Volunteers want to be heard, seen and appreciated

Marijke and Nettie are our confidential advisors. Board members, volunteer coordinators, and initiators call them with questions about how to handle (or suspect) inappropriate behavior by a volunteer. Volunteers call them if they feel unheard or not treated well. What are the most important lessons learned?

A selection of the stories:

• Volunteer is fired without warning.
• Agreements or promises are not kept.
• A volunteer is being yelled at.
• Volunteer must adapt to new style of working.

The common thread in all the stories is these key lessons:

• Volunteers are loyal and often give 100%. Their enjoyment of volunteering diminishes when a complaint, disagreement, or an unacceptable situation arises. It’s important to hear the volunteer’s story and appreciate it being shared.
• Not every volunteer finds it easy (or is able) to discuss a complaint or raise it with others. It’s helpful to have an (independent) person in your organization with whom you can discuss the situation. Often, that’s enough.
• Volunteers don’t have a safety net to turn to with complaints like paid employees do. For example, there’s no volunteer union. This makes it all the more important that an organization provides proper support. This prevents simmering discomfort from escalating into conflicts that are nearly impossible to resolve.
• Often, there are already signs of dissatisfaction or discomfort. Address these signals quickly to prevent things from escalating.
• Discuss mutual expectations early on. From the moment a volunteer starts, through changes in their work, and until they leave.

Need tips or support?

Call, email or app Marijke Altenburg or Nettie Sterrenburg .

Free posters

Want to make inappropriate behavior among volunteers visible and discussable? Use our posters featuring seven different situations. You can order them from us free of charge.
View and order the posters .

Training

On November 14, 2025, we’re organizing another training session: Becoming a Confidential Contact Person.
Would you like more information? Contact Nettie Sterrenburg: 06-14927879 / n.sterrenburg@vca.nu