Volunteers keep the wheels of your nonprofit thrift store turning. They sort donations, man the registers, organize shelves, and foster positive connections with customers. Still, managing volunteers can be challenging, from coordinating schedules to providing clear communication to showing appreciation for their efforts. Even if you have perfect volunteers and a stellar program, retention and recruitment are perpetual hurdles for any nonprofit.

To help you prepare for and respond to the volunteer staffing challenges, we’ll explore the most common difficulties that nonprofit thrift stores face, why they happen, and practical steps to overcome them.

1. Recruiting Enough Volunteers Consistently

Recruitment is an ongoing challenge for many nonprofit thrift stores, usually due to local competition, limited awareness of volunteer opportunities, or unclear messaging around volunteer roles and impact. To ensure you always have enough volunteers to keep your thrift store’s doors open, you need to create a sustainable pipeline of volunteers.

To address staffing shortages, try these strategies:

  • Form valuable partnerships. Many schools, faith organizations, and community groups have service requirements for their students or members, which means they’re teeming with potential volunteers. Reach out to the leaders of these groups and highlight how your missions align. Suggest specific opportunities for their members, and offer flexibility to accommodate their busy schedules.
  • Create online application forms. To encourage potential volunteers to follow through with their application, make the process as straightforward as possible. BetterImpact’s guide to volunteer management suggests collecting applicants’ contact information, skills, and availability to follow up with specific role suggestions. You can even provide a QR code to your sign-up sheet on your donation tax receipts to encourage customers to become volunteers.
  • Share impact stories and testimonials. Clearly communicate why volunteers should dedicate their precious time and energy toward helping your organization. On your social media accounts, highlight specific volunteers’ impact and stories with your organization, and share metrics that demonstrate the difference your organization is making. Include a link to your sign-up form on these posts so readers can easily get involved.

Recruitment is your organization’s opportunity to make a good first impression. Show that you’re willing to prioritize volunteer experience and celebrate the importance of volunteer work to your mission, and you’ll set the tone for the rest of your volunteer program.

2. Onboarding and Training Gaps

Getting a volunteer to sign up for a shift isn’t the final destination — it’s just the first step. Many volunteers sign up with good intentions, but drop out halfway through due to unclear expectations or inadequate training.

To ensure your volunteers feel prepared, implement these best practices:

  • Create an onboarding checklist. Your checklist should include everything a new volunteer needs to know to be successful in their position. Start with simple logistics, like where to store donations, and then work your way through the more specialized training that will ultimately make their job easier, like learning to use your point of sale (POS) system.
  • Offer training videos or guides. Providing online training has many benefits. It reduces staff burden, provides flexibility for volunteers, and allows them to reference the materials down the line if necessary.
  • Track progress toward completing onboarding tasks. You don’t want volunteers showing up to their first shift without the proper training or necessary waivers. Use your volunteer management software to ensure that volunteers come prepared.
  • Assign a volunteer mentor. Giving new volunteers a point person who can answer their questions and provide encouragement makes volunteers feel more secure during their first few shifts. A mentor may be a permanent staff member or a veteran volunteer.

Providing volunteers with the tools they need to succeed is a core responsibility of your volunteer program. When volunteers have the information and resources they need, they’re likely to work more efficiently and remain engaged in the long term.

3. Scheduling Conflicts and No-Shows

If your thrift store has been in operation for a while, you know the scheduling headache that often comes with volunteer management. Many thrift stores rely on volunteers with fluctuating availability, such as retirees, students, or part-time workers, which means changing schedules and last-minute cancellations. Lack of scheduling flexibility and volunteer burnout from overscheduling just exacerbate the problem.

Prepare for schedule changes by:

  • Using a tech-based schedule. Creating schedules with volunteer management software allows you to automate text and email reminders before a shift starts to help volunteers remember their commitment. These tools also provide an easy way for volunteers to update their availability, meaning you’ll reduce the risk of unexpected no-shows.
  • Offering flexible scheduling. Offer micro-shifts, drop-in hours, virtual volunteering, and on-call opportunities. These can be especially helpful for supporters with limited availability, like Gen-Z volunteers who are still in school.
  • Recognizing and respecting volunteer boundaries. Mistakes and emergencies happen. Don’t burn your bridges with volunteers who are unable to make their shift, and don’t pressure existing volunteers into taking on more than they can handle. Of course, you may still choose to implement a no-show policy to avoid last-minute scrambles if a volunteer is consistently breaking commitments.

Volunteers are already dedicating their time and energy to support your store. The least you can do in return is respect that sacrifice by catering to their needs whenever possible.

4. Role Misalignment and Disengagement

Volunteers who don’t feel that their role is a fit are more likely to disengage or leave. Many thrift stores overlook the importance of matching roles to interests and keep volunteers stuck in the same role for too long, or don’t allow for progression during certain tasks.

If your volunteers seem bored during shifts, implement these tactics:

  • Rotate volunteers through different departments. Giving volunteers a chance to fulfill various roles can be exciting and educational. ThriftCart’s guide to starting a thrift store includes roles like sales associate, inventory manager, and donation coordinator — see how each team could benefit from a few extra hands.
  • Offer special project roles. When you have a new idea for a way to improve your thrift store — such as expanding your product catalog or starting an online storefront — ask volunteers with interests or talents in that area to help out. These unique opportunities demonstrate your appreciation for their specific skills and can provide real benefits for your organization.

Providing variety keeps volunteers engaged. However, if a volunteer shows a strong interest in a specific role during onboarding, allow them to remain in that position, and you might soon discover new perspectives you hadn’t anticipated.

5. Retaining Long-Term Volunteers

Retention is often harder than recruitment. Too often, volunteers slip through the cracks due to insufficient recognition, unresolved conflicts, or limited pathways to leadership. Losing an experienced volunteer can have serious repercussions for your thrift store, as it forces you to go back to the drawing board with a new recruit.

Try these tips to improve your retention strategy:

  • Show your appreciation. Small acts of recognition go a long way. Ask permission to spotlight volunteers on your social media posts and send consistent, personalized thank-you messages for their involvement.
  • Create leadership volunteer roles. When a volunteer has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to your organization, reward that loyalty by inviting them to take on a larger role, which may include mentoring other volunteers or handling higher-level tasks. These gestures acknowledge and celebrate volunteers’ expertise.
  • Offer educational opportunities. Provide upskill opportunities that teach volunteers valuable skills, such as social media or email marketing. Educating volunteers on skills they can use to advance their careers (or just to learn something new) shows that you value them as individuals.

Remember to collect and act on volunteer feedback regularly to ensure you’re making a positive volunteer experience for all of your supporters.

Solving volunteer staffing challenges doesn’t require a complete overhaul. Even small improvements can strengthen your volunteer program, improving your recruitment and retention. Create meaningful volunteer opportunities and prioritize the volunteer experience to bolster your relationship with your supporters and ultimately boost your store’s impact.