Successful fundraising is always a group effort, usually involving lots of people. You know you can’t do it alone, so follow these nine excellent tips for maximizing your volunteer resources and keeping people engaged in your process.
1. Swap Out Leadership
Prepare well ahead of time and assign co-chairs, especially for key positions. This will give you a wider pool for doing the job next time. Avoid having the same person as chair every year; give new blood a chance to show what they can do.
2. Get Right On It
As early as possible, start communicating which volunteer roles you want to fill. “Sell” it by emphasizing the benefits of participation. Lots of volunteers and plenty of lead-time prevent burnout. Begin circulating your sign-up sheet for all volunteer opportunities at the very first meeting of the year.
3. The Chair Sets the Tone
Who in your group is organized, motivated, calm, available, willing, seasoned, loves developing skills in others, responsible, good at delegating and efficient? Pick the person who can set her ego aside and share the credit. The wrong person at the top can ruin it for everyone.
4. Rewards Help
No one gets enough appreciation, so show your gratitude to everyone all the time. Plan fun experiences with your organization and supporters that are focused on teambuilding rather than raising money. Canvass your group to see what fun you can come up with.
5. Increase Group Involvement
Look upstream in participating organizations and make sure the highest-level personnel are involved and kept informed. Keep in mind that people like the school principal or president of a participating company are busy people. Don’t overwhelm them with details but provide opportunities for meaningful involvement.
6. Deepen Involvement with Diverse Jobs
Identify tasks suitable for working people that can be done on weekends. Dividing jobs into small segments is a great way to get less active parents involved. For example, making deliveries may suit someone who doesn’t want to make phone calls. Ensure that every volunteer understands his or her stake in your success.
7. Find the Bullhorn
When setting up groups and assign volunteers, assign someone with strong communication and people skills who is also very organized. You know who that is!
8. Set Achievable Goals
Success breeds success, so make sure each subgroup has short-term goals and rewards in focus. Seeing the connection between individual efforts and money raised motivates volunteers to greater efforts.
9. Spread the Load
It’s no fun if just a few do it all. When everyone does their share it keeps core leaders from burning out and leaving the organization.
Adapted from https://www.fundraiserhelp.com/101-fundraising-tips.htm by Kimberly Reynolds