From uprising to uplifting: When volunteer leadership has gone astray

Volunteers are the lifeblood of many higher education institutions, whose limited staff and financial resources could use additional support to meet institutional needs. However, when volunteers stray from their original intentions, drastic changes need to be made to keep them from ultimately hurting an institution. This paper outlines a six-step pathway to turn volunteer uprising into an uplifting, meaningful and valuable experience for staff and volunteers. The process involves identifying overarching problems, deciding on the purpose of a volunteer group, having tough conversations with internal and external constituents, preparing proper documentation for future groups, launching the new group, and honing the power of your successful volunteers. Once completed and properly maintained, volunteer groups can be a resource to the staff and institution in furthering the engagement and philanthropy of the alumni community. Throughout the journey, staff members must avoid taking volunteers’ anger and frustration personally but always remember to do what is in the institution’s best interest, even if that means parting ways with certain volunteers. Ultimately, volunteers should be a help, not a hindrance.