How to Handle Conflict Between Volunteers

Volunteer conflict is one of those things coordinators rarely prepare for because it feels like it shouldn't happen. These are people giving their time for free, doing good in the world. Why would they fight?

And yet it does happen, more often than most coordinators expect. Interpersonal tension, miscommunication, personality clashes, disagreements about how things should run. When it surfaces, many coordinators freeze because they have no formal authority structure to lean on the way a manager does with paid staff.

You have more tools than you think. Here's how to use them.

Why volunteer conflict is different from workplace conflict

In a paid job, there are clear hierarchies, HR policies, and formal processes. A manager can assign tasks, issue warnings, or change someone's responsibilities. With volunteers, those levers either don't exist or feel disproportionate to use.

That dynamic cuts both ways. You can't order someone to work out their differences. But you also don't need to resolve every conflict formally. A lot of volunteer disputes can be handled gently and informally if you catch them early.

The key is not to ignore them. Conflict that goes unaddressed tends to expand. One person starts avoiding shifts when they know the other person will be there. Tension spreads to the team. Eventually someone leaves, and you've lost a volunteer you didn't have to lose.

Spot the signs early

Most conflicts give you a warning before they become a real problem. Watch for:

• Volunteers who suddenly start requesting shifts away from a specific person, especially if it's a recent change.
• Side conversations that stop when you walk in, or volunteers who seem guarded around a particular topic.
• Complaints framed as general feedback ("Some people just don't pull their weight") that are probably about someone specific.
• Tension during handoffs or briefings when certain volunteers are in the same space.

You don't need to intervene at the first hint of awkwardness. But you do need to notice.

Start with separate conversations

When you sense real conflict, your first move is almost always a private conversation with each person, not a joint meeting. Bringing people together before you understand each side usually just gives everyone an audience.

Ask open questions. "I've noticed some tension between you and [name]. Can you help me understand what's been happening?" Then listen. Really listen, not just wait to talk.

What you're looking for: a misunderstanding that can be cleared up with better information, a practical disagreement (competing views on how a task should be done, for example), or something more personal that requires a different approach.

Most volunteer conflicts fall into the first two categories. Someone felt ignored. A communication wasn't received. A task assignment felt unfair. These are usually solvable without drama if you take them seriously early.

When it's a practical disagreement

If the conflict is about how something should be done, there's a straightforward frame: what serves the program best?

"I hear that you and [name] have different views on how to handle X. Here's what we're actually trying to accomplish, and here's the approach we're going to use going forward." Then make the decision. You don't need consensus. You need clarity.

The mistake coordinators make is staying neutral on questions that actually have an answer. If the conflict is about process, just decide the process. People generally accept a clear decision more readily than they accept ongoing ambiguity.

This is also a good moment to check your volunteer program documentation. Written guidelines for common situations remove the "I thought we were supposed to do it this way" argument entirely. If the policy doesn't exist, this is a good prompt to create it.

When it's personal

Personal conflict is harder. If two volunteers genuinely don't get along as people, you can't engineer that away entirely.

What you can do:

Separate them. Assign them to different shifts or different areas of the same event. It's not a permanent solution, but it removes the friction that's creating problems right now.

Set clear expectations. "I need both of you to be professional during shifts. I understand you don't have to be friends, but I do need you to work together effectively." That's a reasonable ask, and most volunteers will honor it if you say it directly.

Check in individually. A quick message asking how things are going shows that you noticed and you care. Sometimes that's enough to keep someone from drifting away entirely.

The volunteer exit conversation often turns up unresolved conflicts that weren't addressed while the person was still active. Getting ahead of these is always better.

When someone has crossed a line

Most volunteer conflicts are ordinary interpersonal friction. But occasionally something happens that's more serious: harassment, discrimination, bullying, or a safety issue.

These situations require a different response. You're not mediating between equals. You're enforcing standards.

Be clear about what happened and what the consequences are. Depending on the severity, that might mean removing someone from the program entirely. That's a hard call, but it's the right one when the safety or dignity of other volunteers is at stake.

Don't carry this alone. If your organization has leadership, an executive director, or a board, loop them in for anything this serious. And if you haven't already, this is a strong argument for getting your volunteer policies in writing before you need them.

Keeping the rest of the team out of it

One of the trickiest parts of handling volunteer conflict is keeping it contained. Other volunteers often sense that something is going on, and they'll fill the silence with their own interpretations if you don't manage it carefully.

You don't have to announce that you're dealing with a conflict. But you can reduce speculation by being visible, calm, and consistent. Avoid asking other volunteers to weigh in or take sides. Gathering information that way usually just expands the circle of people who feel involved.

The connection to broader engagement

The reason all of this matters: good volunteers are hard to find and easy to lose. If someone leaves your program because of a conflict that could have been handled better, that's a real cost.

You won't handle every conflict perfectly. But showing up, listening, and being consistent will resolve most of them. If you're thinking about reducing the conditions that lead to conflict in the first place, keeping volunteers engaged between shifts and recognizing early signs of burnout are worth reading alongside this one. Disengaged and burned-out volunteers are much more likely to create friction.

The volunteers who stay through difficult moments often become your most committed people, partly because they've seen that you take the team seriously.