Nik Sorocenski
March 24, 2021
It starts from the moment you send out your call for volunteers’ communications. From that point on, every interaction they have with your organization matters. Volunteers function as an extension of your teams and are the very backbone of your organization. Your members/volunteers are the face of your organization; they donate their time and energy and are the subject-matter experts (SMEs) moving your organization forward to accomplishing your mission and objectives. Without volunteers, your organization may not be where it is today.
Let’s explore how your organization can improve its volunteer engagement and ensure that your volunteers walk away (and come back) with a positive and impactful experience:
1. Ask the right questions - Build a better application
Before sending out your call for volunteers’ notice, take the time to review your application form to ensure that you’re asking the right questions. This will help keep your internal teams organized and show your volunteers that you value their time and the (free) knowledge they bring to the table by asking the right questions.
Capture the necessary demographics' information such as email, phone number, and address. Then focus on questions about their professional years of experience, if they’ve volunteered in any capacity previously, what interested them in the committee or workgroup, the number of hours/time they can commit, and leaving space for open-ended answers.
2. Show them the ropes - Onboard them
Set up a video conference call with your volunteers and start the onboarding process. Onboarding is an important step that should not be missed! Onboarding your volunteers is an opportunity to educate them about your organization and setting them up for the duties required for their new roles. Setting up a quick video call is also an excellent way for your volunteers to meet one another and get to know who they are working with during this time. Onboarding your volunteers ensures that they have a positive experience and can lead to your volunteers returning the following year.
3. SMART Goals
Has your organization or volunteers set goals in the past that were too difficult to achieve due to how vague or poorly thought out they were? Working toward a poorly thought out goal can be exhausting and can lead to frustration. Using simple methods like SMART Goals can help resolve these pain points and create a framework to reach realistic goals and establish a pathway towards achieving them.
What does SMART stand for?
4. Stay in the loop
Not all plans and tasks stay on track. Plan to meet with your volunteers regularly (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly; whatever works for your group) to keep on top of the various projects your volunteers are working on. Meeting as a collective will also give your team a chance to re-group, discuss tactics, work through problem-solving, support one another, and cultivate long-term volunteer relationships.
5. Recognize their contributions
This isn’t rocket science, but as a friendly reminder, thank your volunteers! Send a handwritten thank-you note or a gift card. It may be a small gesture, but it's one they will appreciate because remember, they are taking time out of their already busy schedules to help your organization succeed.
BONUS. Explore how Lineup can help you cultivate and manage your volunteers
This all might sound like a lot of work, but taking these steps will set your organization for success. Using an intuitive and seamless solution like Lineup makes it easy to manage, sort, and filter your volunteer data. Lineup paints a complete picture of your volunteers, allowing your organization to build its dream team.