As a volunteer coordinator, you’ve got your squad. There’s a reliable bunch that you know are behind you and willing to help. They pull the best strings, bake the best cookies, or write the biggest checks. Whatever it is, they’ve got your back, and you love them for it.

Obviously, keep on engaging with those golden volunteers. Retention is an amazing strength and you want to keep communication and relationships strong. That said, keep recruiting! Don’t be that coordinator so focused on what’s in front of you that you forget what’s ahead. New volunteers may take work to recruit, but they will keep your volunteer base going strong.

To persuade you even further, we’ve rounded up our top four reasons to recruit new volunteers:

New energy and ideas!
Maybe you’ve got a system and it’s good, but you never know what kind of new and exciting ideas new volunteers may bring. They are coming in with fresh eyes, so they may be able to identify your weak spots and how to tackle them. Or maybe they’ll find ways to build on your strengths as a team. The last thing you want is a group that’s stagnant and unengaged. The energy and excitement from new volunteers can reinvigorate your current team, meaning everyone benefits.

Expand your organization’s reach.
When you get new volunteers, you impact them with the mission of your organization. You get their time and energy, which means they will be sharing their passion and involvement in their social circles. Maybe that means more people volunteering down the line, but first it means raising an awareness about your organization and the important work that you do.

Raise up leaders.
When you introduce new volunteers, this creates a natural opportunity to create leadership roles for some of your current volunteers. Whether that’s providing a new role for someone on your core team or inviting a volunteer to step up to a more significant role, this promotes everyone. These leadership roles instill a greater sense of purpose and importance among the people involved, which can often mean a better possibility of retention and personal ownership when it comes to volunteering. Maybe it boosts their resume or maybe it helps them grow their own skill sets, but they benefit with the new role, and you benefit by delegating some of the training or organization to your volunteer leaders.

Protect the team.
Let’s face it, there’s always a chance that some of your volunteers will bow out. They might move away, have new time-consuming responsibilities, get sick, or simply get burned out and need some time away. When you continue to invest time in recruiting new volunteers, you won’t be so stressed when someone has to step away. It’s important to be aware of where your current volunteers are and how to support them. Sometimes supporting your team means saying goodbye while they spend their time elsewhere. Having a growing volunteer base makes it easier on you and them when that happens.

So, now that you know why you should keep recruiting, wondering how? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Check out our post on Creative Volunteer Recruitment Methods and 5 Ways to Recruit Race Volunteers.