As a nonprofit leader, your days are filled with managing programs, engaging with donors, and planning for an impactful future. With so many essential tasks on your plate, finding time and resources to manage volunteers can be daunting.
A robust and ongoing volunteer program is more crucial than ever.
The new Trust in Nonprofits and Philanthropy study reports that 79% of US adults said their volunteering experiences made their views of certain nonprofit organizations more favorable. 88% said they plan to volunteer again. That is critical to elevating your impact today and sustaining it in the future.
You’ll experience the impact of volunteers both in programming and in dollars.
Most nonprofits wouldn’t be able to keep their doors open without volunteers. About 33% of the entire nonprofit workforce is made up of volunteers. One volunteer hour can save you $33.49 in labor expenses.
The value of volunteers goes far beyond the services they provide and the expenses you save. Volunteers are your most lucrative donor acquisition source. 79% volunteers also contribute financially to the organization. People who volunteer are more than 14% more likely to give and people who give are more 9% more likely to volunteer.
In other words, volunteers should be nurtured and engaged, just like donors.
Volunteering is Declining
According to the US Census Bureau, formal volunteering dropped to only 23% of all Americans in 2021 compared with 2019. The experts say this is partly due to the pandemic and other external issues, but also due to a lack of trust in nonprofits’ ability to make a difference. Many volunteers don’t feel like their contribution is meaningful.
The Trust Challenge
This disconnect creates a difficult cycle to break because a lack of initial trust prevents volunteering, and without volunteering, trust is hard to build. Less people are volunteering because they don’t think they’ll make a difference, yet when people volunteer they trust an organization more in making an impact.
So, what can you do to engage volunteers and ensure they feel like they are making an impact? The same way you engage and retain donors, through continuous and deliberate relationship building.
Strategies for Engaging and Retaining Volunteers
Invite community groups or organizations: People who belong to, or participate in, one or more community groups or organizations are significantly more likely to volunteer (14%) and donate (8%).
Challenge your current volunteers to recruit for you: Encourage current volunteers to search their networks for volunteers. Ask them to share their experiences as a volunteer and how they feel about volunteering. Offer incentives for bringing in new volunteers.
Define clear roles, responsibilities, and success metrics: Your volunteers should know what’s expected of them. Outline the specific tasks or projects for which volunteers will be responsible. Create detailed job descriptions. Clearly define each role’s scope, time commitment, and expected outcomes. These descriptions will also help you match volunteers to roles based on their time commitment, experience, and skills.
Provide complete training and continuous check-ins: Offer training sessions and ongoing support from your staff or more experienced volunteers. Ensure each volunteer clearly understands what’s expected of them. Regularly check in with your volunteers to provide feedback, address any challenges, and keep them on track.
Maintain open communication: Volunteers thrive in a culture of transparency and feedback. Foster open and ongoing communication with volunteers. Implement ways to gather and act on volunteer feedback. Encourage volunteers to share their ideas, concerns, and suggestions with your team. Regularly update them on your organization’s progress and how their contributions are making an impact.
Invite programming participation: Involve current volunteers in recruiting events and decision-making processes to deepen their engagement. Ask for their feedback on new value-added activities that would be appropriate for volunteers to do.
Provide opportunities to deepen volunteer engagement: Educate volunteers on different ways they can support your organization financially (e.g., monthly giving, annual campaigns). Offer job openings to volunteers first before posting the job publicly.
Recognize Volunteers-Donors: Publicly recognize volunteers who also become donors. Offer exclusive events or updates to volunteer-donors. Maintaining regular communication to keep volunteer-donors informed and involved.
Here’s the Big Takeaway
Volunteers are invaluable assets for your organization’s future.
By effectively engaging and retaining volunteers, you can build a dedicated base of supporters who trust their work through your organization will make a difference. With this trust, they’ll not only contribute their time but also their financial resources. Implementing these strategies will help ensure your nonprofit thrives today and in the future.
