How to Leverage Volunteers for Word-of-Mouth Recruitment

Your nonprofit’s volunteer recruitment strategy is already multi-faceted, including organizational partnerships, social media campaigns, and direct outreach, but you may be forgetting one of the simplest but most effective ways to reach your community: word-of-mouth volunteer recruitment.

Word-of-mouth volunteer recruitment is one of the best ways to attract enthusiastic, reliable individuals to your program. However, because word-of-mouth relies on organic engagement, it can be hard to control. In this article, we’ll provide practical suggestions to help you build a buzzworthy program that everyone will be talking about—and boost your recruitment efforts in the process!

What is Word-of-Mouth Volunteer Recruitment?

Word-of-mouth volunteer recruitment is a peer-to-peer marketing strategy. Word-of-mouth recruitment relies on your volunteers talking about your program to the people in their network and convincing them to volunteer with your organization as well.

Word-of-mouth marketing is so effective because it leverages existing relationships to drive action. Just like you may try a new restaurant because your friend raves about it, a volunteer can inspire others to join your organization when they talk about their positive experience.

The Benefits of Word-of-Mouth Recruitment for Your Volunteer Program

It’s always good when people are talking about your nonprofit, but strong word-of-mouth can have broad-reaching benefits for your volunteer program.

When your organization leverages word-of-mouth recruitment:

• You attract better recruits. Your volunteers’ network likely includes people with similar skills and values, so when you tap into this resource, you don’t just attract more volunteers; you attract the kinds of volunteers your organization wants: dependable, enthusiastic, and talented individuals.
• Fewer volunteers fall off during onboarding. When someone joins your organization because of an endorsement from someone they trust, they are less likely to fall off during the onboarding and training process.
• Your program sees a stronger return on investment. Word-of-mouth volunteer recruitment is extremely cost-effective. At its base level, word-of-mouth is free, and some small investments like social media campaigns or incentives can help augment results.
• The local community engages with your organization more. Even if individuals don’t decide to volunteer with your organization, they may become active supporters, improving your visibility and reputation within your community.
• Your fundraising campaigns are more successful. The more people know about your organization, the more successful your fundraising efforts will be.
• You build stronger relationships with your volunteer base. When you cultivate an environment that encourages word-of-mouth volunteer recruitment, that means that your current volunteer base has a strong relationship with your organization. These bonds won’t just improve your recruitment efforts; they will also lead to better long-term retention.

Word-of-mouth is a winning tactic that strengthens your volunteer program and your organization as a whole. So, how do you incorporate it into your volunteer recruitment strategies?

Understanding Why People Talk About Your Organization

The first step to building a word-of-mouth volunteer recruitment strategy is understanding why people would want to talk about your organization in the first place. What sparks conversation?

Your volunteers will organically talk about your nonprofit because of your:

• Strong mission and values
• Real-world impact
• Exciting events
• Supportive community
• Meaningful and enjoyable volunteering opportunities

Once you know why people talk about your organization, you can get the conversation going.

How to Encourage Word-of-Mouth Volunteer Recruitment

Word-of-mouth volunteer recruitment presents one major challenge: it relies on organic action. You cannot force your volunteers to say good things about your organization; however, you can build a supportive, positive environment that naturally encourages good word-of-mouth.

Try these techniques for creating a standout program that naturally sparks conversation:

Prioritize the volunteer experience

When it comes to encouraging word-of-mouth, the volunteer experience is paramount. If your volunteers love working with your organization, they will organically talk about it to their friends and family. Streamline your volunteer management processes, match volunteers with the right positions, and cultivate a supportive culture. All of these factors combine to make volunteering with your organization as easy and enjoyable as possible!

Educate your volunteers about your organization

Make sure your volunteers always understand your organization’s goals and values, as well as how their actions make a difference. Update volunteers regularly on programs, fundraising campaigns, and volunteer impact data. This context arms your volunteers with valuable information that they can share with other people who care about your mission.

Build community

Forge meaningful relationships between your volunteers and your nonprofit. Engage with volunteers on an individual level and make it clear that you value the time, energy, and talents that they donate to your organization. Then, organize teambuilding and social events to strengthen the bonds between your volunteers, other team members, and organizational leadership. When your volunteers feel like they are part of your community, they will be more likely to invite others to join.

Get compelling testimonials

Ask your most involved volunteers if they would be willing to do a written and/or filmed testimonial for your organization. Focus on key narrative points like why they started volunteering, how they make an impact, and why they enjoy working with your organization. Then, share these compelling case studies widely through social media, newsletters, and marketing materials. Putting a friendly face on your nonprofit is one of the best ways to engage new recruits and spark conversation.

Invest in personal development

Service hones valuable skills that your volunteers can take into other aspects of their lives. Offer workshops, lectures, and leadership roles to show volunteers that you care about their growth as individuals and professionals. This approach builds stronger relationships with your existing volunteers, and they will also be excited to share these resources with friends and colleagues.

Encourage social media engagement

Social media allows volunteers to easily broadcast your organization’s messages to a wide network of followers. Build a strong social media presence that includes eye-catching graphics, engaging personal stories, and thoughtful information. Then, encourage your volunteers to follow your accounts and share your posts. You can also try shouting out specific volunteers and tagging them. With the click of a button, you could reach thousands of potential new recruits!

Make merchandise

Give your volunteers branded merchandise like t-shirts, stickers, mugs, and buttons. Whenever they wear or use these items, it’s free marketing for your organization!

Act on volunteer feedback

Volunteer surveys are key to making your program more efficient, but they can also play a major role in the volunteer experience. When you act on your volunteers’ feedback, they feel more ownership over your organization, and they will take action to ensure its success, including recruiting other volunteers.

Involve your volunteers in recruitment efforts

When you start a new recruitment campaign, let your volunteers know. Explain the types of volunteers you are looking for, including any specific skill sets, and ask them to share the information with their network. You will be surprised how many volunteers will enthusiastically talk about your organization if you just ask!

Craft strong recruitment messaging

When you ask volunteers to participate in recruitment efforts, it’s good practice to help them understand how to talk about your organization. Equip your volunteers with marketing materials featuring strong, effective messaging, as well as information about your mission statement, your volunteer manager’s email and/or phone number, links to volunteer recruitment landing pages, and an overview of the onboarding and training process. That way, your volunteers can give any interested recruits all the information they need to get started.

If you prioritize the volunteer experience and start to think of your volunteers as organizational ambassadors, you can easily generate an effective word-of-mouth volunteer recruitment campaign.

Word-of-Mouth Volunteer Recruitment Tips

Here are some more tips to keep in mind as you build your word-of-mouth volunteer recruitment strategy:

• “Plus-one” initiatives. Encourage your volunteers to bring a friend to organizational events, like fundraisers and parties, so that they can learn more about your nonprofit.
• Build community partnerships. Word-of-mouth recruitment doesn’t just work on the individual level. Partner with local businesses, social organizations, and government officials to spread the word about your nonprofit.
• Create photo ops. If you can create photo-worthy moments at your events, your volunteers and supporters will organically share them on social media. Consider involving a photographer or creating a fun photo station, which encourages individuals to snap their own pics and share them on social media.
• Host a contest or giveaway. Everyone loves to win! Try starting a contest or giveaway on your social media channels, share it widely, and be sure to publish the winners. You can give away event tickets or merchandise as prizes.

These methods are simple, cost-effective ways to boost your existing recruitment strategies while generating more word-of-mouth, but if you need more assistance, VolunteerHub can help.

Boost Your Recruitment Efforts with VolunteerHub

VolunteerHub is volunteer management software designed to help nonprofits recruit, engage, and manage volunteers.

VolunteerHub has a full suite of features that can boost your recruitment efforts, including:

• Automated emails and text messages
• Customizable landing pages
• Centralized databases for recruits and volunteers
• Easy-to-use scheduling features
• Advanced segmentation to group potential recruits by demographics, skills, etc.

With VolunteerHub, you can maximize your recruitment efforts. However, we don’t stop there. Our comprehensive platform streamlines every step of the volunteer management lifecycle, creating a buzzworthy program that your volunteers will love!