This document discusses strategies for evolving a volunteer program to increase engagement. It recommends delegating tasks like recruitment and communications to volunteers. Volunteers should have opportunities to take on leadership roles and move along a pathway with training. Programs should offer different levels of involvement like project-based work to accommodate different volunteer needs and lives. Maintaining communication about the program's impact helps volunteers feel connected to the mission. Tools include documenting current roles, increasing flexibility, and turning volunteers into advocates through effective communication.

1. Volunteer Recruitment and
Management
Lynne M. Wester
Donor Relations Guru
@donorguru

2. AGENDA
• How can you engage volunteers in your program?
• Keys program components and ideas for
delegating
• Creating a communication plan
• Finding and building the right team
• Strategies for successful engagement
• Questions

3. What could volunteers do?
• What does your volunteer program look like
now?
• Hamster wheel - same tasks again and again
• Not enough time to think strategically -
seasonal or annual events “sneak” up on you
• Volunteers work in a handful of positions

4. How can Volunteers Help?
• What activities do you do now that could be
delegated?
• Recruitment plan and communications
• Annual recruitment plan
• Interviews with current volunteers - messaging
• Creative Communications
• Attend volunteer fairs or speak at recruitment
events

5. • Program foundations or core components
• Write their own position descriptions
• Work with a group or committee to determine
policies and procedures
• Share new structure with other volunteers - Town
Hall
• Help other volunteers understand the new
structure and help enforce policies

6. Interviews and Screening - create
Placement Counselors or Talent Scouts
• Review applications
• Conduct initial interviews
• Shift or team leaders screen/place new
members
• Investigate and outline new opportunities for
volunteer engagement - skills or project
based, virtual

7. Activity:

8. Retention and Recognition activities
• Shift/Team leaders build relationships
• Conduct ongoing interviews - 3 months, etc.
• Survey or interview current volunteers about
their roles or what they would like to do
• Create social media communication plans - thank
you, impact messages, videos
• Coordinate ongoing education, social or
recognition events

9. Start Spreading the News
• Create a communications plan
• Become an advocate for your new engagement
program
• Who in your community would want to
support/participate?
• Existing volunteers, Paid/Leadership staff, Community
members, donors, clients
• How can you reach them? What do they want to
know?
• Internal, external, social media, newsletters

10. Create the Right Team
• Find the volunteers with the passion and the skills
• Be selective
• Not everyone will be the right fit. Start with the great
volunteers you know you can work with.
• Look for the skills/experience you need
• HR consultants, hiring professionals, organizational
structure specialists.
• Screen them as if you were going to hire them!
• Be clear about your vision
• If you don’t know where you’re going - no else will

11. Create the Right Team
• Let go, but don’t check out
• Build in evaluation and check in points to
ensure you’re supporting your team
• Be honest about what’s working and what’s
not
• Feel comfortable having those conversations.
Learn to say and hear no.

12. Activity:

13. Things to Think About
• You don’t have to change everything right now
• Start small
• Start with the steps that feel easier
• Invite volunteers to take on leadership roles
• Look to the volunteers that are already in those roles,
or have naturally taken on more responsibility
• Invite your superstar volunteers to take the lead
• Share your impact and successes with the organization
• Manager, leadership, co-workers and, of course, the
volunteers!

14. The Next Level
• Where can volunteers go in your program?
• Keys to evolving your program
• Creating involvement, flexibility and a
connection with volunteers
• Tools for evolving your program
• Things to think about
• Questions

15. Where do your volunteers go?

16. Keys to Evolving Your Program
• Develop work that is meaningful to the volunteer
and important to the organization.
• Create a connection between volunteers, clients
and your mission
• Establish the foundation necessary to support a
diverse program of volunteer engagement
• Know and share the impact of the work
volunteers do

17. Create more Involvement
• Training and experience pathways
• Do volunteers know what they need to do to be able to fill each
role in your program?
• Is it clear how that happens, or is it mysterious or based on
longevity?
• Do you offer those classes or have on the job experience checklists?
• Leadership positions
• Do you have opportunities for volunteers to move into leadership
roles? In your program? In the organization?
• Shift leaders, committee leaders, subject matter experts, pro bono
consultants

18. Create more Flexibility
• Are there different types of opportunities or different levels of
involvement available?
• One size doesn’t fit all
• Doesn’t allow for growth or retraction as a volunteer’s life changes
• •Do you offer project based opportunities, virtual opportunities
• Bring more positions into your volunteer engagement program
• Let volunteers help you!
• Volunteers know the work that volunteers do - empower them to
document or create the foundation and flexibility you need.

19. The Trend:

20. Create more Understanding
• Keep volunteers informed
• New ideas or theories in your impact area
• New policies, practices or projects in your program
• Milestones in your organization
• Incorporate impact into recognition
• Don’t just say thank you - share the work the volunteer has
done
• Include clients in the thank you message
• Spread the thank you outside of your volunteer program -
Social media, internal and external communications

21. Create the Connection
• Turn your volunteers into Advocates!
• Do volunteers know your mission?
• Major accomplishments, funders
• Do they know about other programs?
• Areas and impacts besides their own
• Empower them to spread the word
• Keep them up to date
• Use social media
• •Do you know which of your volunteers are also
donors?

22. Tools for Evolving your Program

23. Activity

24. Tools for Evolving your Program
• Start with the easy (easier?) stuff
• Create or document the structure that exists now
• Identify volunteer position descriptions, how they fit
together, what volunteers need to know to do them.
• Create more flexibility
• What did your volunteers tell you they wanted to do, but
couldn’t - so they left?
• Where does the rigidity come from? You, organization
leadership, the past, or perceived ideas about volunteers?
• Create a communication plan to turn volunteers in to
advocates

25. Thank You!
• Lynne M. Wester
• @donorguru
• Connect with me!
• www.donorrelationsguru.com
• lynne@donorrelationsguru.com