ncvs - engage the volunteer of the future
TRANSCRIPT
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
(page 19 #VMLearn)
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(page 20 #VMLearn)