosing how to address it. This assessment will help you gain an understanding of the situation and guide how you respond. Start off asking yourself the following question: can this situation be resolved by addressing the behavior, or has the behavior escalated beyond repair? It can be helpful to ask another trusted member of your organization for their perspective on the situation. Here are some issues that can likely be resolved through additional training and/or open communication with your volunteer:

• The volunteer repeatedly skips shifts
• The volunteer is not getting along well with others and someone has complained
• The volunteer is struggling in their role or doing it incorrectly
• The volunteer has a bad attitude or is using profanity around clients

If your volunteer’s problematic behavior falls into the first category, then you might be able to turn the situation around. Here are 4 steps for solving volunteer problems:

Step 1. Create and Follow a Process 

Every volunteer program should have a documented grievances process so that if something goes wrong with a volunteer, there’s a procedure to follow. This will help you approach the problem ethically, treat every volunteer fairly, and minimize bias or favoritism. Your process should outline:

• How other volunteers and staff can formally complain about a volunteer
• Who is responsible for handling these complaints and volunteer issues
• A protocol that covers the step-by-step disciplinary process including the initial meeting with the volunteer, an interview, a follow-up meeting, a performance review, etc
• The consequences of a volunteer failing to alter their behavior
• Which actions require immediate dismissal
• The termination process

Step 2. Talk With Your Volunteer

After you’ve assessed the problem and referenced your protocol, you’ll need to talk with your volunteer. Choose a neutral and private place to have the conversation. Gather your thoughts before the meeting by listing the issues or problematic behaviors you intend to address. 

Calmly explain how the volunteer’s behavior has impacted your program, clients, or other volunteers. Open communication goes a long way; sometimes, challenging volunteers may be unaware that they are causing issues. While you have this difficult conversation , avoid blaming the volunteer as you explain the situation, and listen to their point of view; you might be surprised by the volunteer feedback you receive.

Step 3. Reflect on What Went Wrong

After your conversation with your volunteer, reflect on what went wrong in the volunteer relationship. In some cases, something within your organization itself could have contributed to their poor behavior. As you reflect on the issue you’re having with your volunteer, ask yourself:

• What (if any) part did your organization play in this conflict?
• Did you match the right volunteer with the right role? Proper volunteer-matching has been shown to boost volunteer satisfaction and effectiveness. 
• Did your volunteer opportunity description match the assigned task? Was your description misleading or too vague?
• Is the role too complex or robust for one volunteer? Should it be broken down into several opportunities?
• Is this an interpersonal issue that can be resolved through scheduling or reassignment?
• Are you asking the volunteer to commit too much time?
• Is the volunteer suffering from volunteer burnout ? 
• Are you communicating your expectations effectively?

Even though it’s uncomfortable, volunteer issues can provide a great opportunity to identify and target problem areas in your organization’s volunteer recruitment and engagement strategy. 

Step 4. Find a Way to Make it Work 

Once you’ve talked with your volunteer and reflected on the problem, it’s time to work towards a resolution. Here are some solutions to try:

• Set expectations and goals. Clarify the volunteer’s roles and responsibilities, as well as your expectations for their performance in the future.
• Provide additional training or support. It’s possible that your volunteer is taking a little longer than expected to learn a new skill or the systems your program has in place. See if another round of volunteer training might fix the issue.
• Revise the role. If the role is either a poor fit or it is not meeting the volunteer’s expectations , try shifting their responsibilities. This might mean redirecting them to another role, or downsizing a robust task into a more manageable workload.
• Express appreciation and recognition. Sometimes volunteers act out when they feel overlooked, burnt out, or disconnected from your mission. Reinforce positive volunteer behavior by expressing appreciation and recognitio n for their efforts. Make sure your volunteers know exactly how much you value their time, and how they are helping make an impact in the community.

→ Free Resource: Download the Complete Guide to Volunteer Recruitment!

You might be wondering when it’s time to fire a volunteer. Before firing a volunteer, you should follow your problem-solving process and try to rectify the situation. If there is no improvement in their behavior, then it might be time to let them go.

Some actions are immediate grounds for volunteer dismissal, and there is no need for an attempt at repair. Many organizations adopt a zero-tolerance policy for the following behaviors:

• The volunteer has physically or verbally attacked or harassed another volunteer
• The volunteer has bullied someone at the organization
• The volunteer has arrived on-site or has operated a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• The volunteer has been caught stealing from the organization
• The volunteer repeatedly acts in a way that threatens the safety of others, even after additional training.
• The volunteer claimed they had skills or certifications that they do not actually possess
• The volunteer has shared the private data of the organization or its clients

How to Fire a Volunteer

If you have followed this guide and there has been no improvement in behavior, or if your volunteer has crossed the line, then you will need to release your volunteer from service. 

Firing a volunteer is never an easy task, and should be done respectfully and professionally. VolunteerPro suggests that you inform your supervisor and schedule a meeting with the volunteer. Ideally, a third-party witness or your direct supervisor will be present during the meeting. During the meeting with the difficult volunteer:

• Respectfully explain the reasons your organization is dismissing the volunteer. Identify specific behaviors and also note any failed attempts at remedying the situation
• Clearly describe how the volunteer’s behavior has failed to meet your organization’s expectations
• Present a termination letter and ask the volunteer to sign it. Present them with a copy for their records
• Ask the volunteer to return any of your organization’s property including uniforms, keys, badges, computers, etc

After the meeting, write a short report of the meeting for your internal records. You can also update their profile within your volunteer management software to reflect the date and reason for their termination.

Prevention goes a long way in minimizing problematic behavior with volunteers. By implementing the following strategies, you can reduce potential difficulties and create a more cohesive and healthy volunteer program: 

• Write a Volunteer Handbook. Volunteer handbooks prepare volunteers for their roles, and can help reduce confusion around duties and responsibilities. Share your volunteer handbook during volunteer orientation so your volunteer has everything they need to be successful from the very beginning.
• Implement a Volunteer Code of Ethics. Have volunteers read and sign a Volunteer Code of Ethics during onboarding. A code of ethics outlines your organization’s expectations of volunteer conduct while performing their duties. It can help remove ambiguity from the volunteer experience, and can also allow your organization to be more objective in disciplinary actions. 
• Offer Robust Volunteer Training. Volunteer Training helps volunteers fulfill their volunteer roles successfully, confidently, and independently, and can prevent underperformance. Ongoing training may be necessary for volunteers who began working with your organization under a different program or administration, and are finding it difficult to adjust.

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Managing difficult volunteers is one of the most challenging aspects of volunteer leadership; however, it’s necessary to address these misalignments for the overall health of your volunteer program. With the right policies and procedures in place, you can transform these challenging situations into opportunities for program improvement within your organization.

Annelise Ferry loves helping content come to life at Galaxy Digital. When she's not working for Galaxy, you can find her cooking, making art, or swimming in the Mediterranean.

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• Volunteer Problem Solving Policy

There may be times when the performance or conduct of a volunteer falls below what is expected. Having a clear and established procedure and process in place will help and if shared with all your volunteers prevents misunderstandings and seeks to protect the volunteer and the organisation.

• 1 What should a policy contain?
• 2 About this Example Policy
• 3 Informal Discussions
• 4 The Informal Procedure
• 5.1 Investigation
• 5.2 Review meeting
• 5.4 Very serious problems
• 5.5 Appeals
• 6 Help us to improve VolunteerWiki
• 7 More help?

What should a policy contain?

The aim of the policy should be to encourage improvement in individual conduct and performance and reduce the need for ending the volunteer relationship. Because of the legal status of employees you cannot just reuse your employee disciplinary policy, your policy for dealing with volunteering challenges must be specific to volunteers.

About this Example Policy

This example of a Volunteer Problem Solving Policy mirrors many of the standard procedures that you might see in a staff disciplinary policy, however, the policy has been drafted to ensure that where possible the language is less punitive and care is taken to ensure that solutions are sought.

Informal Discussions

Most problems can be resolved by informal discussions or counselling. Before taking formal disciplinary action every effort should be made to resolve the matter by informal discussion. This may include mediation or additional training or support for the volunteer, This would not be recorded as disciplinary action and would be seen as a process of constructive dialogue.

The Informal Procedure

Where minor problems of performance or conduct are alleged, your named contact person (or other assigned staff member) should hold an informal discussion with you to discuss this and decide on an appropriate course of action. The kinds of things we would identify as minor problems could be:

• Poor timekeeping - such as being regularly late
• Poor conduct – such as inappropriate behaviour
• Poor performance – such as regular incompletion of tasks or repeated mistakes

Your named contact person will work with you to identify future expectations, set clear goals and tell you about future action that will be taken if expectations are not met. Where the issue is related to your ability to undertake the role, your named contact person will address this during support and supervision sessions. Appropriate expectations and goals will be set with you. Where there is no improvement, your supervisor will hold an informal three-way meeting with you and the Project Manager. The following courses of action will then be available:

• Reasonable changes to your role to enable you to carry it out;
• Change of your placement, where appropriate and available;
• Developing a time-bound plan to address problems.

Your named contact person will evaluate whether problems are addressed and carry out a review at the end of the time-bound period; and follow the formal procedures listed in section four below.

The Formal Procedure

Where more serious problems of performance or conduct are alleged, or there is no improvement in relation to any earlier issues dealt with informally, the following procedure will be followed:

Investigation

Your named contact person or another suitably appointed person will investigate the matter and prepare a report for a Service Manager or Director Of Operations.

Review meeting

The Service Manager or Director of Operations will hold a review meeting with you and your supervisor. You will be advised in advance of the allegations against you and given time to answer the allegations. You may, if you wish, be accompanied to the meeting by a supporter, this supporter could be a friend, family member, support worker or colleague.

If, following the review meeting, the Service Manager or Director of Operations finds the allegations to be upheld then they will decide an appropriate course of action depending on the seriousness of the performance problems or misconduct. The following courses of action will be available, although they do not preclude other/alternative action: • To issue a formal warning (to be confirmed in writing) advising you of future expectations, a specified review period if appropriate and an indication that the placement will be terminated if expectations are not met; and • To terminate the placement with immediate effect and to confirm this in writing to you.

Very serious problems

If a very serious problem is alleged, the organisation may suspend you from the premises immediately while the case is being investigated. Where the Service Manager or Director of Operations considers the allegation to be upheld, your volunteer placement will be ended with immediate effect. Examples of the actions, which we would consider to be very serious problems, are set out below. This list is neither comprehensive nor exclusive:

• theft, fraud, deliberate falsification of company documents
• violent behaviour, fighting, assault on another person
• deliberate damage to company property
• breaching of confidentiality
• being unfit for work through alcohol or illegal drugs
• being found in possession of alcohol or illegal drugs whilst on the premises
• gross negligence
• gross insubordination.

You may appeal against formal action taken under this Procedure. If you wish to do so, you should put the grounds of appeal in writing to the Chief Executive Officer within one week of receiving notification in writing of the penalty. If you need support drafting your appeal within this timescale, please let us know and we can advise you where you can access support.

• The Chief Executive Officer will identify a senior manager (other than the one who took the original decision) to consider the appeal and issue his/her decision in writing.
• The senior manager's decision will be final.

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Writing a volunteer policy

What a volunteer policy is.

A volunteer policy sets out an organisation's approach to volunteering.

It explains the role of volunteers in the organisation and how it will treat them.

Why you should have a volunteer policy

A volunteer policy will help to:

• show your organisation's commitment to volunteering and its volunteers
• make sure the organisation treats all volunteers with fairness and makes consistent decisions
• show volunteers what to expect from the organisation
• show volunteers where they can turn if they feel things are going wrong
• make sure everyone understands the role volunteers play in the organisation and why.

Need information and guidance? We're here to answer your queries about the set up or running of your organisation.

Contact our small charity helpdesk

What to include in your policy

A volunteer policy should include:

• how your organisation will recruit volunteers
• how it will make sure it treats all volunteers with fairness and equity
• how it will make changes to roles to make them more accessible
• the volunteer induction and training process
• how it will pay volunteer expenses
• the supervision and support process for volunteers
• health and safety for volunteers
• the volunteers' role in confidentiality and data protection
• problem solving and complaints procedures for volunteers.

It can also link to other documents for more information. For example, it could link to the organisation's health and safety policy.

Your policy should reflect the size and nature of your organisation. It should cover all the important information, but not be so formal that it puts off new volunteers.

You should consult your organisation's staff, trustees and volunteers about your policy. They'll likely have more ideas of what to include.

Using your policy

You should share your volunteer policy with your organisation's staff, trustees and volunteers. Ask if they need it in another format, such as large print or as an audio recording.

Review it at least once a year to make sure it remains useful and up to date.

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Last reviewed: 12 April 2021

This page was last reviewed for accuracy on 12 April 2021

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Volunteer problem-solving procedure

At FiA we recognise that circumstances may arise where the actions or attitudes of a volunteer working for the organisation may infringe upon the rights of others, may cause offence, may breach the policies, aims and objectives of FiA, or may otherwise bring the organisation into disrepute. The aim of the problem-solving procedure is to ensure that, if a member of staff has any concerns regarding the conduct of a volunteer, the volunteer will be treated in a fair and consistent manner, and both parties will know what to do if such an instance arises. It is hoped that most problems will be rectified satisfactorily through informal discussion. If this is not possible, the procedure below ensures that volunteers have their cases heard. The following procedures will be initiated when matters cannot be dealt with informally, or where discussion in supervision or information received reveals that the volunteer has committed a serious breach of his/her role description, confidentiality, equal opportunities, health and safety or other organisational policies or guidelines. • If the person expressing concern is the Project Manager, a meeting will be arranged with the volunteer within one week to discuss the situation. The volunteer will be informed that the purpose of the meeting is to discuss a problem. A plan for rectifying the situation, which may include providing additional training, support or supervision, will be agreed and recorded. The volunteer will be entitled to see what is written. A review meeting will be arranged to take place in four weeks time. • If a volunteer or committee member is raising the problem, she or he will be asked to supply the facts to the Project Manager before the first meeting, which will proceed as above. • If at the first meeting it is clear that the volunteer has behaved in a way that would, for a paid member of staff, lead to instant dismissal, the services of that volunteer should be terminated immediately, and the reasons explained both verbally and in writing. Examples of such behaviour are: • theft of property belonging to the Salvation Army, FiA, another volunteer, member of staff, service user or Management Committee member • acts of violence towards a service user, member of staff, Management Committee, or another volunteer • malicious damage done to Salvation Army or FiA property • attending the Drop-in under the influence of alcohol or drugs • providing false personal details • sexual harassment • racial harassment • deliberate falsification of expenses claims • bringing FiA into disrepute FiA reserves the right to withdraw a volunteer from service before the first meeting and/or between that and the review meeting. However it should be borne in mind that withdrawing a volunteer may limit the possibility of assessing change of behaviour on the volunteer’s part. It is likely to be restricted to situations where training for the volunteer is being arranged, or where FiA itself needs to make changes in its practice. At the review meeting, the volunteer and Project Manager will discuss what changes have taken place since the first meeting. If the Project Manager feels that the situation is now satisfactory, no further action will be needed. The proceedings of the meeting will be recorded. The volunteer will be entitled to see these notes. If the Project Manager feels that insufficient progress has been made after the review meeting, a further meeting will be arranged to take place four weeks later. The Chair of the FiA Management Committee will also be present. If there is still insufficient progress at this meeting, the volunteer’s services will be terminated unless it is possible to arrange an alternative placement where the same situation could never recur. Proceedings of all problem-solving meetings will remain confidential between the parties involved, except where discussion with other volunteers or Management Committee members is needed to rectify the situation. A volunteer who is the subject of a problem-solving meeting may bring another volunteer or friend with them to the meetings. The role of that person is of observer only, except for the case of a volunteer with special needs, who would require the involvement of a facilitator. The same rules of confidentiality apply to the observer or facilitator as apply to others attending the meeting. Where a Volunteer feels that they have not been treated fairly FiA recognises that situations can arise when volunteers feel that they are not being treated fairly, or that their rights as volunteers are not being upheld. This policy lays down ways in which volunteers who believe that they have a legitimate complaint or grievance about the way they are or have been treated while volunteering with FiA may express their complaints and grievances, and lays down how they will be dealt with. The welfare of its volunteers is of paramount importance to FiA, and the grievance procedure is in place to ensure that all volunteers are dealt with in a fair manner. It is hoped that most grievances will be sorted out satisfactorily through informal discussion. However, if that is not possible, the procedure below is available to ensure volunteers have their case heard. If you feel discriminated against, or have a grievance against another volunteer, you should discuss this discreetly with the volunteer concerned, informing the Project Manager of the meeting and the outcome. If you feel discriminated against or have a grievance or complaint against a member of the FiA staff, you should discuss this at the earliest opportunity with the Project Manager who, if necessary, will discuss this with the person concerned. If the grievance/complaint is with the Project Manager, you should raise the issue with a member of the Management Committee. You can contact the Chair of Trustees.

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