It’s actually easier than you think to make your volunteers feel valued and appreciated. Giving them a chance to shine, making sure they’re having fun, and thanking them sincerely (and frequently) for their time and effort are just a few of the ways to create the kind of vibe in your group that will keep them coming back. “7 Things Volunteers Love” offers a good snapshot of helpful, commonsense ways to treat your volunteers right.

I wish I could end my message there. But I can’t, because it’s also pretty easy to create the wrong kind of atmosphere. Are you micromanaging your group? Doing things that perpetuate a clique vibe? Assuming people want a certain kind of job or assignment that they really don’t? “7 Things Volunteers Hate” spells out some of the pitfalls we sometimes encounter, and what you can do to correct them.

So the questions I’d like you to ask yourself this week are, how is your group doing overall? Are you doing more things volunteers love, or more that might not be working? If your honest answer is the latter, it’s never too late to start making some changes.