One distinction I see organizations struggle with is the difference between valuing volunteers and being overly reliant on them for long-term infrastructure.
Volunteers are essential. They bring energy, creativity, and commitment to the cause. But they are serving the mission; they are not the mission itself. It’s part of the human condition when identity, ego, or simply informal processes undercut your efforts.
A recent example: we needed the original logo files from 2020 for a web project. The logo had been created by a very passionate volunteer. No centralized repository. No formal asset transfer. Multiple people reached out, including myself. No response.
The result? I’m now having a graphic design partner recreate the logo from scratch (with improvements, fortunately). But that’s time and money spent unnecessarily.
People often say, “Let’s not reinvent the wheel.” Agreed. But the way you avoid that isn’t by hoping former volunteers stay responsive — it’s by implementing policy.
Here’s the deal, every organization should have:
- A centralized, organization-owned asset repository (Google Drive, Nextcloud, etc.)
- A standard process for delivering design files, credentials, and source documents so future volunteers can use them
- Clear ownership policies: work created for the organization belongs to the organization
Volunteers power the mission but governance protects you from this kind of unforced error.