Before your nonprofit organization starts to recruit volunteers, there are a few steps you should take to prepare.
The goal of every nonprofit organization is to make a positive impact in the community it serves. Nonprofits work for many causes, like community service, public education, environmental conservation, etc. One thing they all share in common is that every organization needs a steady stream of capable volunteers to fulfill its mission.
To find the type of people who can add value to your organization, you need to develop a streamlined volunteer recruitment pipeline.
The Importance of Being Prepared to Recruit Volunteers
Never underestimate the wisdom of the saying “many hands make light work,” especially if you work in a nonprofit organization. Having a large group of volunteers will make any project your nonprofit works on much easier. But managing a large volunteer workforce comes with its challenges, and finding the right people for the job is the hardest one.
Volunteer recruitment is essential in attracting people who share your organization’s goals. With a common purpose, their skills can add maximum value to the organization. It’s worthwhile to give some thought to your volunteer recruitment strategy before bringing new workers on board. Planning for volunteer recruitment ensures you find qualified individuals who can contribute positively to your mission.
Steps to Take Before Recruiting Volunteers for Your Nonprofit Organization
Data published last year by the U.S. Census Bureau showed that 23% of U.S. adults (60.7 million individuals) spent time volunteering with various organizations. Tapping into that vast volunteer pool will help your nonprofit grow, but only if you make the process of signing up to volunteer easy.
To do that, you will need to take several essential steps before starting your recruitment drive.
Step 1: Create a Recruitment Team
Volunteer recruitment affects volunteer management because the managers have to work with the volunteers the recruiters provide. You should align both processes so that they work in sync.
Firstly, identify people in your organization who have insights into the organization’s needs, as well as employees who will spend the most time working with or managing the volunteers. These are the stakeholders who have the most invested in your recruitment strategy, so include them in the decision-making process.
Step 2: Prepare Your Volunteer Recruitment Strategy
Once you’ve gathered the right members for your recruitment committee, it’s time to take their input and develop a sound volunteer recruitment strategy. This strategy will define the qualities you are looking for in a volunteer, your expectations from your volunteer program, and the methods you’ll use to attract volunteers.
Some ways to create an efficient volunteer recruitment plan include:
- Identifying skill gaps in your nonprofit organization and finding volunteers to fill them
- Creating volunteer personas (similar to customer personas used in marketing) of your ideal candidates
- Seeking feedback from current volunteers about what motivated them to join your organization
- Preparing a pitch for potential volunteers that highlights the benefits of joining your nonprofit
With a clear strategy, volunteer recruitment will become much simpler. You will have a clear picture of the kind of candidates you want to attract to your volunteer program and a better idea of how to do so.
Step 3: Explore All Promotion Channels for Your Volunteer Program
Now that you know who to look for, the next question is, where do you find them? Your potential volunteers can be reached through different means depending on your strategy.
Are you seeking volunteers from among your donors and past collaborators? You can reach them through email newsletters and announcements on your website.
Does your nonprofit need volunteers from a specific location? Local radio ads, outdoor billboards, and handing out flyers will work best.
Do you want to reach the largest audience possible? Leverage online channels like social media to spread the word about your volunteer program and work on your nonprofit’s SEO strategy.
In short, don’t shy away from any channel when it comes to promoting your nonprofit. If your organization has a marketing budget, you should set aside a portion of it solely for volunteer recruitment purposes.
Step 4: Clearly Define Volunteer Roles
American volunteers generated an estimated $122.9 billion in value over 4.1 billion hours of service in 2021. Volunteers today are aware of the value they can add to your organization and expect opportunities to do so. They are looking to work with nonprofits that give them a chance to thrive as skilled volunteers and will be drawn toward organizations that offer them an opportunity to do so.
A Deloitte survey found that 74% of working U.S. professionals believed that volunteering gave them an improved sense of purpose. Your volunteer recruitment program should appeal to that sense of purpose by clearly outlining the roles available to volunteers. It’s not enough to know they are helping the nonprofit’s cause; volunteers like to know exactly how their contributions make a difference.
Sometimes, there might be several positions open for volunteers in your organization. Creating detailed descriptions for each role will let you attract skilled volunteers for each specific position, which you wouldn’t get with a one-size-fits-all approach.
Step 5: Offer Streamlined Entry into Your Volunteer Program
The actual act of signing up is one of the biggest hurdles for volunteer recruitment. Too many would-be volunteers have abandoned giving their time for a cause because the sign-up process was too complicated.
Ensure new volunteers are brought on board in the smoothest way possible. Create a landing page with VolunteerHub that guides recruits through the sign-up process straightforwardly. Use volunteer management software that automatically adds new volunteers to the relevant communication channels and gives them the resources they need to get to work.
Making Volunteer Recruitment Simple with Software
The most time-consuming parts of volunteer management, including volunteer recruitment, have been brought into the 21st century with digital solutions. VolunteerHub is a software that simplifies recruitment by optimizing the registration and sign-up process, automating communication, and creating unique landing pages for your organization.
With the right tools and enough preparation, your volunteer recruitment efforts will yield much better results.
