Volunteer management and recruitment requires creativity in 2022. We can no longer expect volunteers to show up to help without active and ongoing recruitment. Hoping volunteers give of their time without putting in the effort for recruitment is unrealistic especially after a big shift in people’s lives these past few years. Trends that have impacted the voluntary sector include an increase in remote work, job and leadership transitions and a real assessment of how and where people want to spend and give their time in the community.
Volunteer Recruitment Tools
VolunteerMatch: Having difficulties with volunteer recruitment? Have volunteer slots to fill? VolunteerMatch is an easy platform to use for one time events when you need to recruit volunteers. There is a free and paid version and even with the free version you can have those volunteer slots filled for one time events. You can post for volunteers slots by date, time, age, category and location. Just make sure to post your volunteer opportunities in advance to recruit the number of volunteers you need.
NextDoor: Do you need local volunteers? Share volunteer opportunities on NextDoor to recruit volunteers in your neighborhood or city. NextDoor is a neighborhood based app and a great way to find volunteers in your zip code or local area.
Word of Mouth: This is one of the oldest and most reliable tools that exist in the volunteer management sector. Ask your past and current volunteers to share opportunities on their social media, text a friend or even bring a friend day! Referrals and word of mouth are so important to build a base of volunteers especially when nonprofits are re-building and bringing back their volunteers.
Volunteer Management Tools
SignUpGenius: An incredibly helpful nonprofit tool for schools and organizations asking volunteers to sign up for tasks from bringing items to a potluck, school function or helping with shifts at an event. It also integrates well with many platforms. Just the other day, I signed up for a volunteer shift to help with my local community garden clean up day and they used the app SignUpGenius!
Trello.com: Sometimes you are working on a project with volunteers and need to track tasks and deadlines. Trello is a great project management platform accessible via mobile or desktop. This tool is helpful for assigning tasks to volunteers, prioritizing tasks and completing projects. A lot of volunteers these days give their time remotely, so it is helpful to track deadlines in one system.
VolunteerHub: VolunteerHub is a volunteer management software with helpful features including volunteer signup module, user account to track hours, automatic email registration verifications and reminders. The tracking capability in the volunteer management system can help staff members report volunteer hours.
Bloomerang: Many of your organization’s volunteers may also be donors. Bloomerang’s CRM allows you to manage your donors, volunteers, corporate sponsors, grant funders, and more. You can view a person’s history of involvement and level of engagement with your nonprofit, look for prospective donors, and integrate with the other software tools you’re already using.
Saying Thanks: Technology is helpful! We need to reflect on the human side of volunteers and make sure you adequately thank volunteers whether it is a personal phone call, handwritten note card or a volunteer appreciation luncheon. Regularly thank your volunteers in a meaningful way and track on your calendar how often it occurs! Your volunteers are leaders and serving as a volunteer is a form of leadership development. The work your volunteers do is meaningful to them in their personal and professional lives and it is also important to thank them and recognize volunteers for their time.
Need more assistance with managing and recruiting volunteers? Check out some of our upcoming live online trainings:
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How to Manage Difficult Volunteers: Key Strategies and Action Steps to Implement
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Effective Volunteer Management: Volunteer Recruitment, Training, Retention, Leadership Structures & Managing Difficult Issues in the Moment
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Need guidance on reimagining your volunteer program post Covid? Reach out to Nonprofit Learning Lab info@nonprofitlearninglab.org for support.