Volunteer Coordinator Job Description and Career Outlook

A volunteer coordinator is best described as a cross between an administrator and a human resources manager. They attend organization functions, process paperwork, follow-up on volunteer positions, interview and recruit candidates, update application criteria and uphold organization screening standards. Ultimately, however, they are looked to to maximize volunteer contributions for their organization.

A volunteer coordinator typically works in the for profit or non-profit sector, where volunteers give services for free to other organizations. Volunteers provide what the organization cannot, such as free appointment reminders in a local clinic, entertainment, education trainers or maintenance. A volunteer coordinator typically works in foundations, state run programs, organizations, hospitals, churches and corporations as a head of their department.

The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic about their work, capable of negotiating and considerate of company efficiency.

Volunteer Coordinator Education Requirements and Daily Tasks

Volunteer coordinators are as busy as the organization is. In many cases, this will involve personal travel time to and from major organization offices to give personal instructions, planning events, maintaining facilities, and freeing up work for the paid staff. A volunteer coordinator has other essential functions, such as conducting criminal background checks, and placing the best candidate for each position. They may also take photos, arrange ID tags, and provide the framework for volunteer introduction seminars and training. Additionally, they may be expected to lead vital year round fundraisers, connecting local businesses to the cause. In lack of recruits, they may also go out of their way to call old volunteers to maintain interest in the organization.

A volunteer coordinator can have broad education requirements, but a bachelor degree in a field of specialty is normal, plus two years of experience. This is to assure organization needs are fufilled. For example, a hospital volunteer coordinator may have a bachelor degree in health care administration, with two years as an administrator.

Volunteer Coordinator Salary and Job Outlook

The average volunteer coordinator will expect to earn $30,000 as an entry-level volunteer coordinator. The top 50% will earn $40,000-$52,000, dependant on experience, results, education and specialty.

How to Become a Volunteer Coordinator

As organizations develop, volunteer benefits start to make practical business sense. Other than free work, volunteers make company employees prouder about their organization, increasing employee retainment rates, provide broad company brand recognition, and they help non-profit organizations with long-term goals. Employment is diverse and competitive, however, as the number of organizations rise so has volunteer coordinator positions. Otherwise, volunteer coordinators have no licensing restrictions, so apply like other coordinators in their field.