A recent blog post by attorney and nonprofit fundraising expert Ilona Bray reviewed the tips offered by two seminars presented in the Bay Area. One was presented by Kivi Leroux Miller, an expert on nonprofit communications; and one by Ted Hart, ACFRE, an expert in online as well as traditional fundraising.
Great ideas to help nonprofits attract volunteers.
Ted Hart placed “Recruit and manage volunteers online” on the top seven things every nonprofit should include on its website before it asks for money. He noted that even though recruiting and managing volunteers is crucial to nonprofits’ bottom line , “Most charity websites don’t even mention volunteers.”
That’s bad.
Kivi, who spoke about the power of good storytelling, emphasized, “Anywhere you ask someone to do something, tell a story about someone else doing the same thing.” Of course, that applies to a wide range of calls to action, but it certainly will help prospective volunteers imagine themselves getting involved with your group. It helps them picture what volunteering with your group would really be like.
Replacing uncertainty with familiarity makes all the difference.
“Just imagine the questions a volunteer who’s never actually visited your organization, or met anyone there, might have,” Bray wrote. “Will they think I’m too young/old? Will the work be too hard/boring? Will the people in charge be friendly, or order me around like I’m at the bottom of the pecking order? Will I actually meet anyone I can talk to, or be stuck in a back room with a teenager completing the terms of his probation?”
“Now imagine how implicitly welcoming it would be if your nonprofit website featured an article authored by, or profiling, a volunteer who has been with your organization for a while,” Bray continued. “Maybe that volunteer helped your nonprofit with some important achievements, loved the work so much that he or she moved up to more responsible work or spearheaded a project, or, I dunno, married a fellow volunteer. It’s all good information for the prospect. Add photos, too.”
It’s time to take a look at your organization’s website. Make sure to put a “Get Involved” button on your home page. Make it easy to find the “Volunteer Opportunities.” Write appealing descriptions of volunteer positions, and include an engaging story about each one. Just a little bit of effort could noticeably increase your volunteer rolls.