Volunteers vs. Donors: Who They Are, What Drives Them, and How They Overlap

Every nonprofit depends on both volunteers and donors to fulfill its mission—but have you considered how similar these two groups really are? Many organizations treat volunteers and donors as separate audiences, yet their motivations often overlap. By understanding the characteristics of volunteers and donors, your nonprofit can build stronger relationships and even uncover new opportunities for giving.

Research shows that volunteers are twice as likely to donate as non-volunteers. The key lies in recognizing what drives each group and how those motivations connect. In this article, we’ll explore the volunteers vs. donors dynamic, highlight what motivates each type of supporter, and share practical strategies for converting volunteers to donors while strengthening engagement.

Volunteers vs. Donors: Key Characteristics and Motivations

Both volunteers and donors play essential roles in advancing your mission—but they tend to engage in different ways. Understanding these differences (and similarities) helps you meet each group where they are.

• Volunteers are hands-on contributors. They give their time and skills to see the direct impact of their efforts. They’re motivated by connection, purpose, and the satisfaction of helping others face-to-face.
• Donors act as philanthropic investors. They may not always have time to serve, but they want to make an impact by financially supporting causes they believe in. Their motivation often stems from trust in your organization’s capacity to drive measurable change.
• Shared characteristics include empathy, community-mindedness, and belief in your mission. These shared values are what make converting volunteers to donors such an effective strategy—your volunteers already demonstrate the passion and loyalty that inspire giving.

When your organization understands what drives both groups, you can align messaging, personalize outreach, and strengthen the bond between volunteerism and philanthropy.

The Volunteer-to-Donor Pipeline

The volunteer-to-donor pipeline is the process of nurturing engaged volunteers into loyal financial supporters. It maps the volunteer experience to key stages that influence future giving.

A volunteer’s journey typically mirrors the volunteer lifecycle, with additional touchpoints where giving can be encouraged:

• Awareness – Volunteers first discover your organization and its mission. This stage builds the trust and respect needed for future engagement.
• Consideration – Prospective volunteers explore how to get involved. Here’s where you can introduce both volunteer opportunities and donation options.
• Engagement – Volunteers register, attend training, and participate in events or projects. Prioritize positive, purpose-driven experiences.
• Retention – Long-term volunteers naturally become more familiar with your fundraising goals and impact stories.
• Recognition – Expressing appreciation deepens connection. Recognized volunteers often become advocates for your cause.
• Advocacy – Passionate volunteers begin sharing your mission with others—an ideal moment to introduce giving opportunities.
• Giving – Once volunteers feel fully engaged, invite them to contribute financially. Many organizations hesitate to ask, but volunteers want to help in every way possible.
• Stewardship – Continue nurturing relationships with volunteer-donors through personalized updates, thank-yous, and impact reporting.

Understanding this lifecycle allows you to meet volunteers where they are and guide them naturally toward financial giving.

Why Volunteers Make Excellent Donors

When it comes to driving long-term impact, volunteers emerge as some of your organization’s most dedicated and generous champions. Here’s what sets them apart as exceptional supporters:

Volunteers are emotionally invested.

They’ve already given their time and energy because they believe in your mission. That emotional investment makes financial giving a natural next step. Volunteer gifts are, on average, 10 times larger than those from other donors.

Volunteers deeply understand your mission.

They’ve seen your impact firsthand. You don’t need to convince them of your value—they already know how critical donations are to sustaining your work.

Volunteers are part of your community.

Through service, volunteers form relationships with staff, donors, and beneficiaries. This sense of belonging fosters trust, loyalty, and long-term commitment.

Volunteers already have a giving mindset.

Giving time, energy, or skills builds a habit of generosity. Adding financial contributions feels like a natural extension of their support.

Volunteers are your strongest advocates.

Enthusiastic volunteers talk about your organization organically, inspiring others to volunteer or donate. Their advocacy can amplify both recruitment and fundraising.

Volunteers engage more with communications.

Volunteers already open your emails and respond to your calls to action. When they receive a donation prompt, they’re far more likely to act on it than cold prospects.

All these traits demonstrate why volunteers often deliver a higher return on investment than other donor segments.

How to Convert Volunteers into Donors: Practical Strategies

Once you understand the characteristics of volunteers and donors, you can use that knowledge to encourage natural giving behavior. Here’s how to make it happen:

• Identify your most engaged volunteers. Segment your audience to find individuals who consistently participate and show enthusiasm. Tailor personalized appeals to match their interests and involvement.

• Automate donation prompts. Use volunteer management software to include subtle donation links in volunteer emails, landing pages, and shift confirmations.

• Be transparent about fundraising goals. Volunteers respond to clear, specific needs. For example: “$1,000 provides supplies for our next build.”

• Promote peer-to-peer fundraising. If volunteers can’t give financially, they can still raise money and awareness through their own networks.

• Leverage corporate matching programs. Encourage volunteers to check if their employers match charitable donations, doubling their impact.

• Treat volunteers like potential donors from day one. Show the same care and gratitude you offer to major donors—this builds trust and long-term giving potential.

• Recognize volunteer-donors publicly. Celebrate those who give both time and money. Recognition inspires others to follow their example.

By blending your volunteer engagement and donor outreach strategies, you can cultivate a cycle of sustained generosity.

Volunteer-to-Donor Conversion in Action: Habitat for Humanity NOVA

At Habitat for Humanity Northern Virginia (Habitat NOVA), bridging the gap between volunteers and donors has transformed how the organization approaches supporter engagement.

Habitat NOVA relies on both groups to expand access to affordable homeownership and help families escape unsafe living conditions. By leveraging VolunteerHub’s integration with Salesforce, the team connected volunteer and donor data, streamlining stewardship and improving communication with volunteer-donors.

They also use VolunteerHub features like group landing pages, automated emails, and online waivers to simplify operations. The result is a more unified experience that helps volunteers transition naturally into donors.

Conclusion: Aligning Volunteer and Donor Motivations

When you understand the volunteers vs. donors relationship, your nonprofit can unlock powerful insights about what drives support. Both groups share empathy, trust, and a desire to create lasting change—qualities that make volunteers your most promising future donors.

By recognizing these shared characteristics and implementing strategies for converting volunteers to donors, you can strengthen both engagement and fundraising outcomes.

The most dedicated supporters are often those who already believe in your mission—your volunteers. By nurturing their motivation, you’ll transform passion into long-term, sustainable impact.