Social work supervisor vs volunteer

The differences between social work supervisors and volunteers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a social work supervisor and a volunteer. Additionally, a social work supervisor has an average salary of $62,939, which is higher than the $31,227 average annual salary of a volunteer.

The top three skills for a social work supervisor include social work, patients and MSW. The most important skills for a volunteer are child care, patient charts, and patient care.

Social work supervisor vs volunteer overview

	Social Work Supervisor	Volunteer
Yearly salary	$62,939	$31,227
Hourly rate	$30.26	$15.01
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	93,867	9,583
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

What does a social work supervisor do?

Social work supervisors are licensed professionals who are responsible for providing administrative, clinical, and supportive supervision to inexperienced social workers. These supervisors are required to organize training to help their subordinates to develop their skills and promote career growth. They must respond to the conflicts occurring within the team and promote ethical behaviors among them as well as manage their schedules and expectations. Social work supervisors must also participate in research and studies which required opinion from social work organizations.

What does a volunteer do?

Volunteers are usually unpaid individuals who render their service to a company or organization. Most of the time, volunteers are skilled in specific areas needed by the organization but prefer to provide free service. They may be employed in another organization, but they lend their time and talent to another organization or company to give back to the community. They raise funds, create awareness, and work on the ground. Volunteers usually choose a cause or advocacy close to their heart, such as teaching children, taking care of the elderly, coaching sports teams, cleaning up communities, and caring for animals.

Social work supervisor vs volunteer salary

Social work supervisors and volunteers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Social Work Supervisor	Volunteer
Average salary	$62,939	$31,227
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $83,000	Between $23,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Chaplaincy Health Care	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between social work supervisor and volunteer education

There are a few differences between a social work supervisor and a volunteer in terms of educational background:

	Social Work Supervisor	Volunteer
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Social Work	Business
Most common college	California State University - Fullerton	California State University - Fullerton

Social work supervisor vs volunteer demographics

Here are the differences between social work supervisors' and volunteers' demographics:

	Social Work Supervisor	Volunteer
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%	Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.3% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between social work supervisor and volunteer duties and responsibilities

Social work supervisor example responsibilities.

Collaborate with partners including public and private agencies to achieve permanency for children.
Provide training and weekly supervision to MSW and BSW level staff in the traditional and therapeutic foster care programs.
Provide ongoing adjustment to illness support to patients and families through hospitalization, bereavement counseling, and crisis intervention.
Input data from assessments into the MDS system for submission to Medicare.
Spearhead hospital-wide projects, including roll out of new CMS regulations and forms.
Provide ongoing and current education regarding CMS issues like ABN process and implementation.

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Volunteer example responsibilities.

Develop and manage web presence, including Facebook account and other social media business accounts!
Train staff members on managing contacts, scheduling programs, and running analytic reports with the Salesforce program.
Lead team-building exercises and facilitate group discussions on leadership topics.
Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
Supervise and maintain safe play for children's soccer games.
Teach GED to refugees and survivors of torture seeking to enroll in college.

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Social work supervisor vs volunteer skills

Common social work supervisor skills

Social Work, 31%
Patients, 6%
MSW, 5%
Child Welfare, 5%
Social Services, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 4%

Common volunteer skills

Child Care, 12%
Patient Charts, 10%
Patient Care, 10%
Front Desk, 9%
Community Outreach, 9%
Mathematics, 9%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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