Effective volunteer management gives your nonprofit the support it needs to grow impact and power events. It creates a streamlined program that saves your team’s time and improves the volunteer experience so that supporters will keep coming back to volunteer again.
However, according to Double the Donation’s volunteer statistics round-up, 62% of nonprofit professionals feel that volunteer recruitment is a big problem. A lack of volunteers can stem from a number of causes. Prospective supporters might lack the time to volunteer or be unaware of your nonprofit’s volunteer program altogether.
Fortunately, nonprofits that know the best time to attract volunteers can overcome these issues. Ensuring you always have enough volunteers can seem daunting, but we’re here to help! Here are a few essential strategies for knowing when to recruit volunteers.
1. Be organized and plan ahead.
Use a dedicated volunteer management system to track engagement over time. Knowing the number of reliable volunteers your nonprofit currently has will help you determine how many volunteers you need to recruit for future programs, campaigns, and events.
Additionally, use this information to look for patterns in your recruitment strategies. How long do volunteers tend to stay with your organization? Does one recruitment method or source lead to higher volunteer retention? How long does your recruitment process typically take?
For instance, most nonprofits need at least 4-6 weeks to recruit and train new volunteers before major fundraising events. However, your timeframe may vary based on the specific event or campaign and your organization’s size. Small organizations recruiting few volunteers will need less time, while large organizations with multiple volunteer teams will need more.
2. Create detailed job descriptions.
Few individuals will apply for a job without knowing what the work will entail. The same goes for volunteer positions. When crafting your volunteer recruitment materials, be sure to add the following sections to your job descriptions:
- Organization overview. Explain your nonprofit’s work and why you need volunteers. Many new volunteers are likely unfamiliar with your organization, and a brief overview of your mission can provide essential context for your recruitment posts.
- Responsibilities. Provide a skimmable description of what tasks volunteers will be expected to complete.
- Logistic information. When and where will supporters come in to volunteer? Be clear about how long your volunteer shifts are, what days they occur, and where volunteers need to be before their shifts.
- Skills and qualifications. List any qualifications required for specific volunteer positions. These may include roles that require coding skills, the ability to lift more than 20 pounds, or CPR certification.
- Benefits. While volunteers don’t expect a salary, let them know if there are any benefits to helping out. This might include skills development and training opportunities or a brief description of how your volunteer program furthers your cause.
Detailed volunteer job descriptions are also useful resources when working with other organizations to plan volunteer groups. For example, if a business wants to organize a corporate volunteer day, your job descriptions can provide a baseline explanation of the type of responsibilities their team will be asked to perform.
3. Understand how the calendar year can affect recruitment.
Experienced nonprofit professionals know that the time of year influences donations. For instance, many nonprofits launch a variety of fundraisers at the end of the year to take advantage of the giving mood.
The same logic applies to volunteer recruitment. Be aware of how the calendar will affect your recruitment opportunities and time your recruitment strategy accordingly. Keep in mind that the best times of year to recruit volunteers will vary based on your organization and who you serve.
Let’s look at a specific example: an elementary school seeking volunteers. The school needs parents to volunteer on weekdays to assist with field trips and chaperone a school dance. However, the need for volunteers diminishes in the summer.
Additionally, during the summer, parents will likely be harder to reach since they won’t actively check school updates. On the other hand, the back-to-school season will likely have a wealth of volunteers.
Compare this scenario to your own organization. Who is your audience? When are their busiest times of the year? When are they likely to think about volunteering? If you know when people will be most interested in volunteering and when you’ll need volunteers, you can be prepared with teams and strategies in place ahead of time.
4. Build volunteer recruitment into your normal practices.
Often, your current volunteer management practices can springboard your recruitment strategy.
For example, you might encourage volunteers to refer their friends and family. By letting them volunteer together, you can recruit entire friend groups, families, and work teams to volunteer at your nonprofit. This builds a sense of community around your nonprofit, increasing volunteer retention.
Another way to attract volunteers through your usual practices is targeting the community you serve. Use your high-visibility events, programs, and community service days to show off your volunteer program. When people at your events see your positive impact, they’ll be more likely to want to help.
Make sure to show how much you appreciate your volunteers. Thank volunteers individually after they complete their shifts and recognize them publicly to level up your acknowledgments. Similar to member spotlights, you can showcase your volunteers at events, in newsletters, on social media, or anywhere else you have a voice.
Don’t forget to highlight volunteers who have had less visible impacts. For example, if a volunteer is great at grant writing and helps you win a grant, shout them out in event announcements and social media posts. Remember that all of your volunteers make an impact, even if they’re not at the forefront of your program.
5. Promote multiple types of volunteer opportunities.
When it comes to joining a volunteer program, the more options you give your supporters, the more volunteers you’ll have. Consider expanding your volunteer opportunities to include multiple types of volunteering, such as:
- Virtual volunteering. Some supporters may want to volunteer but have mobility issues or time constraints that prevent them from easily traveling to your program sites. Engage these supporters and expand your volunteer network by offering virtual volunteer opportunities. These might include making social media posts, participating in a phone-a-thon, and completing administrative work.
- Team volunteering. Make volunteering with a group easy to attract friend groups, families, and corporate teams. Volunteering is notably gaining popularity in the corporate space as a team-building activity. In fact, 360MatchPro’s volunteer statistics report found that 84% of employers feel volunteerism is an effective way to engage employees.
- Volunteer time off. Some corporations provide employees with paid time off specifically for volunteering. Encourage your supporters to research if they qualify for volunteer time off (VTO) to allow your supporters to volunteer during their normal work hours without sacrificing a paycheck.
Promote the various ways volunteers can help out at your nonprofit on your volunteer information page. For inspiration, check out this example volunteer page that highlights several ways to volunteer, including volunteer grants, VTO, team volunteering, and digital volunteering:
Wrapping Up
Volunteers are a core part of your nonprofit’s team. To improve your recruitment strategies, plan ahead and expand your volunteer program to include opportunities like VTO and virtual volunteering. Then, create detailed job descriptions that promote these opportunities and post them at strategic times of the year.
By following these strategies, you’ll know when to recruit volunteers and create an enjoyable volunteer recruitment process.