The Pros and Cons of a Volunteer Based Organization

I have mentioned on here before that Red Cross is made up of mostly volunteers. I think it is close to 97% volunteers and this has some really great benefits for the organization. One of them is that the people who work there really want to be there. If you aren't getting paid, then you have to truly be passionate about it to be spending your time there. Another benefit is that the organization can spend money on the services they provide.

However, there are some drawbacks to having volunteers run an organization. A lot of the people come in whenever they can, which isn't the same as having a regular work schedule. It is harder to catch people at a time when they are available. This also makes it hard to fix mistakes that happen in the office because often that person is not in the office to consult with. I know this also creates stress for the staff because they have to deal with so many different people.