This document provides information about an online webinar on using VolunteerMatch to recruit volunteers. It includes the webinar details, an overview of VolunteerMatch and its impact, best practices for writing effective online volunteer opportunity listings, examples of good and bad listings, tips for tracking success, and resources for additional information. The webinar will cover making the case for online recruiting, best practices, reviewing real listings, things to remember, and tracking opportunities.

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To hear the presentation by phone call:
(702) 489-0009
Access Code: 305-052-265
Jennifer Bennett @JenBennettCVA
CVA, Senior Manager, Education & Training
Matt Wallace @ItsMattWallace
Senior Associate, Nonprofit Relations
Follow this webinar on Twitter to
join the conversation! Hash tag:
#VMlearn
To hear the presentation by phone call:
(702) 489-0009
Access Code: 305-052-265
Jennifer Bennett @JenBennettCVA
CVA, Senior Manager, Education & Training
Basil Sadiq @VolunteerMatch
Marketing Manager
Follow this webinar on Twitter to
join the conversation! Hashtag:
#vmlearn

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VolunteerMatch Overview
“VolunteerMatch strengthens communities by making it easier for good
people and good causes to connect.”
119,880 organizations… 97,243 opportunities…. 13,562,832 connections since 1998
• VolunteerMatch has been around for 20 years, and is the top-ranked website for online
volunteer recruitment and employee-volunteer programs
• Our Learning Center offers over 20 webinar topics focused on volunteer management and
VolunteerMatch tools, serving an audience of over 6,000 attendees each year

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AL!VE Overview
Benefits of joining the Association for Leaders in Volunteer Engagement:
• Network with peers
• Advocate for the profession
• Professional development opportunities
• Discounts with partners, including VolunteerMatch and CCVA
• Relevant and timely discussions for leaders in volunteer engagement
VolunteerMatch Members
enjoy a 15% discount on
AL!VE Annual Membership

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Agenda
• Introduction
• Making the Case for Online Volunteer Recruiting
• Best Practices for Recruiting Online
• Review Real Opportunities Using Best Practices
• Things to Remember
• Track Your Opportunities’ Success
• Q&A

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Recruiting Volunteers Online
• Another Tool to Recruit Volunteers
– VolunteerMatch User Survey
• VolunteerMatch Research
– 100 High Referring Listings
– 100 Listings with no referrals
• Best Practices
– Applicable for any online recruiting site

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8 Easy Steps for Recruiting Online
• Make the Title Work for You
– Catchy, Fun, Interesting
• Keep it Brief
– One Opportunity, 100 words
• Word it Simply and Make it Easy to Understand
– No Jargon, no acronyms
• Make an Impact
– Include a Strong Call to Action

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8 Easy Steps for Recruiting Online
• Provide Direction and Support
– Time Commitment, Training, Restrictions
• Make it Visually Appealing
– Include Pictures, Graphics. Make use of White Space.
• Remember to Edit
– Grammar, Spelling
• View your Listing as a Volunteer
– Use a Critical Eye.

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Best Practices for VolunteerMatch
• Title Stands Out
– Call to Action
• Make Good Use of First Sentence
– Visible to prospective volunteers
• Brainstorm and Use Keywords
– What kinds of volunteers do you want to find you
• Keep Referrals on VolunteerMatch
– Information is only useful if volunteers click ‘I Want
to Help!’

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Review Real Opportunities
Let’s take a look at some examples of good descriptions
and those that could use some work.

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Using Best
Practices

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Group
Event

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A Listing that
Needs Work

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A Listing
using more
Best
Practices

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Remember…
Your VolunteerMatch listing may be the first time a
volunteer learns about your organization:
• Use language that is welcoming
• Clearly state needs and impacts
• Outline any potential ‘deal breakers’
• Craft opportunities that will attract the
volunteers you need

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Track Your Opportunities’ Success
• Views and connections gauge what’s working.

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Save time recruiting volunteers with benefits like:
• One-click reposting
• Custom greetings and questions
• Robust tracking and reporting
volunteermatch.org/nonprofits/member/overview

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Resources
Learning Center
Find upcoming webinar dates, how-to videos and more
http://learn.volunteermatch.org
VolunteerMatch Blog
Visit Engaging Volunteers, our nonprofit blog:
blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/
Upcoming Related Webinar Topics:
•The New Volunteer Manager’s Toolkit
•Playing by the Rules: Creating an Effective Volunteer Handbook
•Social Media and Volunteer Engagement

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Thanks for attending!
Join us online:
Like us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/VolunteerMatch
Follow us on Twitter: @VolunteerMatch
For any questions contact:
Jennifer Bennett
@JenBennettCVA
jbennett@volunteermatch.org