Leading a team of volunteers is such great way to learn and strengthen leadership skills.  However, most everyone that manages volunteers struggles with the task of managing their own free-time and also getting things done with a group of other volunteers.  I, myself, have struggled with this over the years and have learned some valuable lessons in leading volunteers:

• Make it fun!!! - If you don't make it fun, people will not join your team.  Volunteers will only get excited and sign-up to help if they see how excited you are about it.  You can add excitement by doing something as simple as making up cool titles and writing interesting job descriptions.  If you are passionate and excited, when you ask people around you to help you out, they usually will! 
• Give volunteers cool stuff to do - One big thing I have had to learn as a volunteer leader is to delegate.  Because volunteers drop out from time to time, I see countless volunteer leaders try to do all of the work themselves.  The result?  The volunteer leader becomes burnt out and their teams get bored and lose interest.  Give your teams (note: I said "teams" and not just one person) cool projects to work on, and trust that it will get done.  You will be amazed how a team of volunteers will make one another accountable and do some really cool things you never thought possible.
• Give a clear direction and vision - Just because people are volunteering does not mean they don't care about the big picture.  Always try to provide new volunteers with, at a minimum, the vision and goals of the team (If you don't have these outlined, take some time to get with your team and write them down).  Also, be sure to provide volunteers with the right tools to do their job.  Make sure they have templates, any needed software, books, etc. right from the start and are engaged. 
• Outline expectations early on - If you have a fast-paced team or are working on a project with tight timelines, tell everyone upfront.  Say something like, "If you volunteer for this team, this is what I expect...", and then hold them accountable.  I see so many well-meaning volunteer leaders never get expectations outlined up-front and then wonder why their volunteers don't perform.
• Be sensitive to volunteers other commitments -  Even though you should outline your expectations, be mindful that volunteers have work and personal lives too.  Tell your volunteers to let you know when they are unavailable and to be honest about how much time they can commit to a project.  I always try to tell people, "Hey, send me a quick email if you need to take some time away from volunteering of if you have too much on your plate".  Allow people to tell you they cannot help, and they will more likely do so rather than disappear with no response.
• Ask them what they want out of it  - Every volunteer helps out for different reasons.  Ask them why they became a volunteer and find ways to help them get what they are looking for - whether that be introducing them to and getting them networked with other people, helping them get trained in a particular area, etc.  Bend over backwards to serve your people and their needs.  Take the time to mentor and empower others, and you will quickly build a happy and loyal team.
• Include everyone in communications - If you have a lot of volunteers on a team, include everyone with the same, complete information.  This way, you will be able to quickly fill in the gaps when (note: i said "when", not "if") people drop off the team.  Keep everyone in the loop - Be sure to copy people on emails when information you send to other teams might be helpful for them to know about.  
• Constantly thank your volunteers - Unlike in the corporate world, volunteers do not get paid to help out.  The one thing volunteer leaders do not do enough is thank their volunteers.  It is a completely free and easy way to provide something tangible back to those that help out.  Plus, paid or not, people like to be reminded that they are doing a good job.  Always be thinking of ways you can recognize, regard, and praise your volunteers publicly.  Become their biggest cheerleader and fan.  One great way to do this is write recommendations for your volunteers on LinkedIn.  I have also seen some organizations write and mail letters to volunteers' bosses thanking them for their work. 
• Lead by example - As in any setting, people will follow what you do and say.  Even though you are a volunteer, if you expect your people to get things done on time, you need to do the same!  Implement something as simple as responding within 48 hours to an email, even it it's just to say, "I cannot get back to you on this for one week".  I cannot tell you how many volunteer leaders don't respond to their teams promptly or do what they expect from others.

These are all pretty basic ideas, but many people struggle in leading volunteers because they get away from the fundamentals.  With a little planning, you will be able to do more with less and have a happy and engaged team of volunteers!