Recognizing Your Volunteers

Linh Ta

Everyone likes to get some kudos, high fives and a big thanks when they do a good job, including your volunteers!

Volunteers like making a difference in their community and knowing they’ve made a positive impact on those around them. Recognizing volunteers and getting them to come back is important for your organization too -– the average value of a volunteer’s time was worth over $24 an hour in 2016, according to independentsector.org.

As a volunteer coordinator, help reinforce the good vibes by letting your volunteers know their contributions are important and valued every step of the way.

Before the event:

Let people know about the big picture impact they’re going to have by volunteering. When you send out an email reminder before your event to your volunteers, include some words about how they’re helping. It’s more than just a simple volunteer assignment -– they’re helping your organization’s mission and people in the community around them. Remind them of that and the value of their altruism.

During the event:

Check up on your volunteers. Whenever you and your staff have some downtime, make sure to ask your volunteers how everything is going. This shows them that you care about their well-being and this is also a chance to give some more thanks and appreciation.

Have fun by capturing the moment! Taking photos of your volunteers while they’re in the zone or shooting a group picture can be a unique way to celebrate the moment.

Food is always the quickest way to the heart. Even some basic sandwiches, chips and bottled water keep your volunteers fueled up, but also feel appreciated.

Wrapping up

Social media shout outs are an easy way to publicly thank your volunteers. Tag volunteers and note their accomplishments for followers to see. Thank you notes go a long way, whether they’re through email or handwritten notes. Give a personal touch and thank a volunteer for their specific task. The clean-up crew made sure the event looked nice and well organized and people setting up made sure the start of the event went smoothly. Thanking a volunteer’s specific role shows you recognize the work of that particular person and can encourage that volunteer to come back again.

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A Guide to Strong Communication With Your Team

Isabel Reed

At the heart of any thriving relationship between a coordinator and a volunteer team is a commitment to strong communication. Let’s unpack that — what does “strong communication” entail? First, we’ll explain what makes for excellent communication among teams and leadership. Then, we’ll give you some sample templates to use yourself!

Strong Communication Strategies:

Consistent & Timely

Your team wants to hear from you! They are looking to you for leadership and direction, and that often comes through communication channels. Give your volunteers a timeframe as to when they can expect to hear from you regularly. (Daily, weekly, monthly? Via email or in-person?) Then, meet that expectation promptly!

Clear:

Ensure your message is clear. What do your volunteers need to know? Is any action required on their part or yours? Leave little to no room for misinterpretations.

Concise:

Respect your volunteers’ time by delivering a concise message. Take an extra moment to trim wording or content that isn’t necessary or doesn’t somehow contribute to the overall message. While it is important to be mindful, there is no need to be overly-rigorous about this one; you still want to sound like yourself!

Other factors to consider in strong communication are, for example: How approachable are you to your volunteers? Could weekly or monthly check-ins help keep your team on the same page?

With plenty of strategies under your belt, it is time to put them to action!

Take a peek at email templates we created for you below. These templates cover the most commonly exchanged email communications between volunteer coordinators and volunteers. Notice how they align with all three strategies listed above. You are welcome to use any of these templates yourself.

Note: if you use VolunteerLocal to manage your volunteer team, simply use our Communication tool to distribute broadcast emails and texts to your volunteers. With a selection of smart tags to choose from, you can fill in unique volunteer details with no effort on your part. Schedule the email to be sent right away, saved as a draft, or scheduled to be sent at a date/time of your choosing. If you are on the Conquer Plan, you can even save the following emails as templates for quick, repeated access later!

Email Theme: Sign Up Thank You

Hello [first name],

Many thanks for signing up to volunteer with us here at [organization name]! We look forward to seeing you soon. Ahead of your shift, please review the following information:

[Any info. you need to share, such as directions, arrival instructions, what to wear, expectations.]

Your shift information is below:

[Job & shift details]

With any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

Thank you,

[Your Name]

Email Theme: Reminder Emails

Hi [first name],

Get ready, you have an upcoming shift with [organization name]! Your shift details are below:

[Job & shift details]

When you arrive … [share instructions! Should they check in at a kiosk or with you? Any protocols?]

Thank your for all your efforts in support of [organization name]!

See you soon,

[Your name]

Email Theme: Post-Volunteer Thank You Note

Hi [first name],

Thank you for volunteering with us! On behalf of our whole team and the community we serve, we sincerely appreciate your support.

[Optional: include a survey to collect feedback, and/or discuss the large scale impact of their volunteer work.]

We hope to see you again soon.

Warm regards,

[Your name]

Email Theme: No-Show Volunteer

Hi [first name],

I hope all is well! I noticed that you did not attend your last shift, so I wanted to check in – how are you enjoying the volunteer program at [organization name], so far?

If you have any concerns regarding your volunteer role, please let me know. We welcome feedback that makes us a stronger team and better volunteer program.

Many thanks,

[Your name]

Of course, these templates likely just scratch the surface of the emails you exchange regularly with your volunteers. Whether you use these templates, others, or write original emails each time, remember to follow the three strong communication strategies – consistent & timely, clear, concise.

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Strategies & Tools for Volunteer Programs of All Sizes

Isabel Reed

Behind any team of volunteers are strategies and tools that help keep things running smoothly on a daily basis. Volunteer coordinators have a lot on their plates already, which is why tools and strategies can be so valuable; they streamline the complicated and organize the disorderly. With the right tools, volunteer coordinators can save time, keep their volunteers happy, and even grow their volunteer base. Take a look at our list of resources that volunteer programs of all sizes could use to stay coordinated.

Small volunteer programs (little to no budget, a few volunteers):

If your program only has a handful of volunteers, you will likely be able to manage them all with a simple set of tools and strategies. Priorities include easy communication, team accountability, and vision.

Strategies:

  • Weekly meetings: with small teams, it is more feasible to block off a time in everyone’s calendar for a team meeting. These meetings ensure that the team is moving forward in-step with each other, feeling positive about the time they’re contributing to the organization, and have a close connection with leadership.
  • Goal-setting: in a smaller team, more responsibility falls on each volunteer’s shoulders. It can be easy to get carried away in the day-to-day work and lose sight of bigger, long-term goals. Establish a practice of goal-setting (and check-ins) to better ensure progress on important initiatives.

Tools:

  • Google Forms: This is a free tool that can be used in a variety of ways. Use it to report monthly progress, accept new volunteer applications, or even propose new projects for the team.
  • Google Drive: Another free resource! Share documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with your team, all in one shared workspace.
  • GroupMe: You can use this free app as a way to quickly text your group of volunteers. This app is most effective with small teams.

Medium volunteer programs (limited budget, >20 regular volunteers)

Strategies:

  • Track Hours: Medium and large sized volunteer programs benefit greatly from tracking hours. For nonprofit organizations especially, these hours can earn your organization donations, grants, and community recognition (which can lead to more support).
  • Volunteer Orientations: At this level, it becomes more difficult to have a close relationship with each volunteer individually. Therefore, it’s important to introduce volunteer orientations or “welcome sessions” in order to introduce yourself, share any needed information, and set the right tone.
  • Volunteer Check-Ins: schedule 15-minute check-ins with as many volunteers as possible. Grow a connection with each volunteer, and learn what they are enjoining (or not enjoying) about their position. This is an investment in long-lasting, quality volunteer relationships. Check-ins can be on the phone, on Zoom, or in person.

Tools:

  • Trello: This free web tool allows teams to track progress on collaborative projects, assign deadlines, and trigger email notifications. For volunteer coordinators, this is a great way to monitor progress from a bird’s eye view.
  • Slack: This is a channel that allows co-workers to communicate throughout the day, facilitating virtual co-working. Use “channels” to organize group communications by topic.
  • Zoom: This is another free tool that facilitates virtual 1:1 and group meetings.
  • Email Marketing: There are many free and paid tools for email marketing, such as MailChimp and MailerLite. Keep in touch with volunteers with announcements, accomplishments, and calls for community support.
  • VolunteerLocal: (We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention!) Seamlessly schedule volunteers, send out regular email and text communications, track hours, and pull customized reports on your volunteer base. This is an easy, powerful tool for volunteer scheduling and management.

Large volunteer programs: (established budget, >150 regular volunteers)

Strategies:

  • Continuing to track hours and hold volunteer orientations.
  • Leadership Roles: It is much more difficult to maintain close relationships with individual volunteers when there are so many! Although this is a good problem to have, it is important that strong leadership and positive relationships with leadership are sustained. Consider delegating some leadership responsibilities to volunteers who have been serving for many years, or who are otherwise trusted.
  • Toss Out Pen and Paper: At this point, it is critical to move your volunteer management and organization online. If volunteer records and hours are only on paper, your program will be vulnerable to loss of information and inefficient systems.
  • Celebrate Volunteer Accomplishments: although this can (and should!) be done with programs of any size, it is particularly rewarding with large volunteer programs. Track volunteer impact and celebrate it together as a means to show gratitude for the work volunteers have accomplished. Ensure that volunteers feel appreciated for the work they do!

Tools:

  • Cloud Storage: You might use tools like OneDrive, Google Cloud, or DropBox to store all of your important documents online. This will help you better organize your information, find it more quickly, and reduce vulnerability to loss of information.
  • Volunteer Swag: Make a volunteer feel like part of the family by giving them a volunteer t-shirt (or other apparel), phone case, or gift somehow related to your organization.
  • VolunteerLocal: Again, our platform helps with volunteer management of teams of all sizes. At its core, VolunteerLocal supports volunteer scheduling, communication, tracking, and reporting. However, there are many other tools that assist large teams, such as: volunteer certificates, leader/captain access, credit card processing, and more. 

Of course, there are some strategies and tools you might gleam from various of these lists. What is important is that you find the right tools and strategies to suit you and your volunteers.

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How to Respond to Volunteer Burnout & Loss of Interest

Sandie Kirpalani

It is fun and exciting when you have a lot of motivated volunteers who have fun and work well together. Over time, you might notice that some volunteers are losing interest and that your team is showing some changes.

Most volunteers get involved because they are passionate about your cause and want to make a difference in the world. With this in mind, what led to the volunteer losing interest or becoming burnt out? And, what can you do to stop this from happening or to get the volunteer reengaged? It is important to identify and address these signs before they become damaging and lead to losing a valued volunteer. In this article, we have identified some signs to look for and possible ways to address them.

Signs that a volunteer might be losing interest or getting burned out:
The volunteer is cynical or negative when they used to be positive.
The volunteer shows anger or frustration more easily.
The volunteer seems to have lost enjoyment in the act of volunteering.
The volunteer shows distinctive changes in personality.
The volunteer was outgoing and is now more standoffish.
The volunteer starts confiding that they are feeling overwhelmed by the work, especially if they previously found it manageable.
Changes in reliability or productivity of the volunteer.
Changes in responsiveness from the volunteer.


Possible reasons why a volunteer is losing interest or becoming burnt out:
The volunteer has feelings of ineffectiveness and/or lack of accomplishment.
The volunteer does not feel like their work is having an impact.
The volunteer has not been given a specific task or role.
The volunteer has not been asked to give their opinion.
The volunteer feels that their personal life is not being respected.
The volunteer was not thanked or acknowledged for their service or contribution.
The volunteer has too much on their plate.
The volunteer is having trouble dealing with difficult emotions and/or situations that they’re encountering while volunteering

Strategies to combat loss of interest and burn out:
The best strategy to keep volunteers interested and avoid burnout is by making sure volunteers and their managers have great working relationships and open communication. Paying attention to and looking out for the signs we listed above is a great place to start. Engaging with and getting to know your volunteers is an important step in being successful with not only volunteer retention, but also being able to identify any volunteer issues. By watching for uncharacteristic behaviors in your volunteers, you may be able to solve issues before they become a problem.

Starting with open communication right when volunteers first sign up is the easiest way to implement this strategy. You should be honest about what the work will entail. You should also be upfront if the work will be emotionally challenging or may involve difficult and/or challenging situations. It is also important to be honest if a volunteer’s expectations do not fit the reality of the role they want to fill. Not doing so could lead to frustration and disappointment for you and the volunteer.

Another component of communication that can help to avoid loss of interest is to schedule regular check-ins with volunteers to ask how they are feeling about the work and solve any issues that they might be experiencing. Listen carefully to what they have to say and make any changes that you are able to. If they express that they are feeling overwhelmed or burnt out, lighten their load or suggest that they try a different job.

Equally important is helping them realize their impact and the ways they are making a difference. Change is not always obvious and can take a long time. If you can share the story of their work, what it means to your organization, how it contributes to your mission and how it affects the community, they will feel like they are accomplishing their goal of making a difference. Otherwise, they may not get this information and may start to feel like they are ineffective or wasting their time.

Providing appropriate training sessions for your volunteers can also help avoid loss of interest. Making sure that the volunteers know exactly what to expect and giving them clear direction will help to make the volunteer feel valued and confident. Try to be flexible as possible regarding volunteer scheduling and respect their time. Try to be understanding if someone has to cancel or change their shift. We have all had last minute things come up. A good strategy is to provide some guidelines outlining what to do if a volunteer needs to cancel or reschedule a shift. This will make it clear that you are respecting that they are volunteering their free time.

Handling volunteers who have lost interest or are burned out:
Even if you have great communication and take preventative measures, loss of interest can still happen. If it does, and the volunteer lets you know, it is important to listen and be sensitive to what the volunteer is going through. This can go a long way in helping to keep them from feeling negative about their time volunteering or your organization. It may even lead them to come back when their circumstances have changed. If possible, ask what led them to become uninterested or burnt out. The information they provide could help you to improve your strategies and avoid loss of additional volunteers in the future.

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Gearing Up for Volunteer Orientations

Samantha Gratton

Volunteer orientations are often the first thing on the to-do list when a new group of volunteers joins your organization. In times of COVID-19, volunteer orientations are just as critical – if not more – than they were before. The good news is that volunteer orientations can be held on-site or virtually. For virtual orientations, lean on virtual meeting platforms like Zoom!

The most important thing to remember when scheduling a volunteer orientation is determining what the purpose of the meeting is. Perhaps you want to get to know your incoming volunteers so you know how to best lead them. Then you want to introduce yourself and the organization in order to build trust and rapport. Finally, you want to instill some sort of passion and excitement about the organization and the event in these newfound volunteers. Most of the time these are the key goals within an orientation meeting, but if your goals differ, be sure to alter the meeting as needed.

Get to know volunteers
Depending on group size, there are a number of ways to get to know your volunteers. If you have less than 10 volunteers at the orientation, you could allow enough time to go around the room and have each person introduce themselves, including their name, their connection to the organization, and something silly like their favorite restaurant downtown.

If you have a large group, you might instead have everyone wear name tags and then play a game to get to know people. The “this or that” game is a great way to get a feel for people and their preferences. To play, have everyone stand up and give two choices (like chocolate or vanilla, beer or water, rock or country), with each side of the room representing one of the choices. With each option, have people move to the side of the room they most relate to. Playing a few rounds will give you an idea of where the majority lies on both silly questions and questions related to experience and community involvement (i.e. volunteered with a race or not, lived in the area for more/less than 3 years, volunteering with multiple organizations or this is your only one, etc…) Please note, this is more easily done in person than virtually.

Introduce yourself
Believe it or not, this section of orientation often gets overlooked. While you may think there’s not much to say, volunteers better relate and trust a leader they feel they know and understand. By no means does this have to take half the meeting, but make sure to touch on some important details about yourself. Share a bit about your role within the organization, your passions or what you like to do for fun, your first volunteer moment, why you’re excited about the organization or event, your management style, and your contact information. If you asked volunteers a silly question, be sure to share the answer about yourself, too. Bonus points if you include a cute picture of your puppy.

Express excitement about the organization
Okay, now that everyone knows a little bit about each other–why are you all here?! Share about your organization, and don’t assume the volunteers know all about it just because they chose to volunteer with you. Give a brief history, but more importantly–share the impact. This is usually what hits home the most for volunteers. Whether it’s a dollar amount raised each year by an event, or the number of people in attendance, give some data to support the influence you have in the community. Then, share some testimonials as it relates to your mission, be it from a family who benefitted from the paid medical expenses, or a quote from an article that raved about the musicians hitting the stage this year.

Perhaps this is the meeting you also share what volunteers will be doing as individuals or in teams. If so, be sure to explain tasks clearly with simple steps. If this isn’t the right time for that, just give an overview of what to expect, available volunteer positions, or a timeline of when volunteers will hear from you regarding their next steps and the tasks ahead.

Questions?
Make sure you provide time for these new volunteers to ask questions –about the event, about their tasks, about you, or whatever! The purpose of the meeting is for new volunteers to feel comfortable, knowledgeable, and excited to volunteer with you. Ending it with an opportunity to tie up loose ends with any questions they may have not only gives them the confidence they need, but also might inform areas where you need to give more details in future orientation meetings.

Although these orientation meetings can seem redundant to you (after all, you’ve done them half a dozen times just this year alone), remember that the volunteers are new to it. Keep positive and upbeat as you aim to inspire them toward another great experience of volunteering (and hopefully retain them for future volunteering opportunities). There’s plenty of opportunity to have fun with it as you get to know each other, so don’t let this become merely another meeting on your to-do list.

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Engaging Volunteers Remotely

Sandie Kirpalani

In these times where most people are at home and social distancing, it might feel difficult to keep volunteers engaged. It is more important than ever to keep volunteers engaged and ready to jump in when we are able to be together again. Keeping your volunteers engaged is also great for their health and wellness during this heavy time. Volunteer coordinators might find themselves reflecting on their volunteer programs and even wondering if their events will take place. You might be wondering how your volunteers are doing, given the current circumstances, and how things will fall into place in the future. 

We’ve put together some ideas that may help with reaching volunteers and providing ways that they can contribute from home to keep engaged.

Develop a virtual team.

Find volunteers/staff who make it a focus to meet virtually on a regular basis to discuss and implement initiatives. (As we are all learning, you can easily get started with this at no cost through virtual meeting platforms, like Zoom.)

Do you have volunteers that could help with writing copy, letters or grants?

It goes without saying that keeping your name out there and securing funding right now and for the future is imperative. 

Create short-term project teams to help volunteers get a feel for your organization and make an impact.

For example, do you have volunteers that could help with creating digital art, website design or video editing?

Do you have volunteers that would be good at public relations?

Even if your event is not occurring in 2020, these volunteers can communicate a positive spin and get the message out that you will be back stronger and better in 2021. 

You could also utilize this public relations talent for social media posts and outreach. Focusing this content around storytelling is an especially good way to connect. You could have volunteers share your culture, goals and missions. They can also share their stories and experiences with volunteering. 

Host a virtual event.

For example, you might host an event where everyone makes thank you cards to send to the essential workers in your community. This one would be especially great to involve families who have kids. 

Tweak, set-up or revise your volunteer training program.

Do you have volunteers that would be good at taking the lead on implementing or improving your training program? Now is a great time to dig into an area like this, and it is easily done remotely. 

Use the experience of your volunteers to revise your volunteer program. You might want to expand or change up the work/shifts available, revise checklists, revise volunteer applications or take a look at areas from past events that could be stronger and improve on them. You could also use experienced volunteers to design or update position descriptions. 

Check in with each other!

Have a volunteer, or team, create a phone tree to check in with other volunteers and keep in touch. Or set up a regular virtual “happy hour” or hang time. 

People are eager to help. Start recruiting!

It might not seem like it, but now is also a good time to recruit volunteers. Many people have unexpected extra time right now and are looking to contribute to a cause they care about or feel like they are making a positive difference.

Engaging volunteers remotely can be challenging, but with some creative thinking, you may be able to get through this with your volunteers engaged and even recruit some new volunteers. The creativity we have seen from people engaging around the world during these challenging times is so inspirational. We hope that these ideas are helpful in keeping volunteers engaged and ensuring that you have a strong volunteer base during and after this pandemic.

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How to Turn a Giving Day into a Volunteer Recruitment Engine

Tim Sarrantonio

During #GivingTuesdayNow, Neon One helped power giving events that helped 15,369 people pledge 515,778 volunteer hours in their communities. That is a lot of generosity! Yet how can your organization take the momentum that comes from a giving day and turn that into year round energy for your new volunteers.

Let’s unpack the three key steps you can take to engage new volunteers that you’ve recruited from a community giving event. 

Welcome Them

Your organization should treat your new volunteers the same way you should be treating new donors – with an enthusiastic embrace. Creating a series of communications and programs that help energize your new volunteers will go a long way in keeping them with your organization for a long time. Here’s a few ideas on how to kickstart this for your organization:

  • Host a virtual celebration of these new volunteers, updating them on the success you had with the giving event itself
  • Create an onboarding email series that is triggered by their start date with your organization
  • Give them a gift from your organization – it can be as simple as a sticker of your organization’s logo that they can put on their laptop

Personalized Training

Studies show that up to ⅓ of volunteers stop supporting their organization after one year, so ensuring that they feel supported as early as possible is key to maintaining the energy that comes from a giving day. There are a few simple yet effective strategies your organization can put into place to ensure long term success with your volunteers:

Report Back

Just like donors want to know the impact of their contributions, volunteers are going to want to understand how the work they’re doing is creating a positive impact in the mission that they are supporting. Here’s a few ways that your organization can create a feedback loop that keeps volunteers engaged and potentially turns them into donors as well. 

  • Create a dedicated newsletter for volunteers that spotlights the work that individuals and groups are doing as well as telling stories about the programs they are supporting
  • Carve out a section in your annual report that is specific to the work that volunteers are doing, intentionally spotlighting a volunteer that you recruited from your successful giving day
  • Create a retrospective one year later about the volunteers you recruited on your giving event and include them in any promotion you do for the giving event in the next year, including interviewing them on a live stream

By employing these strategies and tactics, your organization will be able to turn the energy created from the moment of a giving event into momentum that powers your volunteer team for the rest of the year and into the future.

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Sparking Motivation in a Team That May Be Feeling Discouraged

Sandie Kirpalani

Volunteers are the lifeblood of many organizations, who without the generous donation of time, would otherwise not be able to hold events or operate successfully. Keeping volunteers motivated can be challenging, even outside of a pandemic environment. Motivation differs from person to person, so applying different techniques may help you identify what works best for your group of volunteers.  We have put together a list of 8 tips that you can use to help motivate volunteers.

1.  Communication – goes both ways 

Motivating new volunteers or returning volunteers requires good communication. Great communication will help them feel like they are knowledgeable about your organization and how they are contributing. Repeatedly sharing information about the purpose of the support work the volunteers will be helping with is a great way to create motivation. Volunteers need a sense of direction, especially if they are a new volunteer.

Listening is an equally important part of communication. Make sure to provide opportunities for volunteers to speak up with thoughts and ideas and to provide them support. Being able to listen to volunteer concerns and support them is especially important right now while we are all making compromises and working through changes.

Socialization is also a big part of volunteering and is an important motivator. Social distancing is having a great impact on this area for all of us right now. Have a space (even virtually) where volunteers can meet, communicate, socialize and motivate each other. 

2. Respect – instruction and organization

Volunteers are giving up their free time to help, which should be recognized and respected. It goes without saying that respect builds trust, empathy and dedication. Communication also goes a long way to building respect. During this time, where many events are being cancelled or postponed, clearly and promptly communicating plans and details to your volunteers shows that you respect their time and feelings. 

When events do take place, making sure to set up stations where workers can provide their services easily, safely and without frustration is an important part of building respect. You can do this by making sure that they know where to go, they know their shift details and that they have the necessary tools, check-lists and supplies needed to complete their shift. Respect is also shown through pairing volunteers with jobs that use their skills well. Asking simple questions on the registration form can help to ensure that you pair the right person with the right job. 

3. Be available – show that you are motivated

Being accessible to your volunteers shows that you are motivated and passionate about your organization. Volunteers should have an easy time getting a hold of the right people and should feel comfortable reaching out. If they are not able to easily get questions answered, or concerns heard, they may lose interest and not show up or volunteer with your organization again.

One easy way to let volunteers know you are available is to check in with them from time to time. Right now, holding online video chats or happy hours is a fun way to keep in touch and provide a platform to keep everyone motivated.  

4. Recognition – acknowledge achievements

Volunteers do not usually volunteer their time to get recognition. That does not mean that recognition is not a huge part of creating motivation. Everyone likes to be acknowledged for contributions or a job well done.

In the workplace, positive feedback is the number one motivator.  This carries through for most areas of our lives. Some people do not like to be singled out and can be embarrassed by direct recognition in front of others. Praise can also be given with a team focus/team mindset. Individuals are often very responsive to team praise because they are aware of how they are affecting a whole team effort, and the part they have played in that success. 

Another way to provide recognition, is to personally thank volunteers. Thank you notes and emails are one way to do this. Personalizing the thank you message to each volunteer lets them know that you are specifically acknowledging them. This may seem like a daunting task, but think how great it feels when you receive a personalized thank you. Recognition can motivate volunteers to keep volunteering for your organization, to recruit others and to continue to produce great results. 

5. Rewards – extra perks!

While we know that volunteers are not volunteering their time to get a reward, rewards and perks can go a long way in attracting new volunteers and help to keep volunteers coming back. They can be a great motivator!

If you have a budget for it, sending long time volunteers or leaders to a conference or training can be a very motivating reward. Many conferences are at resorts or offer a vacation type get-away. Volunteers would get to attend interesting seminars, workshops, activities and have great networking opportunities. Attendees leave filled with motivation and ideas that will benefit your organization. Not everyone has the budget to send volunteers to conferences or to provide swag, but there are also some simple, low-cost or free things you could do. 

Some successful ideas we have heard:

  • Give volunteers certain hours or exclusive access to your event or vouchers for a VIP area. 
  • Certificates of achievement
  • Buttons, pins or plaques
  • Ribbons
  • Outstanding volunteer rewards for each job/area
  • Free food and beverage
  • T-shirts
  • Bandanas
  • Sweat bands
  • Hats
  • Custom wristbands
  • Reusable bags

6. Build team spirit – create a competition or challenge

Build a sense of motivation within your team by creating a space where they can get to know each other and feel more comfortable. The more team spirit created, the more comfortable the volunteers will feel. This will help them to motivate each other and look forward to future volunteer opportunities together. 

You could host a gathering allowing new and returning volunteers to get to know each other or organize a competition or challenge (these can also be done virtually). One example of a challenge could be to reward current volunteers who recruit the most new volunteers. You could have different prize levels, so that multiple volunteers have a chance to win. 

7. Training – motivate through knowledge

Hosting online initial and continual training opportunities can encourage development and motivation. Volunteers want to maximise the contribution they make but many receive limited training before or after they volunteer. Even a small amount of training can give volunteers a better understanding of their role, better direction within their role, help them to be more excited about their volunteering opportunity and motivate them to better themselves. We have a quick guide to training volunteers available, if you would like more detailed information.

8. Have fun – play is a great motivator

Volunteering can sometimes be stressful and cause a loss in motivation. People who feel like they are part of a group that they can have fun with will be motivated to return and spend more of their time with that group.

Important causes and goals that we are passionate about can sometimes become too serious and we forget the fun element. Before and between your events, try hosting some purely fun events. Of course, this is easier to do when we are not socially distancing, but there are some great virtual options. We have already mentioned online group chats or happy hours, but here are some additional ideas:

  • Online trivia night 
  • Online karaoke 
  • Online board or other types of games 
  • Host a watch party with live music or movies. 
  • Host a live “how to” with a guest who shows how to cook or craft something. 


Keeping connected is the most important step in keeping volunteers motivated. Be creative and have fun with it.

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Volunteer Appreciation: Identifying Incentives That Matter

Rebekah Coenen

A year ago, volunteering looked a lot different than it does now in 2020. While the COVID-19 health crisis keeps a lot of volunteers safely at home, I still remember the bustling of volunteers at springtime events only a year ago. While I’m sure we will all be back to a new normal eventually, I realized there was value in my nostalgic reflection.

“What excites volunteers to come back, year after year?” I wondered. More specifically, I thought, “What will excite volunteers to return next spring, after we get through all of this?”

First and foremost, I’m sure it will be community spirit that brings volunteers back through the doors of our local nonprofits, festivals, and marathons. You know what they say – distance makes the heart grow fonder. We’re all eager to reunite and (re)start contributing to the missions that matter most to us.

Beyond that, I’m sure good ol’ incentives will be another motivator to returning volunteers, especially in the years to follow. From my reflections of last year, I identified what really made incentives valuable to our volunteers.

So, jump in my time machine and travel back with me just one short year to identify incentives that mattered.

The sun was shining and the air was light with the promise of warmer weather around the corner. Volunteers were bustling around from table to table preparing for the local fun run, ‘Spring has Sprung’. Tented tables for check-in and distributing bibs for the runners accompanied by merchandise tables and food trucks, lined the perimeter of a parking lot.

I found one volunteer, Steve McMillian, while he filled orange water coolers to be put out throughout the 5K and 10K course. He has been volunteering for SHS, as he affectionately called it, for 3 years. “I moved here about 5 years ago and my buddy always seemed to have this new stuff in the spring. Finally, I asked him where he was getting it from, and he told me about SHS and their awesome swag bag,” McMillian said. His friend would have a new tee shirt, sunglasses, bottle opener, even a phone case one year. “The big thing is the logo is always really cool and different. It really feels like they spend time thinking about what is actually good stuff to get.” 

Plenty of other events use swag to incentivize volunteers to sign up for a shift or two, but seems that SHS has it down to a science. When I asked other volunteers what their favorite piece of swag was this year, I got a few different answers, but the top three favorites were tee-shirts, pens, and free meal during your shift. 

I was surprised something as simple as a pen made it on the list. Second time volunteer, Macy Roads, summed it up, “getting a good pen that writes well and lasts a long time – that’s hard to come by. I wouldn’t say it’s the only reason I am back again this year, but it didn’t hurt.”   

Once the race started I caught up with Susan Hampton, the head volunteer coordinator for SHS, to find out what she had to say about the legendary “swag bag” of Spring has Sprung. She wasn’t sure whose idea it was originally, but now they are rolling with it. “It has become sort of a tradition,” she said. She works with the other committee members of the team to come up with fresh new ideas every year, but a few of the things remain that same. Remember those pens? 

“A revelation we had this year was that not everything needed our logo on it.” She referenced the phone case from a few years ago. She still had her phone in it, actually. One of their more popular ideas, “but we plan on revamping and making it trendy, instead of just the same logo as the tee-shirt like this one.” 

Other events often get products from local or national vendors with that company’s logo on it, but SHS has turned the swag into advertising for their event to encourage more volunteers by providing desirable items. “If you have cool looking sunglasses people are going to ask where you got them and open it up to a conversation about the event instead of just the visual,” Hampton said.

While some events also include free entry to be a volunteer, SHS does not. Hampton said the committee has considered, but many of the volunteers are needed during the event, “it would really shrink the shifts the volunteers running would be able to work.” The race also raises money for a good cause, “I would hate to take away any money we raise for the Youth Shelter.” 

So, you can get more than just a bag of incentives in exchange for spending your weekend helping out at the Spring has Sprung race, you can help make a difference too.

Jumping out of my time machine and moving forward again, we all might benefit from reconsidering our volunteer incentives. Consider what volunteers will want (ex: pens that write well), what volunteers will need (ex: a free meal to keep their energy up), and what will matter to them (ex: a small volunteer registration fee that will go straight to a good cause).

Looking forward to volunteer days we’ll have together again down the road. Stay well.

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Engaging & Growing Volunteer Programs During & After COVID-19

Julie Kent

In times of social distancing and quarantine, it might feel like the whole world has come to a halt. When time seems to move more slowly, we often find ourselves with an opportunity to reflect.

Volunteer coordinators might find themselves reflecting on their volunteer programs. How is the program faring, overall? How are the spirits of the volunteers, given the current circumstances? What will ensure the wellbeing and moral of your volunteer base during and after times of COVID-19?

We’ve put together a “Top-10” list of creative ideas to grow and enrich your volunteer base in preparation for eventually re-opening your doors:

  1. Develop a recruitment team. Find volunteers/staff who make it a focus to meet regularly to discuss and implement initiatives focused on new volunteers. (Remember, you can get started on this now with virtual meeting platforms, like Zoom.)
  2. Create fun team names and/or titles for your different volunteer groups! This will help your volunteers bond and get to know each other, without even trying.
  3. Create short-term project teams to help volunteers get a feel for your organization and make an impact before committing long-term. Depending on the nature of the project, they might even be able to do it from home!
  4. Recruit volunteers online (Idealist, Network for Good, VolunteerMatch).
  5. Develop partnerships with companies that will bring in new volunteers. We’ve heard it before, and it’s true in this context as well: we’re stronger together.
  6. Reach out to local schools for potential field days, workshops, and collaborations.
  7. Come up with a friendly competition! For example: Who can make the best sign/flyer? Who can come up with the catchiest tweet?
  8. Make it quirky! A famous example: the ice bucket challenge.
  9. Reach out to local government organizations that can offer community-mandated volunteers.
  10. Research “volunteer organization meet and greet” events that may be happening in your area, or organize one of your own! Again, this can be held virtually.

We are inspired by the creativity and ingenuity we are observing from volunteers and volunteer coordinators around the world during these challenging times. We hope that these tips are helpful in keeping volunteers engaged and growing a volunteer base, even after COVID-19.

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