Making a good first impression matters. Your volunteer recruitment strategy can inspire someone to become a dedicated, recurring volunteer, or it can discourage would-be volunteers from applying at all.
Effective recruitment nourishes a healthy volunteer management lifecycle, and as your volunteer program scales over time, it influences your organization’s sustainability. By creating a strong support base you can rely on, you ensure your organization can access the manpower and skills it needs when it’s most critical for your mission.
In this guide, we’ll explore the dos and don’ts of volunteer recruitment so you’re aware of the most valuable strategies to implement and common mistakes to avoid as you develop your approach.
Do: Write Clear, Compelling Role Descriptions
Volunteer recruitment starts with creating role descriptions that compel supporters to take the next step in their involvement with your organization. Think of these descriptions like job listings—a good description makes the role seem broadly desirable while also catering to your ideal candidate.
Better Impact’s guide to volunteer recruitment outlines some must-have features of your role descriptions, including:
- A role title
- Purpose of the role
- Key responsibilities
- Location and logistics
- Time commitment
- Support and training provided
- Qualifications
- Benefits to the volunteer
Here is an example role description for an animal shelter that incorporates these details:
Volunteer Dog Walker
Are you looking for a meaningful way to improve the lives of dogs living in shelters? Wagging Tails U.S.A. is looking for dog walkers to aid our mission to provide rescue animals with safety and support on their way to a forever home.
Our dog walkers provide one-on-one attention for our dogs and take them on walks around the shelter grounds. These walks give dogs the chance to exercise, socialize with new people, and experience life outside of the shelter, ultimately making them more adoptable. Both 30-minute and one-hour shifts are available, and volunteering at least once a month is strongly encouraged.
Before your first shift, a staff member will provide you with a 15-minute training session on how to safely and effectively handle a dog on a leash. All volunteers should have prior experience interacting with dogs.
Walking a shelter dog is a great opportunity to get some exercise, relieve stress, and build confidence in your animal-handling skills, all while meaningfully impacting an animal’s life.
This role description clearly defines the volunteer’s responsibilities, necessary qualifications, and how it makes an impact. Providing these details in advance promotes accountability and attracts volunteers most likely to be successful in the role.
Don’t: Overcomplicate Volunteer Applications
One surefire way to dissuade would-be volunteers is to make the application process too long or too complex. Instead of overwhelming applicants with endless paperwork, try streamlining the process using these tips:
- Only include necessary form fields. While certain fields like contact information, role preferences, and availability are essential, random or superfluous fields can make your application process a slog and give the impression that your organization lacks focus.
- Break long forms into shorter, paginated steps. Providing a visual break gives volunteers an easy way to continue their progress if they can’t complete the application in one sitting and ensures they don’t feel overwhelmed when they see your form.
- Save detailed questions for follow-up interviews. If you need information you didn’t get from the initial application, a conversation in person or over the phone can relieve some of the burden on the applicant.
To help ensure every applicant fully completes the application, use your volunteer management platform to track progress so that you and your volunteers can catch any issues regarding paperwork. Remember to also include your organization’s logo, color scheme, and other brand elements on your forms to create a unified and professional look.
Do: Promote Volunteer Opportunities Across Multiple Channels
Multichannel marketing should be a core piece of your team’s communication strategy. Think about how many communication channels your supporters use in a given day. They probably send and receive several texts a day, look at their email inbox at least once, maybe surf a few websites, and check their mailbox. Reaching out to your supporters using every channel available to you ensures that your organization sticks out in people’s minds.
Here are some communication methods that your organization can use to promote its volunteer opportunities:
- Word-of-mouth
- Social media
- Text messaging
- Paid advertising
- Flyers
- Direct mail
Tailor your message to each platform. For example, texting is best for short messages that require immediate action. If you’re short on volunteers for a particular event, sending a text can prompt people to sign up quickly. On the other hand, if you’re looking for volunteers for a recurring program, email might be a better option as you have more space to explain why that program matters.
Regardless of which channel you use, remember to always include a link to your registration form and contact information for staff. Providing these resources allows volunteers to quickly take action and to form meaningful relationships with staff members, ultimately boosting engagement.
Don’t: Pigeonhole Supporters Based on Past Involvement
It’s easy to think of your donors, volunteers, event attendees, and advocates as separate groups in your database. In reality, though, people often move between these categories, and it’s much easier to recruit existing supporters to try a new engagement method than it is to find new supporters altogether.
Someone who has stopped donating due to financial reasons, for example, might jump at the chance to give their time instead. Inviting donors to support your organization in unique ways also shows that you view them as more than a source of revenue, thereby increasing engagement and remedying donor fatigue.
Likewise, a passionate volunteer might be inspired to donate after engaging more deeply with your mission. Their hands-on experience contributing to your cause might also make them strong advocates for your work. You’ll never know if you don’t make the effort to reach out!
Leveraging your organization’s CRM alongside your volunteer management tools can help you connect with supporters by providing a 360-degree view of your constituents. Seeing every way that stakeholders engage with your mission shows how broad the foundation of your support is and allows you to use supporters’ passion to your advantage.
Do: Leverage Community Partnerships
Your organization doesn’t have to recruit volunteers alone. Strategic partnerships can help you access new audiences and add credibility to your outreach.
According to Double the Donation’s volunteer statistics report, 60% of companies offer paid time off for employees to volunteer and 80% of companies offer volunteer grants worth $8-$15 per hour volunteered. Take advantage of those perks by encouraging your volunteers to look into their employers’ programs, as well as reaching out to local businesses focused on volunteerism to establish company volunteer days or group service opportunities.
Other great sources of volunteers include:
- High schools with community service requirements for graduation
- Sororities, fraternities, or other service-oriented college campus groups
- Fellow nonprofits with overlapping missions
Emphasize the mutual benefits of these partnerships; while your organization accesses enthusiastic volunteers, your partners build goodwill, gain exposure, and obtain a new way to impact their communities.
Volunteer recruitment is a continuous, evolving effort. Your organization should adjust its strategy over time to align with volunteer preferences and your program’s needs. By implementing the tips above, you’ll help your organization to grow a resilient, motivated volunteer base that fuels your mission for years to come.
About the Author
Timothy Sarazen
President, Better Impact
Timothy Sarazen is the President of Better Impact, a global software company dedicated to enhancing the experiences of nonprofits and volunteer-driven organizations in the healthcare and government sectors. With extensive expertise in product-led software solutions, Timothy thrives on turning complex challenges into simple, effective solutions that make customers’ lives easier through the smart use of technology.
Based in Winston Salem, North Carolina, with his wife and three children, Timothy works to bridge the divide between nonprofit executives and volunteer department strategies. His team empowers organizations to align their efforts, improve decision-making, and showcase the measurable value of volunteer contributions.
