Post by Melissa Mauro

Every nonprofit organization knows how much volunteers can help advance your mission. But attracting qualified volunteers can be a daunting task. The last thing you want to do is bring aboard eager but untrained volunteers whose involvement is more trouble than it’s worth. That’s a lose-lose proposition.

To take advantage of the grassroots energy for your cause and put it to good use, I put together this guide to help any organization looking to attract the best volunteers for your cause in nine simple steps.

Write a solid volunteer job description

1The first step is straightforward. Write the job description for a volunteer role just like you might craft any other job description for your team members. It’s important to attract recruits whose goals align with yours and who’ll be satisfied with the role they play. Include as many details as possible so the person can see whether she’d be a good fit.

When I did so on behalf of one of my nonprofit clients, I also focused on the key skills the volunteers needed to have. You don’t want someone whose skill set doesn’t meet the requirements of the position. Consult with department heads to determine where a volunteer would have the most positive impact.

Plan the onboarding process

2It’s also a good idea to consider creating a volunteer handbook. I didn’t make one myself at the beginning but then learned that it could actually be very useful. This will, however, depend on the resources available to you.

Alternatively, there is the option of creating a formal in-person training program. The point in any of the paths to take is to get the recruits on board with what the organization is about and what cause it’s working toward.

Identify the best recruitment method

3Determining the recruitment method is no less important. There are a variety of such methods, so it was crucial for me to know who I want to recruit and what they will be doing in order to understand how I will be doing it.

After I completed step one and two, I had a general idea of which recruitment methods wouldn’t work for me. In my case, I knew that I needed younger people to volunteer for me, so I decided to use social media to spread the word about my organization and the cause we were working for. The target audience influences the recruitment method.

Use your social networks

4Before I started actively looking for volunteers with the help of the job description I created, I first decided to check if there was anyone in my social network who would be interested. And I was right because there were, indeed, people who gladly volunteered for some positions I was looking to fill.

Sometimes, the best candidates could be very close and we just don’t pay enough attention to realize that. I asked my colleagues, friends, and even family members. Then, I asked my current volunteers, clients and individuals who were affected by the problem I was trying to solve.

Target the right volunteers

5Once I filled in some roles after asking around, I started looking for volunteers directly. I first looked in schools and universities as they are usually full of enthusiastic young people. I got in touch with the Student Service departments of such institutions in my area.

I also asked some local businesses, clubs and community groups. I found some volunteers at these places, too, as there are always many companies looking for opportunities. Company volunteering is a very popular practice.

Offer opportunities online

6While my first two methods of looking for volunteers were effective, I still wanted to find even more potential candidates. This is why I decided to look online and offer opportunities there. But unlike the first two methods, this one had its own advantages.

Looking for volunteers online can help find the professionals who can’t be found by simply asking around. Most employees in serious companies don’t have enough time for volunteering, so reaching them online is a better approach than doing so in person.

Explore small-scale volunteering

7Small-scale volunteering or micro-volunteering is based on the concept of people being able to volunteer for smaller periods of time to perform fewer tasks. This idea of micro-volunteering has gained popularity in recent years, so it’s worth trying out.

The aim of micro-volunteering is to make the whole process of volunteering easier. People are given a series of small tasks that they can complete at any time and places the way the volunteers themselves want to.

Nonprofit organizations get many opportunities from micro-volunteering as the tasks they offer can range from spreading a petition to collecting rubbish in the local park. It doesn’t take too much time and doesn’t place as much of a demand on the volunteers or the organization.

Set out the expectations for the position

8To make the volunteers in my organization happy, I clearly communicated my expectations to them. Sharing the expectations about the project you are working on is essential for the volunteers to feel like they are valued and to understand the cause they’re working on behalf of.

Every nonprofit has its own expectations and predictions about what will be the result of its actions and campaigns. These concepts about the future must always be shared with the volunteers so there is a clear aim in their heads.

Make it enjoyable & monitor their performance

9The secret ingredient to making the volunteering enjoyable is to make it fun and pay attention to your recruits. It’s important to get down to business in the right moments. However, joking around and enjoying the job is also a part of the process.

It’s crucial for the volunteers to be happy about working with the nonprofit. This will make them come back to help in the future. Returning volunteers are just as important as new recruits because they can teach the latter ones all they must know.

Final thoughts

It’s not that hard to attract volunteers for a good cause as long as there is some value to offer in return. This method worked for me and I am sure it will work for others who encountered the same challenges while looking for volunteers for their nonprofit organization.

The post How to attract the best volunteers for your nonprofit appeared first on Socialbrite.

To get the most out of volunteers, start with plan

Target audience: Cause organizations, nonprofits, NGOs, volunteer centers, social enterprises.

Guest post by Susannah Vila

If you’ve completed some successful social actions, chances are you have an opportunity to bring some new people onto your campaign or into your program.

Begin recruiting volunteers, but remember how important it is to have a plan for managing them.

Assess your needs

1First, take some time to assess the needs of your organization and how you could use the help of volunteers. What type of support are you looking for?

Direct-service volunteers provide hands-on services such as general office support, serving as translators, helping with events and soliciting donations. Skilled pro-bono volunteers are individuals or company employees volunteering their professional skills like Web design, accounting and marketing.

Decide on a length of engagement

2What type of commitment would you like volunteers to make. One time only? Ongoing? Draft a post and an email calling for volunteers and include a description of your organization or campaign and what the volunteer’s responsibilities would be, as well as the specific skills and time commitment needed. You can then use this post in various channels and social media outlets to recruit volunteers.

Inform people about your opportunities

3Check out the different tools and platforms available for sharing volunteer opportunities:

• Add your organization to Idealist and post listings for volunteer opportunities. Idealist is a well-established and respected platform “where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a better world.”
• Create a profile on GOOD, which recently merged with Jumo.
• If you are in the United States, set up a profile on VolunteerMatch.
• Other sites that may be useful:

– Causecast
– Care2
– Do Something
– Changents
– All For Good
– Socialbrite’s directory of Cause organizations

Play around and see what sites you find easy to navigate and would best help and be most useful to your organization.

Tip! When adding pertinent information to your listing, it’s very important to add keywords because this is how people searching for opportunities will find your listing.

Examine your existing networks

4Before you join a slew of social networking platforms to post opportunities, look at your existing networks, online presence and Web strategy.

• Ask your friends and acquaintances. Personal requests are far more effective than anything else.
• Leverage existing Twitter and Facebook accounts to address your needs.

Your requests should be direct and clear about what type of volunteer help you need, such as “Looking for volunteers to help us at our upcoming event [about this cause] on [this date]. Can you help? E-mail us at [contact info]” or “Can you help us spread the word about our petition?”

Tip! Tap networks like church groups and unions, etc., to see if they want to do what you’re doing.

Craft an email marketing message

5Remember that e-mail blasts to your list of supporters are a great way to reach out and find volunteers. Check out our how-to guide on e-mail organizing for some best practices. Remember to craft a subject line and e-mail body that is clear and uses language encouraging recipients to take action (and volunteer). Make it clear that you are not soliciting for donations but rather that you are looking for your supporters’ help and expertise.

Promptly respond to inquiries

6Hopefully, people will see your postings and respond that they would like to volunteer with your group. Respond promptly to volunteer requests and provide additional information and details. Any time someone says they’ll help out, ask them if they’ve got any friends who might want to join too.

Screen volunteers

7Take the time to carefully interview and screen potential volunteers. Volunteers take up a lot of time for the coordinators, so have a careful screening process to help weed out the ones that aren’t likely to stay for long. If someone wants to volunteer, begin by meeting with them for 15-30 minutes to talk about the organization, learn what kinds of things they are interested in doing and determining if there is a good fit. The interview also gives you an opportunity to assess the needs of the volunteer and whether they might be more work than they are worth.

After the interview, send them away with a packet of information and ask them to call back soon if they are still interested in volunteering. This may select some out the people who would be poor fits out of the process.

Train your volunteers

8Once you have selected volunteers:

• Explain the vision, the plans and how they’ll be part of the team.
• Give volunteers new and greater responsibilities as they prove themselves over time.
• Have a plan in place for how you will train them.

Enlist a volunteer coordinator

9Devise a plan for who will be responsible for supervising volunteers and working on volunteer retention. This position is usually called a volunteer coordinator. Also invest in your best (capable and faithful) volunteers by rewarding them with extra amounts of training.

Don’t be afraid to ask someone to leave when they become significantly more work compared with what they contribute.

Image of volunteers at SF Goodwill by Greg Habiby (CC BY NC image).

Manage your volunteer base

10A key skill for any youth organization is to manage a high turnover of volunteers. This boils down to essentially good organization and records.

Many NGOs that are fortunate enough to have an office staffed by volunteers, keep a log of some sort by the reception/volunteer desk. The log is used as an ongoing record of who has phoned, what follow-up is required and what action has been taken. It is also used to take notes about what other jobs are in process and what still needs to be done. You can do this using Google Drive.

Make sure to include a column indicating who will do what and another to check off when a job has been completed. Along with the log, you should also maintain a manual for volunteers, complete with a series of relevant volunteer job descriptions. Written communications and good record-keeping can go a long way in keeping every volunteer informed about the latest developments and steering them in the right direction when they are wondering what needs to be done.

Clearly define volunteer roles

11It’s a good idea to assign each volunteer to a team and a clearly defined role. Job descriptions should include at minimum the following:

• Title
• Purpose
• Responsibilities (including reporting)
• Skills and knowledge required
• Required time commitment per week or month, location, benefits and a good job description

Sometimes additional resources are useful to attach to the job description, such as postering locations, message scripts, etc.

Bring volunteers together

12Hold events and gatherings for your volunteers. This way they meet the others, build friendships and feel part of a larger team.

Hold a volunteer meeting, bringing a group of volunteers together to learn a specific set of skills. For your own sake, try to schedule the training of volunteers together rather than individually. Of course, some volunteers play a very specialized role in the organization and will require one on one attention.

Hold a work party, similar a volunteer meeting except the goal is to accomplish a certain task. This is a great way to provide time for having fun with the people who care about the same things and also getting things done.

Creative Commons image on Flickr via Susan G. Komen 

Recognize and reward

13Since they are not paid for their valuable contributions, recognition and rewards is an important aspect of volunteering for most people. Everyone wants to know that what they are doing is important, a critical component of the overall organizational goals, and it is the coordinator’s job to let them know. Always thank your volunteers. Again and again. Praise them when they do a good job. Write them nice thank-you notes. Whenever possible, thank them publicly — in your newsletter, on your web site, during your events. Give your volunteers titles. They’re free, they convey information about the volunteer’s role and they can be a source of pride for many volunteers.

Reward your volunteers when possible with small things like bus tickets, parking money, beautiful posters, T-shirts, presents and social events or parties.

Focus on recruitment

14Recruitment is an ongoing job for the volunteer coordinator – whenever someone expresses interest in your work, it’s an opportunity to recruit a volunteer. Other good places to recruit volunteers are at information tables, rallies, educational events, meetings and any time you’re speaking.

The sign-up sheet is a useful tool to use and should include at least a name, phone numbers, email address and interests.

Good luck with your volunteer program!

Related

• 7 tips to get more out of volunteering (BayAreaImpact.org)

The post How to recruit and manage volunteers appeared first on Socialbrite.

Learn how to disrupt the traditional practices of charitable fundraising

Guest post by Stacy Coleman
Senior Marketing Associate, Vivanista

Join us on Nov. 11 and 12 in San Francisco to take part in Vivanista’s Charitable Fundraising Summit, which will bring together volunteer leaders, fundraising event chairs and nonprofit development staff for inspiring keynotes, expert panels and training workshops.

With the goal of arming fundraisers and volunteers with tools to increase their fundraising effectiveness, The Fundraising Summit will address how to:

• Improve fundraising profitability and long-term viability in an uncertain economy
• Acquire new, tangible fundraising tools that can be integrated immediately
• Gain access to experts for real-life fundraising and donor-loyalty advice

The summit kicks off Friday evening Nov 11 with the VivaBrite Awards, which will honor individuals and nonprofits who have demonstrated outstanding leadership skills, fundraising acumen and creative thinking with respect to the successful execution of a charitable event.

Know an individual or organization that deserves the award? Nominate them using this link: vivanista.com/vivabrite-awards/nominate/ (Nominations close on Monday.)

On Saturday, Nov. 12, the summit will continue with a full day of workshops, panels and keynotes from leading experts, addressing key areas such as generating event revenue, social media and building sustainable audiences. Socialbrite founder JD Lasica will be speaking on the social media panel.

Additional speakers include: Bestselling nonprofit author Kay Sprinkle Grace; (RED) creator Tamsin Smith; GirlUp at The UN Foundation director Gina Reiss-Wilchins; LinkedIn nonprofit community leader Bryan Breckenridge; and director of nonprofit services at Causes, Susan Gordon of Causes.com, among others. See the full lineup of speakers and the summit’s schedule.

Special offer for Socialbrite readers!

Register now at Eventbrite. Socialbrite readers get a 20% discount by using the SOCIALBRITE-VIP code.

Event details:

What: The Fundraising Summit (presented by Vivanista, with media sponsor Socialbrite)
When: Nov. 11-12, 2011
Where: Westin San Francisco Airport, San Francisco
Cost: $99; Includes access to the VivaBrite awards on Nov. 11
Social media: Follow all the conference buzz on Twitter with the hashtag #FundSummit

The post Vivanista to host first-ever fundraising summit appeared first on Socialbrite.

Practical tips from the leaders of Universal Giving, Volunteer Match & The Volunteer Center

Over the past year, as Socialbrite has worked closely with dozens of small nonprofits, a recurring theme emerged: Many small nonprofits don’t know how to take advantage of the wellspring of goodwill in their communities from people who’d like to support their cause but don’t know how.

NetSquared’s Net Tuesday event in San Francisco tackled that and related opportunities with an hourlong session on “The New Volunteerism: How to plug into cool projects in your community.” The speakers came at the topic from the POV of both individual volunteers and nonprofits looking to leverage the community.

Participating were Pamela Hawley, founder and CEO, Universal Giving (Pamela also was co-founder of VolunteerMatch); John Power, executive director, The Volunteer Center; Robert Rosenthal, Director of Communications, VolunteerMatch, and I served as moderator. You can watch the unedited LiveStream video above by Justgood.tv (skip the first 15 minutes), though we’ve been promised an edited version in the coming days.

The wide-ranging discussion covered how digital technologies have displaced some of the traditional roles of volunteer centers – “Now technology is really the clearinghouse of information,” John Power said – but volunteer centers have evolved to serve more as a matchmaker between individuals and nonprofits’ needs.

I had two big takeaways from the event:

Broad array of volunteer opportunities

I think a lot of people have a limited view of the kinds of things they can do to support a nonprofit or a cause: Cleaning up a hillside, working in a homeless shelter, that sort of thing. But in truth there are thousands of things you can do that match your talents and passions.

Next week is National Volunteer Week, so find a place to volunteer on:

• VolunteerMatch
• Universal Giving’s Volunteer Opportunities, covering more than 70 countries — and you can help spread the word by embedding this widget on your own site
• All for Good (see sidebar at the right)

Pamela and Robert pointed out some of the volunteer positions seen at some of the more adept nonprofits. Depending on your skill set and interests, you can:

• Contribute to the nonprofit’s blog.

• Create a video or photo slide show.

• Work on helping a nonprofit’s website optimize its search engine optimization.

• Input data into the organization’s Salesforce.com database.

• Reach out to bloggers and pitch journalists on the marketing side.

• Conduct research to determine which companies to target with a corporate social responsibility pitch.

• Help the organization with its strategic planning or with a fund-raising event.

Spark any ideas? Said Pamela: “It’s up to you (the nonprofits) to think about what those positions are, and it’s up to the volunteers to find openings that they’ll feel passionately about.”

She also pointed out that nonprofits need to manage volunteers just as they do with their regular staff. “Volunteers are not free. They give freely and generously of their time,” but they require direction and resources.

Supporting nonprofits vs. supporting causes

Robert gave a fascinating answer to my final question of the evening on whether new technologies are helping us bypass the nonprofit’s gatekeeper function and connect directly with causes they want to help with, like helping a family in need. We’re seeing that in the philanthropic sector with sites like DonorsChoose and Kiva as well as in services like All for Good (which I wrote about here), an aggregator of volunteer opportunities from both nonprofits and nontraditional groups of do-gooders.

“In this crazy wild west universe, with lots of individuals looking to do good in unstructured ways, there’s an internal battle going on” in the volunteer community, Robert said. “Are we in the business of helping institutions and nonprofits, or are we simply in the business of doing good?”

While we can now use grassroots efforts and mobile technologies to help a local elderly person who’s sick or to crowdsource a fix to a pothole down the street, “we’re trying to send the message that by partnering with an institution, you stand to make a bigger impact,” he said. The world is filled with opportunities for individuals to make a difference, “but is it sustainable? how do you multiply your efforts?” He’s concerned about people turning away from community institutions like libraries and museums and local nonprofits.

The speakers touched on a number of other topics, including:

• Federal funding to support national service and state service programs. The Serve America Act created a social innovation fund, a volunteer generation fund and a capacity fund to bring millions of dollars to innovative volunteer efforts.

• John pointed out, “The new technologies have leveled the playing field for small nonprofits not named Habitat for Humanity or the Red Cross.” With the right approach, community organizations can be just as visible to local supporters as nationally known brands.

• There was a great discussion around the issue of using volunteers vs. paid staff and whether that devalued the contributions of volunteers. (Pamela said groups like UniversalGiving wrestle with that question all the time and want to bring aboard talented people as paid staffers when the budget permits.)

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