Recruiting Nonprofit Volunteers -10 Best Practices

Recruiting Nonprofit Volunteers -10 Best Practices is Dimitri Blaine’s take on meaningfully involving new friends in your charitable program. Here’s what Dimitri has to share:

Volunteer programs are organized gatherings hosted by an organization that involves the public coming together and working for a particular goal or mission. Each volunteer that joins in forms an integral part of a non-profit as they contribute significantly to the work the organization carries out.

The challenging part before conducting any volunteer program, is to find and recruit the most suitable volunteers. You want people who are interested in the same goals and are eager to work on them too. So how do you go about recruiting volunteers? Here are some of the best practices you need to take up.

Recruiting Nonprofit Volunteers -10 Best Practices

1. Share the opportunity on online platforms: In present times, we come to know about a lot of what’s happening around us through social media. These platforms have a significant reach, and people from all over use different social media. Posting your volunteer opportunity online will allow the information to reach a large audience of people. There is a chance that the post might also be shared by people to others. When the knowledge about your volunteer program reaches those who are interested, you will have a higher chance of finding suitable people to join the opportunity.
2. Lay down specific details: When opening up channels for people to join your volunteer program, make sure to mention all necessary information about the kind of people you would prefer. This could be based on educational qualification, location, professional experience, or language needs. When you mention the specifics, it will become more convenient for you to find the most suitable people for your volunteer program.
3. Flexible roles: Another way to encourage people to join your program is to offer them the ability to feel more flexible with their work. You can do so by offering adjustable time slots, work hours, off days, and more. When people feel like they can work without any hassles, they will be more likely to join your volunteer program.
4. Offer training channels: There is a chance that people are interested in your program but may not have the polished skills you need. To encourage them to join, you can offer training programs through group meetings, informative videos, PDF files, or any other way that feels convenient. Having the option for people to learn while they work will allow you to attract better and more willing volunteers. You can make use of volunteer management software to keep these organized.
5. Talk about the program impact: Volunteer programs are held to achieve a specific goal or improve upon certain conditions. You can conduct an online session for potential volunteers and talk about the purpose of your volunteer program and how it can impact the surroundings. When people know more about the program, they will be more likely to freely join.
6. Share volunteer features: You can make use of social media to share volunteer activities that are undertaken by the organization. It helps current volunteers feel appreciated and also allows potential volunteers to see how the organization functions. When they get an insight into the volunteer work, they will be more open to joining as volunteers.
7. Use current volunteers as a recruitment channel: Word of mouth goes a long way in influencing people’s decisions. You can ask your existing volunteers to connect with other people they know who may be willing to come on board as volunteers. People are likely to trust those who already have an experience with your organization and will be willing to join your volunteer programs without hesitation.
8. Share volunteer opportunities on local news media: If your neighborhood has local news channels or newspapers, you can use these resources to send out information about your volunteer opportunities. It will help spread the information to a larger audience and attract more people to join the program.
9. Approach volunteer recruitment sites: There are online channels that list potential volunteers. People register themselves on these sites with information about their skills, contact details, and areas of interest. You can visit these websites and search for people who can make for the most suitable volunteers for your organization.
10. Work with local businesses: Local businesses in your area may be looking to expand their business and contribute to the community. Collaborating with them will allow you to attract a larger audience and send the message about your volunteer program to different parts of the community.

Why Use Recruitment Practices?

Recruitment practices help streamline the onboarding process for volunteers. You can create recruitment plans according to the organization’s needs, search in places that will likely have a target volunteer group, and also connect with the most suitable people to join the program. The practices make the recruitment process convenient for the organization as well as for potential volunteers to join a program.

Dimitri Blaine
[email protected]

Recruiting Nonprofit Volunteers -10 Best Practices was first posted at NANOE

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