BlogOrganizational Management How To Create A Volunteer Engagement Strategy that Actually Works Organizational Management How To Create A Volunteer Engagement Strategy that Actually Works Author: Marlena Moore December 13, 2024 Contents 🕑 10 min read Have you ever started volunteering for an organization, then found yourself losing excitement for your shifts only a few months in? Perhaps your expectations didn’t meet the reality of the program you were in, this is a familiar story for many volunteers. If you manage volunteers and have seen this time and time again – a fresh excited group of individuals ready to support your cause that slowly fall off – you need to wake them up and bring out the enthusiasm. You need a comprehensive volunteer engagement strategy. In this post, we’ll cover exactly how you can develop a strategy that works for your organization, from beginning to end. But First: What is a Volunteer Engagement Strategy A volunteer engagement strategy is the plan for how an organization recruits, supports, motivates and retains volunteers over the course of their service. This strategy allows volunteers to remain active and interested in your organization, as well as avoiding the dreaded volunteer burnout. Elements of a Volunteer Engagement Strategy Engaging with your volunteers starts from the moment they show interest in your organization’s cause. When building your own strategy – we’ll get into exactly how to do that in a bit – consider these core elements. Volunteer Recruitment Volunteer Orientation/Onboarding Role Matching/Assignment Regular Communication Community Building Volunteer Appreciation Volunteer Feedback Survey Track and Measure Data How To Develop A Volunteer Engagement Strategy in 8 Steps As a volunteer manager you need to consider the journey a volunteer takes when they get involved with your nonprofit. At each point, you can look for new ways to build the relationship, take things deeper and connect the volunteer more with your mission. Step 1: Effective Volunteer Recruitment This is where you’ll define the ideal volunteer and build a plan on drawing them to your organization. Recruitment can involve a lot of elements, depending on who and what your organization is looking for. Ask yourself what your organization’s needs are, how many hands would make the most impact and how much can we invest in recruitment? A good volunteer recruitment process: Focuses on your organization’s mission Has a specific volunteer job listing Leverages all your connections from donors to local businesses Markets across all platforms (social media, website, email, etc.) Has a screening or interview phase Having engaged volunteers means having the right people from the jump. Invest your time in recruiting volunteers who strongly align with your mission and possess the right skills for your organization’s needs. This will help you avoid the volunteers that are unable to meet the time commitment or those who aren’t excited about the work. If you want a step by step process on recruitment, check out our blog on how to recruit volunteers. Step 2: Establish a Volunteer Orientation/Onboarding Process One of the biggest things a volunteer program may overlook is the importance of the onboarding process. This lets people know what they’re getting into and helps them feel more confident when they start volunteering. You need to start volunteers off on the right foot or you’ll risk losing them as quickly as you got them. A good volunteer orientation process: Informs volunteers about your mission Educates them about different volunteer opportunities Establishes goals for volunteers Safeguards against common mishaps Helps you learn more about them Excites volunteers to make a difference At the end of a volunteer orientation, your volunteers won’t know everything — they’ll have to volunteer for that — but they’ll have a solid grasp of your programs, their role in the mission, and what to expect. This sets them up for success and ensures that they’ll know how important they are right away. Check out these blogs if you need an in-depth tutorial on how to train volunteers and the volunteering onboarding process. Step 3: Proper Role Matching/Assignment Part of a highly engaged volunteer is making sure they’re in the right role. Matching each volunteer with the shifts they’ll enjoy and be successful in is essential. You’ll be able to get information on this from the volunteer application and interview process (if you have one) or make it a part of onboarding! Make sure you ask volunteers about their available time, special skills, which shifts they’re most interested in and which aspects of your volunteer program they are most passionate about. Be sure to regularly visit this! A volunteer may have initially had different availability or passions when joining your volunteer program. Checking in ensures they are happy with their role in your organization and avoids lapse. Step 4: Regular Communication Consistent communication is a huge part of volunteer engagement. If a volunteer doesn’t know what’s going on, how can they be engaged with your organization? Keep volunteers updated through various channels like: Volunteer newsletter Social media Volunteer portal Your website Meetings Project management software like Slack, Asana, Trello or Microsoft Teams This is where volunteers find out what shift are available, when the next meetings are happening, any potential training or development opportunities and social opportunities like happy hours or holiday parties. Step 5: Community Building 35% of volunteers are in it for the socialization, so building and maintaining a sense of community is key. Offer opportunities for your volunteers to meet one another and socialize outside of their volunteer shift. Sometimes this socialization could lead to one of your volunteers finding their new best friend, significant other or new job opportunity! Consider these activities: Happy hour Holiday parties Team-building activities Game night/trivia night Mentoring programs Networking events Online communities Volunteer retreats Book club Even just adding one of these could drastically impact the engagement of your volunteers and their satisfaction in your organization! Step 6: Appreciate and Recognize Volunteers Think back to the last time you were thanked for something you did at work. Even though it may be a small gesture, didn’t it feel good? You can support volunteers in many significant ways just by being there, and noticing what they’re doing. Simple feedback like, “You handled that very well,” or “That’s exactly right!” can make a big difference for volunteers. It’s important to highlight the impact of volunteers on your mission through various recognition efforts like: Thank you letters Volunteer appreciation day/week Celebrate birthdays/milestones Volunteer spotlight (via social media, newsletter or website) Volunteer impact report Discount codes Professional development opportunities Physical gifts like merchandise or gift cards Just remember: each volunteer has a unique set of preferences for being recognized. Some people love to receive branded tote bags and framed certificates, while others sigh and put them in the back of the closet. Be sure to ask your volunteers when you send out volunteer surveys on their preferences for recognition and appreciation. Want to dive deeper? Check out our ultimate guide to volunteer appreciation. Step 7: Ask for Volunteer Feedback and Have Check-Ins You probably don’t want to do the same task over and over again… so why would your volunteers? Interests change, and new challenges arise. Being there to support volunteers, especially those who have demonstrated a continuing commitment, requires an ongoing investment. Establishing regular check-ins and feedback surveys ensure your volunteers are satisfied with their roles and their voices are heard. Check-ins can help you solve problems before a volunteer leaves your organization. Ask open-ended questions to encourage open dialogue. Volunteers offer a unique perspective on organizations, so make sure you include opportunities for them to bring up ideas and concerns — what you learn may surprise you. These conversations can help volunteers feel like more than “free labour,” and have a meaningful part in shaping the organization. This also keeps volunteers engaged by giving them support, encouraging their good work and helping them grow. In the long term, it encourages volunteer retention, and allows you to cultivate deeper long-term relationships. Step 8: Track and Measure Volunteer Data Utilize the information you gain from volunteer check-ins, feedback surveys and volunteer data to evaluate your overall volunteer engagement. Successful volunteer programs have high: Satisfaction rates Attendance rates (meetings, events and volunteer shifts) Volunteer retention rates Hours contributed Impact to the community If you find that your organization is struggling in one of these areas, it’s time to pivot how you interact with your volunteers. Perhaps you have low satisfaction rates and your volunteer survey shows that individuals would like more time to connect with others. You should implement more volunteer events where the focus is on one another, rather than a volunteer shift. Tips for Increasing Volunteer Engagement 1. Honor Their Commitment Volunteers are generously giving their time and talents to your nonprofit. You aren’t paying them, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be professional in your interactions with them. You can respect their generosity by: Giving Them Clear Information Be honest about what you can offer volunteers. For example, if you don’t have any open volunteer roles that work directly with animals, but that’s the goal of a specific volunteer, make sure this is clearly communicated from the start. Being Mindful of Their Time Start and end meetings and events on time. Be sparing with mandatory in-person meetings. Respect the time limits volunteers give you – if they say they can volunteer once a month, don’t pressure them to switch to once a week. Being Fair If you have a mix of “juicy” and dull volunteer tasks, make sure you’re switching things up so everyone gets a chance at something fun. It’s tempting to give these assignments as a prize to the most dedicated people, but look for other ways to reward them that aren’t at the expense of other volunteers. Celebrating Them Use your volunteer management database to remind you to send a birthday card, or a thank-you note on their volunteering anniversary. That way, they’ll know just how important they are to you! You can also celebrate National Volunteer Month or other meaningful dates. 2. Make It Meaningful Just like any other job, volunteers stay engaged when their volunteer roles are meaningful to them. People volunteer to make a difference, but they usually have their own, not-entirely-altruistic hopes, too. Maybe they’re hoping to make new friends, or improve their resume or use their professional skills. If you can help them meet these goals, they’re more likely to be one of those volunteers who reach “100 volunteer hours” or “5 years of service” milestones. You can determine volunteers’ interests with: A checklist of tasks A list of opportunities they can rate in order of their interest A conversation about what they’d like to do An email to your current volunteer base when a new opportunity arises And remember that people find meaning in many different things. You might think running the sign out desk at your afterschool program is a boring assignment that someone would be in a hurry to move on from, but your volunteers might live for the fifty high-fives they get from kids on their way out. Simply by asking the question, “Why do you choose to volunteer?” you can learn a lot. Most volunteers can quickly describe just what it is they’re getting from this commitment. People have an innate sense for what encourages their continued volunteer service. They can also recognize the inhibitors that are discouraging for them — but they probably won’t mention either unless you ask. 3. Give Opportunities To Grow Some volunteers will want to do the same volunteer tasks for years at a time. They really just want to chop onions in the soup kitchen, and that’s it. But many will want to do more. So, look for opportunities to give your dedicated volunteers more responsibility. Maybe they could take on some of the menu planning, or work on the fundraising campaign for a new stove. No matter their motivation for volunteering in the first place, people stay engaged when they feel some ownership of their volunteer roles. It’s easy to drop out of a crowd, but if you know you’re the person who drives the van, or makes the schedule, or leads the tour, you’re much more likely to feel responsible. More than just responsible, you’ll probably take pride in your contribution. Mentoring new volunteers is an excellent leadership opportunity for established volunteers. This recognizes and promotes their expertise. They understand volunteering in a way that you might not, and will have their own tricks and tips for newcomers. Read More: How to Build an Effective Volunteer Management Plan in Six Steps Engaging Your Volunteers Is A Long-Term Strategy Keeping your volunteers engaged isn’t just a once-a-year check in to make sure you have happy volunteers. It’s about remaining active throughout the whole volunteer journey – from recruitment to onboarding and even past the “5 years of service” milestone. It’s about listening to volunteers, highlighting their positive impact and making adjustments when necessary. A volunteer engagement strategy like the one I’ve described helps you show volunteers how important they are. It can take you away from constant recruiting, and let you build deeper, richer relationships with volunteers, making them your organization’s most valuable asset. If you’d like to learn more about the power of volunteerism, check out our other resources! 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