Engage the volunteer of the future!

Jennifer Bennett, CVA @JenBennettCVA #VMLearn - VolunteerMatch

What are we talking about?

• Moving beyond “Volunteers Needed”

• How do volunteers find you? How can

you find them?

• Finding the right volunteers

• Create Connection

• Building a culture of involvement,

flexibility and understanding

• What next?

(page 2 #VMLearn)

“Volunteers Needed” What does your volunteer program look like

to a volunteer?

• Cul-de-sac

• Nowhere to go when you get there

• Country Road

• If you hang in there it goes somewhere,

eventually

• Highway

• It’s a direct route to impact and engagement

Volunteers have a choice!

(page 3 #VMLearn)

(page 4 #VMLearn)

This is not your mother’s

volunteering Shifts in generations create a new model

• Volunteers hope to make an impact

• Volunteer task lists replaced by meaningful,

targeted work, skills based

• Meaningful to the volunteer, important to the

organization

• Volunteers need flexibility

• Does not imply that they can’t be dependable,

reliable, accountable

• Volunteers want to understand

• Answer the question “Why?”

(page 5 #VMLearn)

How do volunteers find you?

80% of Volunteer Coordinators tell us the

“Word of Mouth” is their #1 recruitment

method

What are your volunteers saying about your

organization? What can you do about it?

(page 6 #VMLearn)

• You can create a positive experience

• Meaningful and important

• The right volunteer in the right job

• Saying no politely and professionally

• Make it easier for volunteers to share

• Arm them with information

• Social media

• Don’t keep them in a silo

Pros and Cons of “WoM”

(page 7 #VMLearn)

• Passive

• You can’t make your volunteers tell their

friends, but you can encourage them

• Depends on earned marketing/media

• Easier now than ever – but can be negative

• Doesn’t bring in volunteers who don’t

have a connection or know who you are

Pros and Cons of “WoM”

(page 8 #VMLearn)

What we know about volunteers

VolunteerMatch by the numbers:

75,586 Active opportunities nationwide

6,962,317 Connections since 1998

2,500 Average referrals a day

Around 130 during peak hours

2-3 Referrals for each visitor

Lots of volunteers don’t have a strong idea

about where or how they want to volunteer.

They are looking for a opportunity to make

an impact and find a cause they care about.

(79% and 82% Hart 2010)

(page 9 #VMLearn)

Find the right volunteers! When inviting volunteers to participate in your

organization finding the right fit becomes even

more important

• Know who you want

• Comprehensive position descriptions: skills,

experience, traits or characteristics

• Create a strong foundation and manage

expectations

• No bait and switch

• Policies and procedures manual, NDA, Letter of

agreement

Create more Involvement • Training and experience pathways

• Do volunteers know what they need to do to be

able to fill each role in your program?

• Is it clear how that happens, or is it mysterious

or based on longevity?

• Do you offer those classes or have on the job

experience checklists?

•Bring more positions into your volunteer

engagement program

• Let volunteers help you!

• Volunteers know the work that volunteers do -

empower them to document or create the

foundation and flexibility you need. (page 10 #VMLearn)

Create more Flexibility

• Are there different types of opportunities or

different levels of involvement available?

• One size doesn’t fit all

• Doesn’t allow for growth or retraction as a

volunteer’s life changes

• Do you offer project based opportunities, virtual

opportunities, micro volunteering

•Where does the rigidity come from? You,

organization leadership, the past, or perceived

ideas about volunteers?

(page 11 #VMLearn)

Create more Understanding

• Keep volunteers informed

• New ideas or theories in your impact area

• New policies, practices or projects in your

program

• Milestones in your organization

• Incorporate impact into recognition

• Don’t just say thank you - share the work the

volunteer has done

• Include clients in the thank you message

• Spread the thank you outside of your volunteer

program - Social media, internal and external

communications (page 12 #VMLearn)

Create the Connection Turn your volunteers into Advocates!

• Do volunteers know your mission?

•Major accomplishments, funders

• Do they know about other programs?

• Areas and impacts besides their own

• Empower them to spread the word

• Keep them up to date

• Use social media

• Do you know which of your volunteers are also

donors? (page 13 #VMLearn)

Tools for Evolving your Program • Think strategically!

• Do you have a 3 or 5 year plan for your

program?

• Get off the hamster wheel

• What type of program do you have now?

• What type of program do you want to have?

(page 14 #VMLearn)

Tools for Evolving your Program

• Start with the easy (easier?) stuff

• Create or document the structure that exists

now

• Identify volunteer position descriptions, how

they fit together, what volunteers need to know to

do them.

• Don’t do this alone!

• Where and why do volunteers drop out?

• Ask them!

• Survey past and current volunteers about what

they like, are proud of, don’t understand about

your program

(page 15 #VMLearn)

Tools for Evolving your Program

• Create more flexibility

• What did your volunteers tell you they wanted

to do, but couldn’t - so they left?

• Where does the rigidity come from? You,

organization leadership, the past, or perceived

ideas about volunteers?

• Create a communication plan to turn

volunteers in to advocates

(page 16 #VMLearn)

Things to Think About

• You don’t have to change everything right

now

• Putting pathways in is an easier first step

• Identify the priorities or critical positions

• Invite volunteers to take on leadership roles

• Volunteers want to tell you what they like (and

don’t like) about your program

• Invite your superstar volunteers to take the lead

• Share your milestones and successes with

the organization

• Manager, leadership, co-workers and, of course,

the volunteers! (page 17 #VMLearn)

Things to Think About

•Share your milestones and successes

with the organization

• Manager, leadership, co-workers and, of

course, the volunteers!

(page 18 #VMLearn)

Questions?

Jennifer Bennett, CVA

Senior Manager, Education & Training

VolunteerMatch

@Jen BennettCVA

jbennett@volunteermatch.org

(page 19 #VMLearn)

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(page 20 #VMLearn)