Let’s face it: volunteers are valuable. They believe in the vision of your organization/church/nonprofit/team enough to dedicate their time and energy—for free. It’s important to note that while they may not be getting paid monetarily, they may benefit by experiencing a sense of belonging and purpose through volunteering at your organization/church/nonprofit/team. If done well, volunteer relationships can create a great synergy. Through volunteering, they may experience the joy of accomplishment, and you may be getting the help you need—it can be a win-win situation. However, this aspect of “free service” can complicate things. How to let a volunteer go isn’t as easy as 1-2-3, but we’d love for you to consider this: firing a volunteer could help you, them, and your organization grow.

Why Should You Consider?

While it’d be nice for every volunteer to have a can-do attitude with great work ethics and enthusiasm, it’s rarely that simple. Even though it’s never fun to remove someone from their position, at times, it is necessary—not only for your benefit but for theirs as well. As someone who has had to terminate over 180 times, I can testify that parting, for whatever reason, will never be fun nor easy. But there is value in firing, even if it’s not immediately evident.

For one, one bad apple can ruin the whole lot. If a volunteer has a negative attitude, it will affect the whole group; that is true for any organization, and it’s not just pertinent to volunteers. Having devoted volunteers who believe in the cause of your organization is such a blessing. However, the opposite can also be true: having a disruptive, uncooperative volunteer can be detrimental to your organization. Their attitude or lack of meaningful contribution to your team may lead you to consider how to let a volunteer go.

The longer you delay the conversation, the more likely it is that it will add on unnecessary stress to both you and your organization. Just like a splinter, you want to pluck it out as soon as possible, before creating any other inflammation or damages. Before letting a volunteer go, you should consider several factors, but delaying nor rushing shouldn’t be one of those factors. We’ll help you by throwing out some thoughtful questions to think through before pulling the trigger.

What Should You Consider?

As you consider how to let a volunteer go, were the position’s expectations and job description clearly communicated? If you answered yes, then be able to clearly articulate to Problematic Pat how he failed to meet those communicated expectations. If not, then consider having a conversation to lay out the expectations your organization has and give concrete advice on how he could improve as a volunteer.

Second thing to consider: will Problematic Pat be blind-sided by this conversation? Yikes. This means that you may have dropped the ball in giving feedback to Problematic Pat. Were there opportunities to share valuable, constructive feedback with Problematic Pat on his performance as a volunteer? Probably. But it’s never too late! Use this as an opportunity to share feedback that could benefit Problematic Pat— maybe he could become Helpful Harry rather than you having to Google ‘how to let a volunteer go.’

Another thought to consider: would Problematic Pat be an all-star in a different position? He may not have to be completely removed from the position of a volunteer but possibly steered into another volunteer role. For example, if Problematic Pat detests small talk and isn’t the friendliest person in the room, yet loves children, then maybe he should volunteer in children’s ministry rather than on the welcoming team.

Rather than wanting to have nothing to do with Problematic Pat, consider the different areas that he could volunteer in, and see this as a growth opportunity. Not only that, removing him from a volunteer position that is not a good fit can help the growth of your organization as well as your personal growth. What seemed like a splinter could turn out to be the perfect missing piece if the volunteer is placed in the right position.

There is no “one way-fits all” when you’re considering how to let a volunteer go. However, in order to be proactive and avoid typing in “how to let a volunteer go” in your search engine, we recommend the following:

• Does the volunteer description clearly communicate tasks 
 and expectations?
  • Just like a rubric for a class, it is helpful to write down what type of work and effort is considered praise-worthy. Be specific and include numbers when necessary.
    • For example, for someone who’s volunteering to answer phone calls for a nonprofit, a concrete expectation can be, “How often were you thanking them for their interest in reaching out to us? Please thank them once at the beginning of the call and once again at the end of the call.”

• How often, if at all, do volunteers receive feedback for their performance?
  • While it may add a little more work on your plate, giving feedback regularly (e.g. once a month) to your volunteers can be a great way to check in but also provide areas for them to improve.
    • For example, schedule a 15- to 30-minute call or in-person meeting with a volunteer once a month to share feedback on their performance. It doesn’t always have to be negative or constructive. You can also share positive feedback, like, “Our volunteer coordinator noted how engaging you are with our patrons—thanks so much for all the intentionality you bring to our team!”

If You’re Not Looking into How to Let a Volunteer Go, What Can You Glean from This Post?

In an organization, there is no such thing as being too proactive. If no one came to your mind while reading this, wonderful! You can still review your selection and training process to avoid the issue dealing with how to let a volunteer go. We hope that this post can benefit your team when you consider how to let a volunteer go, but we also hope that it encourages you to reexamine your team’s selection and training process. Some conversations will never be easy, no matter how well you prepare or rehearse. However, if you know that you’ve done what you can, you can let them go graciously, with no regrets. If you have any questions on how to proceed for next steps, feel free to contact us; we’d love to hear from you!