Every nonprofit leader strives to have a strong volunteer base and active and engaged board members. And many nonprofit leaders are blessed to have reached that level of success.
So, what can you do to make it a reality for your nonprofit?
Successful volunteer and board member programs have at least one thing in common. They are created with a focus on an excellent customer experience. Think of volunteers and board members as your customers. They are giving you (that means no cost to you) their most precious commodities: their time and expertise. Your job as a nonprofit leader is to make the process seamless and very rewarding. Follow these guidelines if you’re ready to take your volunteer and board member programs to new heights.
1. Get organized: Create formal volunteer and board member programs.
It may sound like a simple step but you would be surprised at how many nonprofits don’t have a formal program in place for volunteers and board members. What is the journey like at your nonprofit for a new volunteer or board member? Go through the process of inquiring and applying yourself to learn what kind of experience you are actually delivering.
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- Identify volunteer and board opportunities. Who is in charge of each opportunity? What does the work entail? What are the required time and financial commitments? What is the application process? Is a background check required? Are references needed? Other details? How are volunteers rewarded or acknowledged? Be very specific about the kind of volunteer opportunities you have available and clearly communicate your expectations. And ask volunteers what they find most interesting! The more details and information you can provide prospective volunteers, the better your chances of engaging them with your nonprofit. However, there is a fine line between organized and strict as you don’t want to appear so rigid that volunteers won’t see your opportunity as fun and rewarding.
Resources: Create a landing page on your website that can be updated as changes to the process are made and one that allows prospects to apply online, including uploading any required information. If you have a WordPress website, the Nonprofit Marketing Academy is an affiliate of WP Forms. We use and highly recommend this plugin and its excellent pro version that allows uploads, detailed forms and applications, and data capture. Your landing page should answer the most common questions a volunteer might have and lead to a specific contact should they have more questions. It should also include testimonials and stories from other volunteers.
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- Create an easy and automated registration or signup process for volunteer opportunities. Post opportunities prominently on your website and/or the above-mentioned landing page. Include an online registration option that immediately prompts a thank-you email with all of the details the volunteer will need including directions, attire, the volunteer coordinator’s contact information, parking instructions, arrival time, etc. Don’t forget to include phone and email contact information on the landing page for those who prefer to register via phone, and those who may have questions.
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- Ask each department lead if they have any needs for volunteers. Not every volunteer is interested in traditional opportunities such as helping with special events, but they may have the time and talent to help in other areas. Additionally, many nonprofits operate using a skeleton crew and there are probably team members who could use a helping hand. In cases where a volunteer may be working with a staff member other than the volunteer coordinator, ensure the staff member receives specialized training on how to work with volunteers and how to make the experience a positive one for the volunteer.
2. Promote the Opportunities: Create a formal marketing campaign to recruit volunteers and board members.
What is it like to volunteer with your nonprofit? Your nonprofit’s social media channels, newsletters, and email campaigns should be filled with stories about your volunteers and how they are helping.
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- Ask board members and volunteers to share content – and make it easy for them to do so! In an ideal situation, someone will be assigned to record EVERYTHING at your special events and will be sharing pictures all throughout the event. Volunteers should “check-in” on social media and share about the event. Additionally, someone should be assigned as the designated picture taker at each of your nonprofit events. They will label the pictures with the person’s name and include a caption about what is happening. All of this should be submitted to your marketing department electronically, right after the event or the very next day. Get this content on your social channels and tag the volunteers. It’s new and exciting and ripe for sharing.
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- Repurpose event content. Use the images and videos of volunteers you collect at your special events to recruit volunteers for your upcoming events. Remember that landing page you created? Add videos and images to that page and update them regularly, so that it is a fresh and active page.
- Introduce volunteers and board members to your audience. Share your board members’ stories across all your marketing channels – over and over again. This isn’t a one-and-done tactic. Keep their stories flowing and alive! Their stories are your most powerful recruitment tool. Don’t be fooled into thinking you can only tell a person’s story one time. Digital marketing algorithms restrict how many people see your posts and videos across your channels. Plan to share the same piece of board member content at least three to four times in a six-month period and then at least biannually. Nonprofit board members get involved with the nonprofit for their own reasons. Uncover their reason and cultivate it. Find out what each board member hopes to personally gain from their involvement. Your board member stories make great content for pitching to local news and magazine publications.
Here is an example of board member mission-focused content that promotes the nonprofit and the board member:
3. Uplevel onboarding: Create a stellar board and volunteer onboarding process.
We all know the importance of first impressions. Your board member and volunteer onboarding process is your nonprofit’s organizational first impression for new members. Make it the best possible experience for them. Remember, board members and volunteers are investing their time and often their money in the nonprofit. The onboarding should help communicate the value of that investment. An onboarding should provide the following:
- Introductions to leadership team members – Include contact information and a background of each team member’s experience and current roles and responsibilities.
- Introduction and one-on-one with program leader – Whoever is in charge of board recruitment and retention should schedule one-on-one meetings with each new board member. The volunteer program manager should do the same for each new volunteer.
- Overview and walkthrough of the nonprofit – Take new board members and volunteers behind the scenes so they learn exactly what your nonprofit does and why.
- Review of the nonprofit programs, performance, and outcomes – Your board members and volunteers will be asking their close friends, family, and colleagues for donations. Make sure they know about your programs, how your nonprofit is performing, where you need help, and the results of your efforts. Arm them with information, facts, and success stories.
- Information sharing – Allot time for board members and volunteers to share about themselves and how they can help contribute to the team and the nonprofit.
- Detailed expectations and paperwork – Ensure board members and volunteers know what is expected of them and their roles. If there are specific rules or regulations that must be followed, take the time to go into detail about these and their importance.
Want more tips and training? Try out these related academy resources.
