7 Ways To Recruit More Volunteers For Your Nonprofit

Raising money can also offer volunteers a very tangible way to see the impact of their help. Webinars Attend live or watch on-demand sessions with experts. Case Studies Read how other nonprofits are raising funds online.

• Digital marketing data can tell you who’s visiting from where, what they’re reading, and how long they’re staying on your pages.
• VolunteerHub is thevolunteer coordination softwaretrusted by nonprofits.
• You can even use a combination of the push and pull methods to fit your management style.
• On-page “trust elements” like any of the following can also help build credibility and boost conversions when you recruit volunteers online.
• Use clear and exciting language to motivate potential supporters to commit to your cause.

Who is your average donor, and what motivates them to support your work? Feedback and data from past campaigns and events can reveal the elements that are most exciting and motivating for your audience. If you want to post volunteer opportunities, use your communication channels — website, email, social media, etc. Many web sites, local and national, also are available to search for volunteer opportunities. Candid’s state-by-state nonprofit startup resources list many of them. An optimal volunteer recruitment plan should define the volunteer staffing requirements for a particular program, initiative, or event. Volunteers offer valuable skills, time, and enthusiasm to ensure many nonprofit programs and events can take place.

Corporate Social Responsibility Csr

Now is the time to move from crickets to a community, full of engaged, committed, enthusiastic volunteers who are ready to help you meet your most important goals. Or you can do so organically by creating relevant content and getting more clicks. This takes longer but is an important addition or substitute of ad campaigns that may come and go.

Volunteer recruitment is often the first step in building your volunteer management plan. InitLive has had the privilege of helping hundreds of organizations recruit committed volunteers using its volunteer management solution. With such a wide breadth of experience helping organizations with various recruitment goals and requirements, we understand that volunteer recruitment isn’t a one-size fit all solution. To help you get started, we have answered some frequently asked questions about volunteer recruitment. Volunteers are the main workforce driving most nonprofit events and programs. They are often the team behind the mission, making recruiting and retaining committed volunteers a top priority for most nonprofits. In fact, according to a Volunteerpro survey, 30% of volunteer managers reported volunteer recruitment as their top challenge in 2020.

Setting up a display and meeting people at volunteer fairs and community events is also a good way to meet new prospective volunteers. OneOC’s volunteer recruitment services connects nonprofits, companies, and volunteers through inspiration, education, and placement that change lives for the better. Join us as we create “thriving communities through the power of volunteerism”. Organizations using Mobilize have doubled their signup rates for volunteer opportunities and increased event attendance from online signups by 30% or more. Saving your team’s time, reaching wider audiences, and empowering more of them to take action for your cause translates into significant growth for your organization. Direct mail is an excellent marketing avenue for getting the word out about volunteer opportunities with your organization. After all, it can be difficult to grab your audience’s attention and stand out in supporters’ minds among the constantly increasing digital clutter.

When you are crystal clear on the characteristics of your ideal volunteer Persona, you can find and present them with a message that moves them to action. Ready to start finding the passionate supporters who’ll drive your mission forward? Nonprofit Stories Be inspired by stories of VolunteerMatch nonprofits and volunteers making a difference.

# Offer Flexible Volunteer Opportunities

This way, potential new volunteers can know early on how much time is expected of them. When you define your volunteer opportunities, you should clearly state the expected commitment of the volunteer position. Join a network of volunteer management leaders and receive weekly blog updates. Recruiting corporate volunteers is often a great way to bring in reliable and skilled help because these volunteers are often paid for their volunteer work by their employer . Do a feature on the homepage that links to different volunteer opportunities.

Offers email alerts of new postings related to your interests, and other online services to support a community of nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement. Volunteers can browse opportunities and create a profile to find and apply for projects needing their expertise. Social good organizations can post opportunities and browse volunteer profiles to find a match. When you describe the opportunity, remember to apply the tips discussed in this article! Be specific with the time commitment and skills required, and include the impact and importance of the volunteer role in the organization. Vet your responses thoroughly, matching volunteers to specific roles based on position requirements, certifications, and other relevant information.

Post On Facebook And Social Media

Bring a prop that will interest people and have either a volunteer sign up sheet or digital version for people to give their information to show interest. Peer-to-peer fundraising is another great way for volunteers to get involved with your organization. Raising money to support your cause can be done on their own schedules, within their own networks, while still connecting to your organization.

Search by location for volunteer and local service opportunities from nonprofit, school, faith-based, corporate partners and others. You could determine your nonprofit’s volunteer needs for upcoming events or projects, and send out a poll to all volunteers to ask who is available. Instead of holding your volunteers to unrealistic expectations, you invite them to join you on furthering your nonprofit’s mission. When you answer these questions from the start, you can ensure you’re getting the best-fitting volunteers for the job, and prospective volunteers will feel positively about getting involved. Members of this group are often well-educated, highly skilled, and fully committed to their family members. Consider offering free daycare, after-school programs for their school-age kids, and offer lots of flexible short-term volunteer opportunities.

Recruit Volunteers

And if your team lacks the capacity to print, stuff, and send mailings on your own, working with a nonprofit-specific direct mail platform like GivingMail is an excellent solution. Retention and engagement are critical parts of effective volunteer management. Check out our complete guide to volunteer management for tips on growing your relationships with volunteers and retaining their long-term support. Learning how to recruit volunteers is essential for building a solid base of grassroots support.

Desperation is not effective when it comes to engaging long-term volunteers. Recruiting a strong group of volunteers for your nonprofit is truly a marathon, not a sprint. You find a great volunteer, but then for various reasons, they have to step back. Don’t get discouraged, and focus on engaging more people ready to get on board with your mission. Here are 20 fresh and encouraging ideas to help you achieve success in your recruiting efforts. There are a lot of tools available to help spread the word about the volunteer opportunity. You can post your call for volunteers on LinkedIn and social media, to maximize your reach.

Nonprofit organizations need volunteers, but finding them and convincing them to help can be a challenge. Numerous methods can be used to recruit volunteers, and some will be more appropriate for your organization and its particular needs than others. Take into account the jobs you need filled and then consider who could do those jobs best and who might be interested. Here’s where you can offer prospective volunteers the real deal about the benefits of service through your organization. Your content should build trust around your claims by not promising the moon, rather than.

You may think it’s self-evident that you’re looking, but you’d be surprised how many people in your circle don’t know. Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. ’s Volunteer Infrastructure Program will help you build your nonprofit’s capacity and infrastructure to increase your overall impact. Meet our expert team of nonprofit professionals and skilled community volunteers. Joanne Fritz is the expert on nonprofit organizations and philanthropy for The Balance Small Business. Supporters are in your community right now looking for a place to commit their time.

Become (or find!) A People Person – What if your passion for your nonprofit is off the charts, but your ability to communicate that passion finds you tongue-tied? Let me first suggest that practice makes perfect — get outside your comfort zone and start talking! Make sure to consider the needs of people who don’t drive or who have limited mobility requirements when creating your volunteer opportunities and recruitment approach. Ensure that your volunteer workspace is accessible for individuals with walkers, crutches, wheelchairs, and other types of mobility equipment.

This group looks forward to volunteering in areas in which they excel while knowing that their kids are in good hands. Remote volunteers can work from anywhere, which means you can look at recruiting volunteers who live outside of your community, providing you a larger opportunity to find great volunteers. For many nonprofits, volunteers are the face of the organization.

# Highlight The Impact Of Volunteers

This prompted the agency to boost their goal to 750,000 volunteers total. And we assume that no one in our community is interested in volunteering anymore. Ask for feedback from volunteers to improve your strategies. Below are selected web sites that often provide searchable lists and will assist you or your organization in making a difference in your community. The truth is that if people can’t find you or don’t know you exist, they can’t engage with you.

Searchable by area of focus, project description, country, state, city, skills needed, language needed, or age. You can also indicate the dates when you would like to volunteer. By helping your nonprofit answer the phone and welcome visitors at the reception desk, the volunteer will help neighborhood residents find local mental health resources. You need to figure out how to reach people who are passionate about your organization’s cause and work, so you can run a great volunteer program. You can even use a combination of the push and pull methods to fit your management style.

This ad on Idealist.org asks for specific skills and experience.Getting specific also helps to get around any mistaken ideas about volunteering that people may have. Event Ticketing Sell free or paid tickets for in-person or virtual events. Donations Forms and buttons for one-time and recurring giving. Pledge Now, Pay Later Take installment donations automatically. Looking to build volunteer capacity to support the growth of your organizations mission?

An engaged and dedicated base of repeat volunteers is one of the most valuable recruitment assets your organization has! Invest time, attention, and resources into retaining the support of your supporters from one event or campaign to the next. Potential supporters are much more likely to get involved if they hear about your organization from a loved one. Encourage supporters to tell their friends about your upcoming opportunities, and empower them with peer-to-peer recruiting tools to take their messages online. As your organization and base of volunteers grows, make sure to offer a range of ways to get involved.

Looking To Streamline Volunteer Recruitment? Volunteerhub Provides A Centralized Database Of Volunteers To Simplify Recruiting

Linkedin members can specify their skills and types of volunteer opportunities they’re seeking. Nonprofits can find prospects with desired skills and post opportunities. You can also try an Internet search for “volunteer opportunities” plus the city name to find searchable websites where you can submit postings. If you let your volunteers work by themselves without any supervision and resources, the volunteer may feel unneeded and unappreciated. For example, your nonprofit might decide to recruit a volunteer for 8 hours per week, for just one month. This is perfect for someone who has fluctuating availability throughout the year. This article will explore what corporate volunteerism is, its benefits, and how to create an engaging program for your nonprofit.

Step One: Build A Volunteer Personas That Represent Your Ideal Volunteers

They are the people that are out in the community providing services, collecting donations, and working to help an organization meet its mission and goals. If your organization is attending an event or a large community event, many people will be attending, show up, and market your organization! In-person marketing is still very efficient in this digital world.