10 Volunteer Management Best Practices for Food Banks

Nonprofit organizations and community volunteer programs are integral resources that a growing number of residents rely on for critical assistance. Nationwide, families of all sizes turn to nonprofit food programs to help make ends meet. In the Census Bureau’s May 2024 Household Pulse Survey (HPS), 6.8% of households reported their reliance on charitable food assistance. 14.8% of respondents identifying as food insufficient said they had relied on a food bank to ensure they had enough food—or the right types of food. These organizations provide essential services across diverse communities, and proactive food bank volunteer management is vital to their success.

In this article, we delve into the significance of food bank volunteer management and how it can enhance your organization's resource efficiency. By exploring best practices, volunteer-centric marketing strategies, and innovative digital tools, you'll discover the insights needed to build a more effective and resilient volunteer program. Whether you're a seasoned organizer or new to managing food bank volunteers, implementing the right volunteer management strategies can significantly boost your program's value and impact on the community.

Discover why food bank volunteer management is so important and how it can make your organization more effective.

Without the kindness and efforts of volunteers, most food banks would struggle to exist. 51% of all nonprofit food programs are run entirely by volunteers. In addition to sorting and stocking donations, assisting with food drives, and supporting fundraising efforts, volunteers help bridge the gap between your organization and the community.

What is food bank volunteer management?

Managing volunteers is a crucial responsibility for food bank volunteer coordinators and nonprofit event organizers. This often encompasses all aspects of the volunteer lifecycle, including marketing, recruitment, onboarding, training, communication, scheduling, and retention. To manage food bank volunteers effectively, it is essential to maintain precise records, enhance the skills of participants, and link enthusiastic volunteers with meaningful projects that resonate with them.

10 best practices for managing volunteers at food banks

Revitalize your food bank’s volunteer management strategy to enhance the efficiency of daily operations and significantly increase community involvement. By implementing a well-structured approach, you can ensure that volunteers feel valued and respected, making the most of their time and efforts. This not only maximizes your organization’s resources but also fosters a more engaged and committed volunteer base. Here are 10 volunteer management best practices for food banks. 

Understand the aim of your food banks volunteer program

Understanding the aim of your food bank's volunteer program is crucial to its success and sustainability. At its core, the program should strive to alleviate food insecurity by efficiently distributing resources to those in need while fostering a sense of community and empowerment among volunteers. By clearly defining the program's objectives, such as increasing food distribution capacity, enhancing volunteer engagement, and building stronger community ties, you can align your efforts with the broader mission of your organization. This clarity not only helps in recruiting and retaining dedicated volunteers but also ensures that every action taken contributes meaningfully to the overarching goal of reducing hunger and supporting vulnerable populations.

• How many volunteers do you need for each event?
• How long are volunteer shifts?
• Are specific skills or certifications required?
• How much do you need in donations (physical and monetary)?
• What items are the food bank most in need of?

Develop a strategic volunteer marketing plan

Define a clear recruitment message aimed at inspiring volunteers, and feature the recruitment message in food bank marketing materials. Consider embracing multichannel marketing that drives volunteer conversions by directing viewers directly to the organization’s website or app.

Minimize costs and optimize volunteer marketing ROI through thoughtful cross-promotional efforts. Partner with local organizations to create mutually beneficial marketing campaigns. Work with sponsors and community partners on captivating social media ads, or contact your area’s tourism experts for assistance with more expansive campaigns. Collaborate to create far-reaching marketing that highlights the direct impact volunteer efforts have on the surrounding community.

Connect with nearby destination marketing organizations or the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) in your area to expand the reach of food bank volunteer marketing. In addition to having abundant resources at their disposal, these travel and tourism pros know the ins and outs of your community, including which companies want to connect with nonprofit programs and local organizations just like yours.

Improve the volunteer recruitment process

Getting essential information early in the recruitment process makes it easier to match volunteers with the right projects and place them in the best roles. Create a volunteer checklist that outlines key participant details, such as:

• Contact information
• Demographic details
• Availability
• Interests
• Volunteer skills and qualifications
• Certifications/licenses

Host open houses, Meet-and-Greets, and other recruitment events. Promote flexible scheduling opportunities that appeal to a broad audience, and institute a volunteer referral program that encourages insider recommendations.

Create a smooth, seamless transition for new volunteers by optimizing the onboarding process. Offer comprehensive, hands-on training that gives incoming participants the skills and certifications they need to succeed. Try to assign meaningful tasks that help volunteers connect with the missions they care about while generating excitement for upcoming events.

VolunteerHub can help streamline the volunteer onboarding process for food banks  by providing a seamless, efficient, and engaging experience for volunteers and coordinators from start to finish. By automating the initial steps, such as registration, signup, and waivers, VolunteerHub ensures that new volunteers are quickly integrated into the system. With its intuitive interface, VolunteerHub allows volunteers to easily access schedules, sign up for shifts, and receive important updates, fostering a sense of belonging and commitment. VolunteerHub volunteer management software not only saves time for coordinators but also empowers volunteers to focus on what truly matters—making a difference in their community.

Streamline volunteer communication

Create a communication cycle that helps your organization stay in touch with volunteers before, during, and after an event. In addition to getting as much information during the recruitment process as possible, staying connected with volunteers leading up to an event is crucial.

Leverage automated messaging systems or volunteer management software, like VounteerHub, to share event updates, send reminders, detail assignments, express gratitude to volunteers, and convey other important information. The more effectively your organization communicates with volunteers, the greater the chance that participants will be present and prepared at the right time and place.

VolunteerHub's communication features are designed to enhance the connection between nonprofits and their food bank volunteers, ensuring that everyone stays informed and engaged. With integrated email, social media, and text messaging capabilities, food bank volunteer coordinators can effortlessly send updates, reminders, and thank-you notes, to segmented groups of volunteers or their entire volunteer database. 

Enhance the volunteer experience

Focus on creating memorable and authentic volunteer opportunities that help participants learn, grow, and build a stronger connection with their community. Whether planning a residential event or a holiday food drive, look for ways to add fun and value to the volunteer experience. Organize unique volunteer recruitment events at community businesses or local hotspots to generate more buzz and boost attendance.

Provide growth opportunities

​Integrating leadership roles and additional responsibilities into volunteer programs can significantly enhance volunteers' personal and professional growth. Encouraging volunteers to explore diverse organizations and learning opportunities aligns with their interests and fosters skill development.​

Collaborating with community organizations to establish mentorship programs and host events that connect passionate volunteers with nonprofits in need can be highly beneficial. Maintaining organized volunteer records facilitates the identification of standout volunteers when hiring organizations seek recommendations, aiding them in advancing toward their ideal careers.​

Create an incentive program

Incentivize food bank volunteers with tangible rewards and peer-to-peer recognition. Consider creating a point-based volunteer reward system that encourages volunteers to earn points that can be redeemed for products, services, and other valuable items. Stoke a little friendly competition while enhancing participant engagement and recognizing volunteers for their hard work.

Embrace recognition

Show appreciation for volunteers by celebrating their efforts and hosting fun events as a “thank you” for all their hard work. Plan volunteer celebrations and awards ceremonies to recognize all the participants who go above and beyond to keep your food bank operational.

In addition to traditional awards, like “Highest Fundraiser” and “Most Hours Volunteered,” don’t be afraid to mix in a few personalized, funny, or creative titles that relate directly to your volunteers and their impact on the community. Regularly celebrate food bank milestones and volunteer achievements, like the number of households fed or school meals replaced, to showcase the real-world effect of volunteer efforts.

Follow up with volunteers after an event

Remember: Volunteer management doesn’t end when an event does. Post-event feedback is a fantastic tool for improving the volunteer journey and boosting volunteer retention rates. After a food drive or fundraiser, host post-event breakdowns with the food bank leadership to identify what worked, what didn’t, and how your team can improve the next event.

• How did the event go overall?
• What was the community impact?
• Did you schedule enough volunteers?
• Did you run out of anything?
• What hiccups did you experience?
• What did team leaders learn?

Send volunteers a follow-up survey to determine how the event impacted each participant and gain valuable insights into the volunteer experience. What were the best and worst parts of their experience? Inquire about their likeliness to volunteer again and what changes would make them more likely to return.

Streamline food bank volunteer management with software

Implementing volunteer management software in food banks can significantly streamline operations and enhance efficiency. For instance, organizations like The Compass Food Bank have reported saving over 20 hours per month on administrative tasks by adopting such software, allowing staff to focus more on volunteer engagement and expanding community programs. 

By consolidating tasks such as recruitment, scheduling, communication, and reporting into a single platform, food banks can reduce the time spent on manual processes. This integration enables organizations to dedicate more resources to critical activities like securing funding, engaging with the community, and distributing resources to those in need. 

Investing in comprehensive volunteer management software not only improves operational efficiency but also enhances volunteer satisfaction and retention, contributing to the overall success of the food bank's mission. 

How software can help optimize your efforts

Volunteer management software makes it easy to manage your volunteer program and engage with the people who contribute so much to your organization. It optimizes various parts of the volunteer management process, including communication, scheduling, and more, using intuitive features, like—

• Automated communication
• Recruitment tools
• Hourly volunteer tracking
• Scheduling
• Liability waiver management
• Data collection and reporting
• Integration with other sources of data

By automatically sending critical volunteer communications and overseeing time-consuming tasks, volunteer management software helps food banks get more out of even the most limited resources. Streamline day-to-day operations, like—

• Volunteer Management. Automate scheduling and optimize volunteer recruitment with tools like automated hourly tracking and a comprehensive volunteer database.
• Opportunity Management. Optimize onboarding and training to enhance the volunteer experience. Connect participants with the projects they care about while promoting skills growth and managing volunteer fundraising—all in one place.
• Data management. In addition to volunteers’ data, volunteer management software helps you keep track of food bank reporting, liability waivers, and more.
• Volunteer Communication. Send important updates, share event information, and ensure all volunteers get the information they need when they need it. Share recognition and volunteer rewards with all participants to store friendly competition and show gratitude.

With volunteer management software, your organization can save time, energy, and resources while simultaneously boosting volunteer participation and strengthening community partnerships. Harness the power of data with consolidated data management and reporting tools that allow you to analyze organizational performance, volunteer trends, and more. Keep up with advertising and recruitment expenses and track where every marketing dollar goes to ensure you’re spending money where it matters most and maximizing the organization’s ROI.

What is VolunteerHub?

VolunteerHub is an intuitive, feature-rich software system designed to eliminate volunteer management constraints and help organizations maximize the value of their volunteer program. It optimizes every stage of food bank volunteer management, giving you more time to connect with volunteers and engage in dedicated action toward your mission.

Improve event organization

With VolunteerHub, volunteer coordinators can quickly create and publish landing pages displaying important event information, including date, time, location, and the number of volunteers needed. Future participants can easily browse open positions and sign up for volunteer opportunities that interest them.

Streamline volunteer communications

VolunteerHub simplifies communication by automatically managing participant communications for you. After sign-up, the system automatically tracks and sends key volunteer communications, including confirmations, event updates, and reminders. Using personalized text messages and emails, VolunteerHub gets participants the information they need when they need it, building trust and strengthening their relationship with your organization along the way.

Consolidate data management

Effortlessly track participation, trends, volunteer preferences, marketing ROI, and more. Generate valuable reports that provide rich insights into your food bank volunteer management operation.

Does VolunteerHub work with other systems?

Whether managing a mid-size operation or a booming organization, VolunteerHub seamlessly integrates with various tools, so you can incorporate it into your organization’s current systems without interrupting the food bank’s workflow. Boost productivity, optimize volunteer management, and eliminate redundancies by integrating it with the technology your organization uses every day, such as:

• Salesforce
• Blackbaud
• Zapier
• Sterling Volunteers
• People Facts
• XMS
• Omatic
• Google Analytics

Incorporate additional tools like digital kiosks to optimize event check-in and automatically track volunteer hours, taking more time-consuming intake procedures off your to-do list.

Put these food bank volunteer management best practices to good use and increase your organization’s impact.

Now that you know how volunteer management can affect your food bank’s success, you can create a better, more proactive volunteer management program. If you’re interested in additional tools that can help improve your operation, check out the top 10 volunteer management solutions for nonprofits in 2025.

About Our Guest Author

Kim Cambell became a full-time copywriter in 2020 after a fruitful career in hospitality and hotel sales. Experience championing sales efforts and developing brand-defining revenue strategies landed her a spot on Hotel Management Magazine’s “Thirty Under 30” list. However, with degrees in Theatre and Creative Writing from Virginia Commonwealth University, she always felt the desire to return to the creative arts.