Network Volunteer Positions: What Does a Team Leader Do?

Ever wonder what some of the Network volunteer positions entail, exactly?

By Brandi Bennett, Best Friends Network Staff

A lot of times people who may be interested in volunteering with the Best Friends Network aren't sure about what exactly our positions are, and which one may be right for them. This article will focus on the Team Leader position: what the volunteer duties are and who might be most interested in this position.

A lot (though not all) of our Team Leaders act as a sort of “jack of all trades” for their network communities. They work to find news articles for their community, and if they have a love of writing, they’ll occasionally write up an article or start a blog themselves. They also add content to the other tabs of the community as they are able to and help with the organization of their community. Most importantly, though, Team Leaders serve as mentors to local volunteers as well as act as a lead point of contact in their area for Best Friends staff, volunteers, and the community. Team Leaders assist with recruiting new volunteers, training volunteers, and recognizing volunteers on their teams. They welcome new volunteers onto their team, and help to introduce them to the other Best Friends volunteers in the area. Team Leaders are in regular contact with their team, and help their team members by answering questions, providing encouragement and support, and assisting volunteers in finding projects to work on, or news stories to write about. Team Leaders discuss ideas about Network content with their team as well as other team leaders, and assist Best Friends staff with management of Network volunteers.

The Team Leader role can vary from place to place, depending on how many volunteers currently are active within a Network community and how many other Team Leaders are in their region. Some Team Leaders have very active teams with lots of volunteers. Other Team Leaders have small teams, or act as a “team of one”, which means that they’re the only volunteer coverage in a specific area for the time being. A lot of Team Leaders also voluntarily help to cover some of our Network communities that currently don’t have any active volunteers, or serve as mentors and support to volunteers in their region who are working on a community that doesn’t have a Team Leader of its own.

If you are someone who likes welcoming, supporting, and mentoring other people, is able to multitask, and is fairly organized, this position might be right for you. Leadership experience isn’t a necessity, but you do need to be a “people person” and a good, regular communicator. A desire to be better connected with local groups and organizations is also a must. It’s a lot of hard work being a Team Leader, but it’s also a lot of fun. If you would like more information, or to volunteer for this position, please contact Brandi via Network mail at: brandib, or via email at: brandib@bestfriends.org

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Photo of some volunteer Team Leaders (Stacy – IN and Candace – NJ) courtesy of Best Friends Network volunteers