How to Get More Volunteers for your Nonprofit (and keep them!)

Volunteers disappear fast for many small nonprofits, leaving you without anyone to help you solve community problems

But you CAN stop it happening! How? You just to know a little bit about how new volunteers think and use it to your advantage!

Volunteers and Service

Volunteers are synonymous with service for most human service agencies. Nothing says commitment more than helping others. But there's a big problem. This isn't the way most volunteers view their experiences.

Volunteers see your organization as a short term experience. Now you may find you often have one time volunteers at your events and gatherings, but you can't seem to keep them there. They view these opportunities as a one and done type deal.

 It turns out, these aren't the volunteers you target when growing your organization.

So Khadarlis asks you: Do you know what volunteers are looking for?

The "New" Volunteer

You need to find out what new volunteers need. Some nonprofits make the mistake of hiring people as "bodies." They need someone to answer the phone, to run administrative tasks, and maybe do a little bit of social media. 

But you're making mistakes if you don't target young people looking for ways to prove themselves: recent college graduates. These millenials are known to be idealistic and when you pair that with unemployment rates as high as 13% for recent college grads, you have a grand opportunity to help them help your organization.

In fact, many see that volunteering is an avenue to learn new skills and we believe this is true. So how do you tap into this market? It's easy. You need to know what drives them.

Why You Need Incentives

People are driven by incentives.

That's why you need to have some incentives built into your volunteering program. This might be confusing since volunteering is supposed to be about service. We urge you think of it like you are steering someone in the right direction. You're helping them realize their full potential.

Thinking About Benefits a.k.a. "What's in it for me?"

The one thing these grads want more than anything is job experience. Use this to your advantage. Treat your volunteers as if they were interns. Better yet, have them help you develop their internship. Find out what skills they have and use them. Of course you can still have them do a bit of everything.

The key is to have them experiment, to learn, and to build stronger relationships with your nonprofit. You'll be able to keep volunteers for at least a few months in return for service alone.

Make them see what's in it for them!

Connecting with your volunteers

So now you know that some volunteers seek to be professionals. How do you reach them?

This part is tricky, but it involves a lot of what you are already doing. These millenial job seekers are technology experts so it makes sense to find them where already at: the Web!

 Try these tips for starters:

• Social Media: Don't neglect Facebook or Twitter! Simply asking people to volunteers or turning posts into recruiting efforts is not hard. Remember that young professionals are using LinkedIn and colleges are pushing their students to sign up. Be there or miss an opportunity!
  
• Newsletters/Email: Putting up calls for volunteers directly into newsletters is another way to interact with prospective volunteers. Make sure you ask people to sign up directly!
  
• Job Sites/Boards: If you post on these sites already, make your posts list benefits of a volunteer/internship!
  
• Your Website: We recommend putting up reasons for your volunteers to sign up. Make sure you cause is clear, your impact is clear, and your volunteer section is clear. Make it easy to sign up!

Having Doubts?

We understand the spirit of volunteering seems to be lost after you read something like this. But trust us it isn't. As a small organization ourselves, Khadarlis has done exactly this to find some of our more dedicated volunteers.

You don't have to give up anything, but think in a way helps you get long lasting volunteers.Of course, if this doesn't work for you there's no shame in trying to find volunteers with traditional methods.

Just try giving this shot and be patient! Have Questions? Leave them below!