We’ve looked into that a bit, and in fact the answer is we don’t,” says Cathy Reisenwitz, COO of the organization. “We really are focused on just our volunteers and partners, because we realize the work we do is really hard, it’s a real time commitment, it’s on weekends, afternoons and evenings, and there are volunteers who do it because they’re in it for their passion, they’re in it for their hobby, they like the program, or their church or school asked them to be a volunteer.” Of course, even if the organization wanted to, it can’t necessarily guarantee that volunteers will be able to work with the same families over time. “There will be some shifts that we can accommodate,” Reisenwitz says. “But other times we will say no.” Reisenwitz says that this doesn’t mean every volunteer should quit when they reach a volunteer ceiling, though. A volunteer’s time is important, she says, but there are volunteers who’ve come back after a volunteer-time wall. “We are going to say yes to one volunteer, but we may not say yes to another, but that’s OK,” Reisenwitz says. “It’s not a big deal. They will be involved for however long they want to be involved. And I think we will have to be realistic about our volunteer base.” Volunteer Time Limits, Caps and Consequences: The Research There are few studies that have been done on the impact of time limits on employees at all, let alone volunteers, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to do the work to determine how time limits affect volunteers. In fact, it’s easier than you might imagine. When the organization of volunteers needed some research to back up their own decision to set a 10-hour limit, it decided to start with a survey of volunteers to see how they felt about limits. The organization surveyed nearly 7,000 volunteers with nearly 2,000 of those completing the survey being from North America. Volunteers were asked if they agreed that limits encourage more work and effort from volunteers, with 67% of respondents saying they agreed. Among those respondents, 64% agreed that volunteers should have some limits, though 54% disagreed that the volunteer time limit is the best way to ensure that the organization has some limits. Fifty-seven percent agreed that volunteers should be allowed to volunteer as long as they want. The organization also gathered additional data on what might be going on for people who say they would volunteer longer if they could. The question that has been asked is: “Which of the following best describes your situation in regards to volunteering?” Respondents were asked to answer one or more of the following options: I don’t do enough on my own accord. I work full-time and I just don’t have time for more. I work part-time but there is a limit on how many hours a week I can volunteer. The majority of those surveyed, 58%, said that they don’t volunteer because they don’t do enough on their own. Another 25% said they were part-time workers and had a limit on how many hours they could volunteer. The survey found that only 1% of respondents did some work without limits. “It was interesting to note that most people who were volunteering without a limit didn’t feel they were doing enough on their own,” says Stephanie Vogt, the organization’s recruitment and volunteer management lead. Vogt says the study helped the organization realize that there needs to be more outreach and education around how the organization needs volunteers’ time and that volunteer managers need to be better trained. “It is our commitment to our volunteers and the community we serve that we will be proactive and reach out to each and every volunteer every three months to make sure they are aware of upcoming volunteer shifts,” Reisenwitz says. She also says volunteer managers need training. “We are going to be educating our volunteer managers on how to communicate with families,” Reisenwitz says. “And the more that we educate our volunteer managers on how to have those conversations, then they’ll be better prepared to discuss the impact of time limits and the potential consequences that volunteer time limits have.” As an organization working with volunteer resources, there are many ways a volunteer time cap can have an impact on the client group, including on the relationship with the organization. For organizations considering setting limits for their volunteers, here’s what the research shows: For more on this topic: For details on the research, download the full report from the VolunteerMatch organization And be sure to check out other recent posts from our volunteer center coverage team here Have you had any experience with volunteer caps? If so, please share your thoughts and questions below. Image: Uptowns-Inc.com Volunteer Recruitment, Management & Retention: A series of articles based on findings from a survey of more than 20,000 volunteers About the Author About the Author: Stephanie Berman is the editor of PeopleOnTheMove.com and a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, N.Y. She has nearly 20 years experience writing and editing for the Internet, print, multimedia, and public relations, in addition to serving as a communications director. Follow Stephanie on Twitter at @stephanieberman.