It’s Too Risky NOT To Delegate!
By Angela Williamson, CVA
Editor’s note: Angela Williamson is a volunteer engagement expert and speaker driven by her faith and a mission to help others connect, create, and make a lasting impact. We appreciate her contributing guidance on this aspect of risk management – the risk of not delegating responsibilities. Contact Angela at angelawilliamsoncva@gmail.com and on LinkedIn.
Effective delegation isn’t just nice — it’s crucial for organizational viability. It builds leadership capacity, deepens engagement, and helps your organization increase its missional impact.
What do you risk by not delegating effectively?
- Decreased organizational impact
- Less capacity for growth
- Losing volunteers with exceptional skills and experience, who want more responsibility
- Staff burnout
How do you delegate effectively? Here are just a few suggestions to get started:
- Know when and what to delegate – not everything should be delegated.
- Set clear expectations, including results.
- Match the person with the correct skills/personality for the task/role.
- Provide detailed instructions (in writing, verbally, video, or in person).
- Offer support, supplies, supervision, and regular check-ins.
- Celebrate and thank volunteers in ways they will appreciate. See https://5lovelanguages.com/start/workplace/
Delegation is NOT dumping, abdicating, or blaming others for poor results. You still have full responsibility for the outcome, but you don’t have to carry the whole load alone! Delegate well to multiply the impact of your mission.
In addition to volunteer liability insurance, VIS also offers accident medical insurance to protect volunteers if they are injured, and automobile liability insurance, in case a volunteer causes a vehicle accident while on assignment. If you are interested in protecting your volunteers through the unique VIS insurance program, please click on the “Get volunteer insurance now” link on the home page, or call 800.222.8920. For more information on VIS’s risk management resources for members and our vendor partners, click on the “Member Benefits” tab.
