A strong volunteer program is an invaluable asset for any school, whether public, private, or university. Developing and maintaining a strong school volunteer program doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a detailed plan and ongoing commitment to engage and retain volunteers.
Thankfully, there are proven strategies in school volunteer management that can guide you in creating an engaging volunteer program. Here are five essential tips to help you develop, expand, and maintain your program.
Tip #1: Identify Your Volunteer Needs
Before you begin recruiting and managing volunteers, it's essential to determine the specific tasks you need assistance with. Certain tasks may demand particular time commitments or skills. Some volunteers might prefer to focus on specific tasks, while others are open to helping wherever they are most needed. Therefore, it's wise to identify your volunteer needs before bringing in new volunteers.
Talk to Teachers and Administrators
Begin by engaging in conversations with teachers and administrators to understand their volunteer requirements. Are there needs for assistance in classrooms? Are there particular projects that could benefit from volunteer support? Teachers and administrators have a direct view of where volunteers can make the most impact in your school, making it logical to initiate the process of identifying volunteer needs by consulting with them.
Conduct a Needs Assessment Survey
In addition to engaging in direct conversations, you can also distribute a comprehensive needs assessment survey to a wide range of stakeholders, including parents, Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) members, district staff members, and even students if appropriate. This online survey serves as a powerful tool to collect extensive feedback simultaneously, providing valuable insights into your school’s volunteer needs.
By reaching out to such a diverse group, you ensure that you capture a broad spectrum of perspectives and ideas, which can help in identifying areas where volunteer support is most needed. This approach not only streamlines the process of gathering information but also fosters a sense of community involvement and collaboration, as everyone has the opportunity to contribute their thoughts and suggestions. The data collected from this survey can then be analyzed to prioritize volunteer roles and tailor recruitment efforts to meet the specific needs identified, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness and impact of your school’s volunteer program.
Determine the Time Commitment Required
For each volunteer role, it's crucial to evaluate the time commitment involved. Some volunteers might be available every week, while others may only be able to assist with special events or occasional tasks. It's important to be realistic about the time you request from volunteers for specific duties. Instead of relying on a single volunteer to assist in the library every day, consider dividing the responsibilities into two separate roles to lessen the time burden on any one volunteer. If volunteers wish to take on additional roles, that's wonderful. However, it's essential to establish clear expectations from the start.
Typical School Volunteer Roles
The volunteer program requirements for each school will differ according to their unique situations. Nonetheless, there are several typical roles that schools often require:
- Tutoring
- Mentoring
- Classroom Helper
- Reading Mentor
- Fundraising
- Event Support
- Library Help
- Administrative Tasks
Tip #2: Recruit Volunteers
Strong school volunteer programs thrive on a steady influx of new volunteers. While having a well-organized program and showing appreciation for your current volunteers are crucial elements, they are not enough to sustain the vitality and growth of your volunteer base. Actively recruiting new individuals is essential to infuse fresh energy, ideas, and skills into your program. This ongoing volunteer recruitment effort ensures that your school can adapt to changing needs and continue to provide robust support for various initiatives. By consistently seeking out new volunteers, you not only bolster your program's capacity but also create a dynamic and inclusive environment where diverse talents can flourish, ultimately enriching the educational experience for everyone involved.
Create Detailed Volunteer Job Descriptions
Before you recruit volunteers, take the time needed to create detailed volunteer job descriptions to give to prospective volunteers so they know what help you need, what’s expected of them, and if a particular role might be a good fit.
For example, the title of “Library Assistant” doesn’t clarify what you expect volunteers to do. Are they responsible for reshelving books? Are they helping to organize documents or lead events? By clarifying what’s expected, you can inspire volunteers to see themselves in a position that fits them best.
Post Volunteer Needs on Social Media
Don’t forget to share your need for volunteers on your school’s social media channels, as these platforms are a powerful tool for reaching a wide audience quickly and effectively. There’s always a need for good volunteers, so integrating your recruitment efforts into your school’s social media strategy is essential. Regularly posting about volunteer opportunities ensures that your followers are consistently reminded of the chance to contribute, keeping the idea fresh in their minds.
By maintaining a steady stream of engaging and informative posts, you can capture the interest of potential volunteers who may not have considered getting involved before. Additionally, using a variety of content types—such as photos, videos, and testimonials from current volunteers—can make your posts more appealing and relatable, encouraging more people to take action. Aim to post often enough that followers remember it’s an option, but also ensure that each post is thoughtfully crafted to highlight the impact volunteers can have on your school community. This approach not only helps in attracting new volunteers but also fosters a sense of community and shared purpose among your existing supporters.
Partner with Local Organizations
Many local organizations and businesses have employees who are enthusiastic about volunteering, either as part of a corporate retreat or as a community contribution initiative. These employees often bring a wealth of skills and a fresh perspective that can greatly benefit your school’s volunteer program. By tapping into this resource, you can not only fill volunteer roles but also foster a sense of community partnership and shared purpose.
For larger projects such as organizing significant events, collaborating with a local company that has a sizable workforce can be an excellent strategy to ensure you have enough volunteers. This partnership can lead to a more organized and efficient event, as the company’s employees may have experience in project management, logistics, or other relevant areas. Additionally, these collaborations can strengthen ties between your school and the local business community, opening doors for future support and engagement. By building these relationships, you create a network of support that extends beyond individual events, contributing to the long-term success and sustainability of your volunteer program.
Send Out Emails
If your school maintains email lists, utilizing them to announce volunteer opportunities is an excellent method to inform the community. In cases of urgent volunteer needs, you can swiftly dispatch this message. For schools that distribute monthly or quarterly newsletters, consider incorporating a regular graphic or section dedicated to volunteering information.
Advertise in the Newspaper or Neighborhood Website
Depending on your budget and the guidelines set by your district, you have the option to broaden your recruitment efforts by advertising in local newspapers or on neighborhood websites like Nextdoor. These platforms can be incredibly effective in reaching a diverse audience within your community, allowing you to tap into a pool of potential volunteers who may not be actively following your school’s social media channels or email newsletters. By crafting a compelling advertisement that highlights the rewarding experience of volunteering at your school, you can attract individuals who are eager to contribute their time and skills. Additionally, these advertisements can serve as a call to action, encouraging community members to get involved and make a meaningful impact on the educational environment. This approach not only helps in recruiting new volunteers but also strengthens the connection between your school and the local community, fostering a sense of shared purpose and collaboration.
Print and Distribute Flyers
There is always the well-known strategy where you simply create and print out a flyer that you distribute within the community. If your school’s students have backpacks or folders they bring to school, you can always send printed copies of the flyer home with them.
Create a Volunteer Page on Your School’s Website
Creating a dedicated volunteer page on your school’s website is crucial, yet often underestimated. Many individuals eager to support your school may already be visiting your site to find ways to contribute. By providing a webpage detailing how to volunteer and listing current opportunities, you effectively engage with these potential volunteers.
Utilizing a volunteer management solution like VolunteerHub can significantly enhance this process by allowing you to create dynamic opportunity landing pages. These pages can be customized to reflect your school's branding and provide a seamless experience for potential volunteers. With VolunteerHub, you can easily update opportunities, manage sign-ups, and track volunteer impact, ensuring that your school can efficiently connect with and mobilize its volunteer base.
Tip #3: Make It Easy to Sign Up to Volunteer
In traditional sales, it's crucial to minimize any obstacles between a customer's decision to purchase and the completion of the transaction. Similarly, your volunteer process should aim to swiftly capture the interest and contact details of potential volunteers, minimizing the time they have to reconsider. Here are some strategies to simplify the sign-up and volunteering process.
Host the Application Process Online
One of the simplest ways to make it easier for volunteers to sign up is to host the application process online. Volunteers can sign up to volunteer the moment they think of it and not have to add it to their to-do list to complete another day. If your school requires background checks, having a way to integrate this process online is even better.
Use Volunteer Management Software to Manage Needs and Shifts
Using volunteer management software designed for schools, universities, and other educational initiatives can significantly simplify the process of managing volunteers and streamlining these processes. This has a dramatic impact on the volunteer experience.
Think about it this way. How would you feel about volunteering for an organization that’s disorganized and difficult to volunteer with? You would probably be more hesitant to continue volunteering. Creating a positive volunteer experience and using volunteer management software improves volunteer impressions of interacting with your school.
Keep Time Slots Short
If possible, try to keep time slots for volunteers relatively short. For example, if you need volunteers for a fundraising event on a Saturday, having eight two-hour slots is often easier to fill than two eight-hour slots. Even if a volunteer can’t commit to all day, they’re more likely to be willing to volunteer for an hour or two.
Offer Volunteer Opportunities Outside of Traditional School Hours
Many prospective volunteers may work jobs or have other commitments during traditional school hours. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have them volunteer for your school. If you offer volunteer opportunities outside of traditional school hours, they can still volunteer for your school.
Tip #4: Communicate Your Ongoing Needs
Volunteer levels will naturally ebb and flow over time. That’s why it’s important to recruit volunteers throughout the year and to communicate your ongoing needs to your existing pool of volunteers.
Highlight Ongoing Needs and Urgent Needs
Differentiate between your school’s ongoing volunteer needs and any urgent needs in any communications to volunteers. Needing volunteers to help with an event this weekend is much more urgent than finding another library volunteer when you already have one. When something is urgent, say so. Otherwise, mention how filling this ongoing need would impact your school.
Use Multiple Communication Channels
Use a variety of communication channels to communicate with volunteers. This can include social media, emails, and SMS messages. If possible, ask volunteers how they prefer to be communicated with and use that communication channel to reach them. If you use volunteer management software, you can keep track of these preferences within the platform.
Reach Out When Volunteer Time Lapsed
Your volunteer management software can help you to identify when volunteers have lapsed. This means they haven’t been volunteering with the regularity they were. Reach out to these volunteers before too much time has lapsed to see if you can re-engage them to continue volunteering for your school. Maybe their child aged out and they’re no longer interested. In other cases, they may have just gotten busy and forgot to sign up for new volunteer activities.
Ask for Feedback
To empower volunteers to feel heard and improve your school volunteer program, periodically ask volunteers for feedback. What did they like and not like about volunteering for your school? Addressing these concerns increases the likelihood that volunteers will stay longer.
Tip #5: Show Appreciation
One of the most important ways to build a strong school volunteer program is to show that you appreciate your volunteers. People want to feel valued for the work they do, no matter how old they are. When volunteers feel appreciated, they’re much more likely to invest more time in volunteering for your school or educational initiative.
Thank You Letters
Thank you letters are an easy way to make volunteers feel appreciated. While you can send out an email, a printed letter or card can be seen as even more special. If you can have students write the thank you card, even better. With so much digital communication, a physical letter or card stands out.
Volunteer Recognition Awards
Many nonprofit organizations hold volunteer award nights or offer volunteer recognition awards for their volunteers. This can celebrate the volunteers with the longest tenure or with the most number of hours volunteered within a year. It could celebrate ALL volunteers with a special lunch. You can easily adapt this for your school.
Volunteer Newsletter
You could also consider having a special volunteer-only email newsletter that goes out only to volunteers. This could thank them, feature short articles or photos of volunteers at events, and help to build a community of volunteers who look forward to volunteering together. In many cases, you could have a volunteer already who is available to create and distribute this special newsletter.
Make Managing a Volunteer Program Easy
The good news is that investing in school volunteer management software can make building and sustaining a strong volunteer program possible. VolunteerHub helps with:
- Volunteer recruitment
- Volunteer scheduling
- Volunteer hour tracking
- Volunteer contact management
- Volunteer fundraising
- Volunteer liability waivers
- Volunteer rewards and recognition
- Automated emails
- Automated text messages
- Social media
Managing volunteers shouldn’t create so much extra work that you cannot fully benefit from all of the tremendous value and support volunteers bring to your school. To learn more about how VolunteerHub can help, request a demo today. We can answer any questions you may have about our volunteer management solution and show you how it can make a difference in your school volunteer program.
