creating great volunteer communications

How not to treat your volunteers

like second-class citizens

Bottom Line Ideas

Kevin BaughenFounder, Bottom Line Ideas

#charitycomms

© Bottom Line Ideas 2009

Why this is important

“The great people in the voluntary sector cannot be cloned and the unreliable ones can be a ones can be a proper nuisance”

Philip Collins, leader writer

on The Times

Money

Service Delivery

Why we need volunteers

Service Delivery

Advocacy

How do we create and

deliver great volunteer

communications?communications?

Based on more listening, less

‘talking’

Know what you want to achieve

Know what existing and Know what existing and future volunteers want and need

Ask them directly

Know your audience – target your

channels

Someone must own volunteer

communications

• As the ‘face’ of the charity to volunteers

• To chair volunteer forums

• Accountable for research and learning• Accountable for research and learning

• Drive the comms agenda WITH volunteers

• As a recognisable point of contact

• Able to bring together different departments

and agendas for the greater good

Clarity of objectives

Emotional contact

• Ask them what’s right for them!

• Have volunteers drive the communications

agenda

Appropriate frequency and content

• Have volunteer contributors

• Be brave!

– Empower volunteer groups to distribute their own

communications

– Use volunteer stories to ‘myth-bust’

All together now...

• Organised (taken seriously)

• Crystal clear

• Targeted

• Inclusive & 2-way

• Respectful

• Thankful

• Supportive• Driven by volunteer

needs

• Driven by volunteers

• Supportive

• Frequent

• Relevant

It’s nearly 2010 – be braver!

(brave) Questions?

@kevbaughen

kevin@bottomlineideas.com