The 2023 Civic Engagement and Volunteering (CEV) Supplement, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau alongside AmeriCorps, offers valuable insights into virtual volunteerism across the United States. This survey, for the first time, included data on virtual volunteering, showing that about 18% of formal volunteers—over 13.4 million Americans—participated in either fully online or hybrid (a mix of online and in-person) volunteer activities from September 2022 to September 2023.
Virtual volunteering is gaining momentum; is your organization prepared? With more than 13.4 million Americans participating in online volunteer activities, your nonprofit has a prime opportunity to leverage this trend to further its mission and broaden its impact. However, attracting and engaging virtual volunteers comes with its own set of challenges, making it crucial to adopt the right strategies to strengthen your virtual volunteer program.
What is Virtual Volunteering?
Virtual volunteering involves performing volunteer tasks from home using the Internet. Rather than attending in-person events, virtual volunteers operate similarly to remote employees, completing assignments independently and sharing their work with the organization via online platforms.
This form of volunteering is appealing to many because it:
- Enables volunteers to assist any organization, regardless of their geographical location.
- Offers accessible opportunities for those with limited mobility, chronic illnesses, or other disabilities.
- Provides flexible scheduling to fit into busy lifestyles.
Moreover, virtual volunteering is not only advantageous for volunteers but also a highly cost-effective strategy for organizations. It allows nonprofits to:
- Broaden their volunteer network.
- Engage supporters globally.
- Cut down on expenses related to physical volunteering infrastructure.
- Enhance their overall impact.
In essence, virtual volunteering is mutually beneficial and a valuable investment for your nonprofit.
How to Create Virtual Volunteering Opportunities
If your nonprofit doesn’t already have an online program, follow these steps to create virtual volunteering opportunities within your organization:
- Clarify Your Goals. Set clear goals for your virtual volunteering program. What problems do you need your virtual volunteers to solve?
- Assess Technology Requirements. Consider whether your nonprofit will need to invest in any technology solutions to support virtual volunteering. Will your virtual volunteers need specific software or access to a cloud-based platform?
- Identify Potential Virtual Tasks. Evaluate which volunteer tasks need to be done in person and which can be completed remotely. Sample virtual volunteer tasks include social media management, virtual fundraising, data entry, graphic design, phone banking, researching, managing an email inbox, and online tutoring.
- Write Clear Job Descriptions. Virtual volunteers don’t experience the same levels of supervision that in-person volunteers do, and they may be uncertain about what is expected of them. Make sure that volunteers understand the scope of their position, required tasks, and expected turnaround times.
- Offer Microvolunteering Opportunities. In addition to well-fleshed-out volunteer positions, consider offering micro-volunteering opportunities as well. Micro volunteering involves quick, one-off tasks that are completed on an ad hoc basis, like translating a document, sharing a social media post, or editing a newsletter. Micro volunteering opportunities can help engage more virtual volunteers by giving them the chance to pick up an extra task.
- Build a Support System. Since virtual volunteers can’t simply walk over and ask the volunteer manager a question, they need a strong support system in place. Provide virtual volunteers with a volunteer handbook, give them contact information for relevant team members, and offer virtual office hours.
- Pilot Your Virtual Volunteering Opportunities. Recruit current volunteers or staff members to test out virtual volunteering opportunities and identify any potential trouble spots. Then, you can refine your offerings based on their feedback.
Once you complete these steps, your virtual volunteering program is ready to launch!
How to Recruit Virtual Volunteers
To ensure the success of your virtual volunteering program, it's essential to attract volunteers. Although some existing recruitment strategies can be adapted for virtual volunteers, it's important to integrate specific techniques designed for online volunteering.
Understand Volunteers’ Motivations
Effective recruitment starts with grasping what drives your volunteers. Although many online recruits have similar concerns to those of in-person volunteers, virtual volunteers typically prioritize flexibility, accessibility, and a global outlook.
Leverage Technology
Technology is essential for virtual volunteering; you'll need robust software solutions to locate, engage, and train your virtual volunteers. Consider investing in volunteer management software, cloud-based sharing platforms, video conferencing tools, and digital messaging applications, focusing on solutions that integrate seamlessly with your existing platforms.
Volunteer management software is pivotal in your virtual volunteer recruitment strategies. It can streamline the entire recruitment, onboarding, and training process by allowing you to:
- Gather data and contact details.
- Segment potential volunteers.
- Ensure clear communication.
- Schedule interviews and training sessions.
- Manage forms, liability waivers, and other necessary documents.
Additionally, ensure your technology solutions are user-friendly on both desktop and mobile devices, enabling your volunteers to stay connected with you, even while on the move
Optimize Your Online Marketing
To find virtual volunteers, you want to use virtual marketing channels! Leverage social media and Google Ads to engage individuals online, and make sure that you assign a staff member or volunteer to monitor direct messages and emails. The sooner you can respond to a message, the greater your chances are of converting that prospect into a valued volunteer.
Create Virtual Volunteer Landing Pages
Create a seamless experience for potential recruits by setting up a dedicated landing page for virtual volunteering opportunities. This page can be linked from your homepage, social media profiles, and Google Ads. Additionally, enhance your website’s search engine optimization to ensure that those searching for virtual volunteering roles can easily discover it.
Your virtual volunteer landing page should include all essential information for prospective recruits, such as:
- Descriptions of virtual volunteer roles
- Details on the application, onboarding, and training processes
- Highlights of current virtual volunteers
- Insights into the impact of your volunteer program
- A compelling call to action
By having a dedicated landing page, your organization offers a centralized hub for virtual volunteer recruitment, significantly boosting conversion rates.
Streamline Online Training and Onboarding
The training and onboarding phase is a pivotal point in the volunteer journey. While you've piqued the interest of potential recruits, they haven't yet fully committed to your nonprofit. A seamless and engaging onboarding experience is crucial to transitioning volunteers from the recruitment stage to becoming active participants in your organization.
For virtual volunteers, consider implementing these best practices for online onboarding and training:
- Utilize volunteer management software to gather liability waivers and other necessary forms.
- Develop asynchronous training modules that allow virtual volunteers to learn at their own pace.
- Enhance self-directed learning with video calls, providing opportunities for recruits to ask questions and interact with volunteer staff directly.
- Strengthen understanding and foster community through interactive virtual quiz tools like Kahoot.
- Provide an online folder with essential training materials, including documents and videos.
- Host webinars for both virtual and in-person volunteers, enabling your entire volunteer community to connect and offering further development opportunities.
A thorough online training process not only educates your volunteers about your nonprofit's operations but also helps establish a strong connection between your virtual volunteers and the rest of your organization.
Tips for Engaging Virtual Volunteers
Once you have successfully recruited and onboarded virtual volunteers, your volunteer management focus should shift to retention. Use these tips for engaging virtual volunteers and turning them into valued long-term partners!
Maintain Consistent Communication
Communication is always an important part of a volunteer engagement strategy, but virtual volunteers present unique communication challenges.
With virtual volunteers, you do not have the option of casual, in-person interactions, so you have to maximize other communication tools. Make sure that you:
- Ask virtual volunteers about their communication preferences. Some may be best reached over email, whereas others may prefer hoping on a quick phone or video call.
- Utilize multiple virtual communication channels without overwhelming your volunteers. Choose the right communication method for your message, i.e. texts for last-minute updates, emails for impact sharing, and video calls for meetings.
- Schedule regular virtual meetings with your entire virtual volunteer base, as well as offer individual check-ins and virtual office hours.
- Establish a chain of communication so that virtual volunteers always know where they can get their questions answered.
Clear, consistent communication keeps your virtual volunteers in the loop and makes them feel like part of the team.
Prioritize Flexibility and Convenience
The appeal of virtual volunteering lies in its flexibility and convenience, making it an enticing option for participation. Emphasize these features whenever possible. To enhance your virtual volunteering program, consider utilizing online tools such as:
- Self-scheduling
- Virtual check-ins
- Automated tracking of volunteer hours
- Role-based access to organizational systems
- Flexible work shifts
- Online calendars
- Real-time collaboration spaces like Google Drive Shared online document storage
When you make virtual volunteering easy, you are more likely to keep your virtual volunteers engaged!
Promote Virtual Team-Building
Isolation is one of the most pressing issues facing virtual volunteers. When volunteers don’t attend in-person events, it can be difficult to make them feel connected to the organization and the other people within it. Therefore, virtual team-building is extremely important.
Virtual team-building can be as simple as leaving space at the end of a meeting for casual conversation or organizing a volunteer group chat, but you can also take action with creative team-building initiatives like:
- Virtual scavenger hunts
- Craft challenges
- Virtual trivia
- PowerPoint nights
- Collaborative playlists
- Recipe swaps
- Virtual escape rooms
When you promote virtual team-building, you foster a stronger community, boost productivity, and improve your overall volunteer retention.
Share Virtual Volunteer Impact
Knowing they are making a difference boosts everyone's spirits! Gathering data on volunteer impact and communicating it to your virtual volunteers is crucial for maintaining their enthusiasm and involvement. Here are some strategies for effectively conveying the impact of your virtual volunteers:
- Highlight the specific contributions of virtual volunteers and clearly define their unique role within your organization.
- Combine concrete data, such as volunteer hours and the financial value of their contributions, with emotionally engaging stories like beneficiary testimonials and virtual volunteer achievements.
- Distribute information about the impact of virtual volunteers through various channels, including meetings, social media, and newsletters.
When your virtual volunteers recognize their significance to your nonprofit and its beneficiaries, they will be motivated to continue making a positive impact!
Provide Avenues for Growth
Volunteers are more engaged when they have options to grow within the organization, and you can extend these opportunities to your virtual volunteer base. Consider:
- Outlining the ways volunteers can take on more organizational responsibility.
- Reserving volunteer leadership roles specifically for virtual volunteers.
- Providing professional development webinars.
When volunteers feel like they are growing alongside the organization, they will stay involved for longer.
Gather and Act on Feedback
No one knows your volunteer program better than your volunteers, so volunteer surveys can provide invaluable feedback. Virtual volunteering presents distinct challenges from other volunteer positions, so it’s critical to survey your virtual volunteers and make sure their needs are met.
Build strong virtual volunteer surveys with questions like:
- Do you have all the technology you need to complete your tasks?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how connected do you feel to other volunteers and organizational staff?
- Which virtual communication tool has been the most useful for you?
- What was your favorite virtual team-building event this year? What kind of events would you like to see in the future?
Once you’ve collected your virtual volunteer feedback data, act on it! Show your volunteers you value their opinions and use their insights to improve your program.
Show Appreciation
Showing appreciation is the single most important way to engage and retain volunteers of all backgrounds, including your virtual volunteers!
Here are some great ideas for showing your appreciation to your virtual volunteer base:
- Be sure to thank your volunteers at the end of every meeting.
- Send automated email thank you notes.
- Gamify the volunteering experience with points-based reward programs, leaderboards, and badges.
- Shout out to virtual volunteers on your social media.
- Mail virtual volunteers a small gift box with branded merchandise from your organization.
A little bit of gratitude can go a long way!
Make Virtual Volunteering Easy with VolunteerHub
VolunteerHub is the number one virtual volunteer management software. Our comprehensive platform helps your organization streamline processes, optimize resource allocation, and boost volunteer retention.
VolunteerHub has a variety of features that are specially designed to cater to virtual volunteer programs, including:
- Mobile Accessibility
- Customized Landing Pages
- Online Volunteer Registration
- Automated Text and Email Communication
- Self-Scheduling
- Role-Based Access and Permissions
- Virtual check-in and hour tracking
- Points-Based Reward Systems
- CRM and Multi-Platform Integration
- Database and Reporting Options
