New volunteers are essential to your organization. They increase capacity, bring new perspectives and ideas, and re-energize your existing constituents.
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, approximately 62.8 million Americans volunteered at least once last year. With nearly one in four Americans volunteering each year, new volunteers get started every day.
When your organization finds new volunteers, it’s important to communicate with the right tone and set them up for success. Clear and effective communication establishes trust and confidence in your mission.
What steps is your organization taking in welcoming new volunteers?
Using volunteer management software, such as VolunteerHub, can help you achieve these goals. In this post, we’ll take a close look at how this is possible.
1. Immediately Welcome New Volunteers Upon Registration
Create a customized welcome page that appears after new volunteer registration. Personalizing the experience increases engagement and fosters goodwill with new volunteers.
Upon registration on your VolunteerHub site, new volunteers will see a message like this:
2. Automate the Communication Process
When volunteers register for an event on your VolunteerHub site, they automatically receive an event confirmation, such as:
As the event approaches, volunteers also receive event reminder emails:
After the event, each volunteer in attendance will receive a thank you message.
VolunteerHub saves you significant time and effort by automating the volunteer welcoming and engagement process. No need to worry about leaving any registered volunteers out of the loop or using someone’s old email address.
Your volunteers will receive information in a timely fashion and, therefore, feel a greater affinity toward your cause.
3. Create a New Volunteer Orientation Process
Getting started can be intimidating for many people, especially if they are new to volunteering. It can therefore be helpful to create a volunteer orientation program that includes information about your mission, staff, rules, guidelines, and any additional useful information.
The orientation could be as simple as a PDF attached to a welcome email or as extensive as an in-person training session. Regardless of how in-depth your orientation program is, simply having a program will go a long way in welcoming volunteers.
4. Say Hello
Finally, it’s always a best practice to make time and engage with your volunteers. When a new volunteer gets started, introduce yourself and get to know him or her. If possible, briefly introduce the new volunteer to your staff and help foster a sense of community. There’s no better way to build a personal connection.
