guest post // 4 Volunteer Recruitment Strategies to Harness Your Community
By Rodrigo Ramos, 99Pledges
As the age-old adage goes, time is money. While this saying is usually applied to for-profit organizations, it is true for your nonprofit as well.
Your organization may already struggle with staff members wearing many hats and having far too much on their plates. Plus, the time staff members spend on administrative tasks could be dedicated to fundraising or connecting with donors (like driving more funding for your nonprofit). To overcome these struggles and maximize efficiency, why not rally the volunteers in your community?
This guide explores four strategies you can use to target, recruit, and retain volunteers, harnessing the power of those in your community who want to do good. Let’s begin!
Start with your supporter data.
Consider which community members would be most likely to say yes if you asked them to pass out water at a charity race, set up tables at your school fundraiser, or clean cages at your animal shelter—it’s likely your current donors!
Your existing supporters have already shown that they care about your cause. Here are some of the ways you can segment them using your donor data to request volunteer time more successfully:
Past volunteer activity: Identify supporters who have previously volunteered with your organization. Because they already have experience and have completed your onboarding process, they’ll be the easiest to recruit for new opportunities.
Donation history: Segment donors based on the amount, frequency, and recency of their donations. Those who have shown their dedication to your cause by donating often may be more receptive to an invitation to volunteer.
Engagement level: Tracking engagement gives you a more holistic view of how supporters feel about your cause. Create segments based on factors like interactions with marketing campaigns, event attendance, participation in fundraisers or online challenges, subscriptions to your newsletter, and more.
Even lapsed donors, or donors who haven’t donated in over a year, might be interested in volunteering. For example, they might have stopped donating due to financial challenges, but they may be willing to re-engage with your organization through volunteering.
Write engaging volunteer role descriptions.
Next, craft descriptive and compelling descriptions of the tasks your volunteers must complete. Post these descriptions on your website and share them via marketing materials to spread awareness of volunteer opportunities to both existing and new supporters.
Some of the key components to include in these descriptions are:
A title that accurately describes the purpose and responsibilities of the role.
An overview that explains why the role is important and the impact a potential volunteer would have.
A description of the specific duties a volunteer would need to perform and any requirements or qualifications you’re looking for, such as having experience working with kids or being able to lift heavy objects.
The time commitment associated with the role, such as if it’s a one-time job or a recurring opportunity.
Your expectations for volunteers, such as respecting other staff and fellow volunteers.
Instructions for how to apply for the role.
Let’s look at an example from 99Pledges’ sports fundraising guide. This resource recommends hosting a concession stand at games and recruiting parents and other family members to run the stand.
In this case, the title for the role could be “[Sports Team] Concession Stand Cashier.” Explain that this role will help the team secure additional revenue by selling snacks during the game. In the description, list duties like providing customer service, managing transactions, accepting payments, and resolving customer complaints. Then, specify how many games they would need to attend, note the hours they’re needed, and link to the application form.
Share on social media.
Once you’ve put together comprehensive job descriptions, it’s time to share them with your community. After all, your hard work writing those descriptions will only pay off if potential volunteers see them.
Start by making sure the descriptions are easy for anyone browsing your website to find. Link to specific job listings or your volunteer landing page in your social media posts. Encourage interested volunteers to apply and answer any questions they have in the comments section. Additionally, track the supporters who engage with these posts and follow up with them if you don’t receive an application.
Don’t forget to share the links on your other digital marketing platforms, too. Aside from your website and social media, Funds2Orgs suggests promoting the descriptions via search ads and email marketing campaigns.
Always show your gratitude.
Recruiting new volunteers will always cost your organization more resources than retaining existing volunteers. Plus, volunteer time is worth $31.80 per hour in the United States. When supporters donate their time by volunteering, your organization might not see the immediate cash value like when a monetary gift appears in your bank account, but the work they’re doing to serve your organization is valuable. That’s why your recruitment efforts must be paired with stewardship strategies like sending volunteer thank-you letters.
Here are some ideas and tips for showing your gratitude to volunteers:
Call or send a personalized note. Communicate just how important the volunteer is to your organization. Greet them by their first name and acknowledge the specific duties they assisted with. If possible, provide their impact metrics (e.g., “Your eight hours of service supplied 300 meals to our community!”).
Give them gifts. Depending on your budget, consider offering branded merchandise to volunteers as a gift. For example, print exclusive volunteer t-shirts. Or, give them items like calendars, coffee mugs, or car magnets branded to your organization.
Create a digital donor wall. These walls don’t have to be limited to just recognizing donors—they can be used to highlight any of your top supporters. Digital donor walls are made of screens, making them much more dynamic than traditional options. Consider listing top volunteers from the week on the wall to publicly acknowledge their support.
Acknowledge them in your messaging. Another way to recognize your volunteers publicly is to highlight them in marketing materials. You might choose a volunteer of the week, interview them about their passion for your cause, and post the interview on social media.
You can also show your volunteers that you value their input by asking for feedback on your volunteer program. Share short surveys with them after onboarding and volunteer events. Ask them how they discovered your program, what went well, and what could be improved.
Properly managing volunteers and fostering relationships with them is key to building a flourishing volunteer program. Not only is keeping your existing volunteer a much more effective use of resources than recruiting new ones, but you’ll also develop deep connections that lead to years of dedicated support.
This guest post was written by Rodrigo Ramos.
Rodrigo Ramos is the Manager of Customer Success at 99Pledges, the #1 online fundraising platform for schools, sports teams, music groups, and more.
99Pledges provides organizations with an easy-to-use, web-based solution to manage and drive success in fundraising. The platform’s robust functionality can support simple pledge drives as well as performance-based campaigns (e.g., fun runs, walk-a-thons, read-a-thons, etc.).