Volunteers are Your Most Important Donors
According to the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Nonprofit industry struggles to manage volunteers properly. “As a result, more than a third of individuals who volunteer one year do not volunteer the following year, resulting in a loss of $38 billion in labor.”
Volunteers nowadays are looking for high-impact, stimulating opportunities with cutting-edge organizations. Here’s how to address the needs of today’s volunteers and keep them returning year after year:
- Take advantage of the new volunteer workforce
Today’s volunteers are eager to put their skills to good use. Consider how skilled and traditional volunteers can integrate into your strategic initiatives and fully solve problems to utilize volunteer expertise.
- Prioritize support and training. Enhance your volunteer orientation by following the same schedule as a new paid employee. Ascertain that volunteers are aware of your organization’s mission, progress toward your objectives, and the significance of their involvement. Give them all the tools, training, and support they’ll need to succeed. Make careful to communicate your expectations clearly. Volunteers want to know how much time they’ll be committing, what the project’s goal is, how you’ll communicate with them, and what kind of impact they can expect.
- Assign appropriate tasks. Survey your current volunteers to discover if they have any hidden talents or areas of added value that you hadn’t considered. Determine your volunteer’s abilities and match them to a project that is a good fit for them.
- Connect them to a Cause. Encourage volunteers to return year after year by fostering an emotional bond with your cause. Invite volunteers to speak at events where members of your community are speaking. Volunteers will be more motivated to give if they are introduced to the stories and individuals they assist.
- Provide a delightful experience
Preparing a fantastic experience for your volunteers is the first step toward enchanting them. It’s critical to comprehend their various motives to find the ideal opportunity. For example, a volunteer who wants to expand their portfolio will be more interested in multiple projects than someone who is merely doing their civic duty. Once you’ve grasped the concept, appoint a volunteer project manager to arrange and oversee the project’s execution.
Don’t squander your volunteer’s time by underestimating their willingness to assist. Set lofty goals for them to achieve so that they can push themselves. Recognize when volunteers go above and beyond, and encourage them to contribute even more.
Communicate frequently during the first few months of the relationship. Open channels of communication guarantee that projects stay on schedule and that regular feedback is offered. Like any other employee, volunteers must feel that they are a part of the team and are encouraged to perform. Ascertain that they are aware of their accomplishments as well as areas in which they might improve. Respectful feedback is essential, and you should regularly be mindful of its impact.
- Recognize their contribution
Anyone who assists your organization in taking a step forward deserves recognition. However, rather than merely praising the work they did, it’s a good idea to acknowledge the individual’s commitment to your cause and the actual influence they had.
Personalize your award. A professional volunteer who has worked closely to orient your organization’s branding over the years may warrant public acknowledgment, but a one-time volunteer who helped organize your offices may be more appropriate to receive a Starbucks certificate. Always send a handwritten message explaining the impact they’ve made, regardless of their reason or contribution.
- Technology is your friend
Everything has gone digital in today’s world, and volunteerism is no exception. So consider how you may use technology to help you find and manage volunteers.
- Improve your search. Consider using matching sites. VolunteerMatch will help connect you with local volunteers to provide traditional volunteer support and Catchafire to help you find skilled volunteers.
- Communicate. Skype and Google Hangouts offer free options to video chat with virtual volunteers. Google docs is also a great way to edit shared documents in real-time.
- Share. Cloud storage tools such as Dropbox and Box make sharing and storing large files easy.
- Get Social. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are effective ways to interact with and recognize volunteer contributions.
- Provide Feedback. You can use Survey Monkey to create quick survey templates. You’ll get feedback on your volunteer programs immediately.
- Think long term
Most volunteers are aware that outstanding volunteer opportunities are scarce, so they will remain committed when they come across the ideal organization. Therefore, consider volunteer initiatives and administration as a kind of talent development.
Take note whenever a willing and deserving individual affects your organization and develop unique strategies to keep them on board. For example, when volunteers have a great time volunteering with an organization, they often return to help on future projects, join the board, become an advocate, donate regularly, and/or become lifelong friends and advisors.
Learn more about attracting and retaining staff and volunteers in Human Resources and Volunteers on Monday, March 21 at 5:30 pm as part of the Sunshine Certificate in Nonprofit Management.
Author: Hayley Samuelson – https://learning.candid.org/resources/blog/5-ways-your-nonprofit-can-create-coveted-volunteer-roles/
Additional Resources: https://independentsector.org/value-of-volunteer-time-2021/
https://independentsector.org/news-post/independent-sector-releases-new-value-of-volunteer-time-of-28-54-per-hour/