Volunteer groups require different leadership approaches than traditional organizations. Leaders must focus on communication, vision, and addressing fears rather than salary, hiring, or decision-making structures. Effective volunteer leadership also relies on giving volunteers a sense of purpose through community involvement and teaching roles while minimizing favoritism, poor communication, and lack of organization. Leaders are advised to spend time addressing concerns and fears in order to encourage productivity rather than trying to manage ineffective behaviors.

1. Leading Leaders
Working with Volunteers
Piers Ansell
@PiersAnsell

2. Is working with volunteers
different?

3. Salary
Hiring
Strategy
FeedbackFocus
Accountability
Resources
Processes
Decisions
Hierarchy
We might be missing:

4. How many groups are you
involved in?
17%
38%
46%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
1 2 3 +

5. Best things about volunteering:
Sense of giving
something back Helping others
Community Teaching/men
toring
Networking

6. Simon Sinek - Start with Why
Leadership requires two things:
a vision of the world that does
not yet exist and the
ability to communicate it.

8. What do you like least?
Favouritism or
cliques Poor
communicati
on
Lack of
organisation
Internal
politics
Not
applicable

9. Circle of
Influence
Circle of
Concern
Circle of
Control

11. Communication

12. Brené Brown - Dare to lead
Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.

13. Brené Brown - Dare to lead
Leaders must spend a reasonable amount of time
attending to fears and feelings,
or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to
manage ineffective and unproductive behaviour.

14. • V2 me
• Be brave, be vulnerable
• Keep being amazing
Next steps

15. Piers Ansell
@PiersAnsell