{"id":10709,"date":"2018-05-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-14T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/?p=10709"},"modified":"2024-05-08T21:40:21","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T21:40:21","slug":"nonprofit-volunteers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/nonprofit-volunteers\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday Mixtape 014: Nonprofit Volunteers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Monday Mixtape 014: Nonprofit Volunteers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Here’s your Monday Mixtape, a weekly newsletter from CauseVox<\/a> designed to jumpstart your week, challenge your thinking, and inspire you to keep at it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Each week, we’ll hand-pick must-read articles, thinking, resources, and stories for nonprofit fundraisers and leaders and drop it in your inbox. Have suggestions or questions? Let us know at blog@causevox.com<\/a>. Enjoy this week’s Mixtape!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nonprofit Volunteers<\/a> are a nonprofit\u2019s secret weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From peer-to-peer fundraisers<\/a> to on-the-ground program help, volunteers are there, raising money, tutoring kids, digging wells, answering phones, and, in general, making our world go \u2018round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They extend our reach and expand our capacity. They multiply our efforts and help us grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteers are, in short, the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"nonprofit<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So why is finding them, keeping them, and engaging them often so tricky?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this week\u2019s mixtape, we\u2019ll look all things volunteer, including tips for recruitment, strategies for engagement, and some common problems and how to address them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s this week\u2019s mix:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you. Even if it is a little thing, do something for which there is no pay but the privilege of doing it. Remember, you don\u2019t live in the world all of your own.\u201d \u2014Albert Schweitzer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track #1: Finding Nonprofit Volunteers To Support Your Mission,<\/a> by Suzanne Craig at CauseVox<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are people out there who already care about your mission and want to help. You just have to find them. The Taproot Foundation\u2019s Suzanne Craig wrote this guide to recruiting volunteers, particularly those who want to share their professional skills, pro bono. She\u2019s got tips for running a volunteer recruitment campaign, using matching services, and working your connections to find volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track #2:\u00a0Donors Aren\u2019t The Only Ones: 3 Volunteer Retention Horror Stories<\/a>\u00a0by Lyndsey Hrabik at Nonprofit Hub<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We talk about donor retention all the time, but volunteer retention is a real thing, too. Much like donors, it makes sense to engage the volunteers you have, instead of setting up a revolving door. Lyndsey focuses on three hypothetical horror stories, but I have to say, I\u2019ve seen them all in real life. Poor communication, condescension, and neglecting to explain the mission can drive volunteers away fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thing I really like about this piece is that for each hypothetical horror, it offers a concrete fix to prevent or address the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weekly Wow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Major props to the Volo City Kids Foundation who exceeded their fundraising goal with CauseVox. How did this nonprofit with a two-person fundraising team activate their community of supporters to raise more than $20,000 to provide free sports leagues to kids?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked and you can read what we uncovered here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track #3:\u00a0How To Engage Volunteers At Emotionally Challenging Nonprofits<\/a>\u00a0by Kayla Matthews at VolunteerMatch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We know volunteering can cause good feelings, like satisfaction in making a difference, but some volunteer opportunities expose volunteers to emotionally challenging situations. If your nonprofit deals with abuse, poverty, or illness you probably know what I\u2019m talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla\u2019s piece on helping volunteers engage with the hard stuff is invaluable. She gives strategies for careful recruitment and onboarding, communicating the emotional nature of your work clearly, and providing opportunities for volunteers to process their feelings. Her suggestions would go far into creating an emotionally supportive volunteer environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track #4: Volunteer Fundraising: 5 (Proven) Strategies To Promote Fundraising<\/a> by Tina Jepson at CauseVox<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Want to get your volunteers involved in fundraising? Whether you want to invite volunteers to your peer-to-peer campaign, share their networks, or help with fundraising administrative tasks, Tina\u2019s post is full of strategies to get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteer fundraising does lighten the load on fundraising staff, but volunteers will still need support. This post also has advice on what volunteers will need from you, and how to transform them into fundraising rockstars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonus Tracks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Why are some people more altruistic than others?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New volunteer anthem\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dogs are good volunteers\u2026<\/a>(warning: BABY KANGAROO!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By The Way\u2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Raising money is enough work already\u2014your donation page shouldn\u2019t complicate it. That\u2019s why CauseVox donation pages<\/a>\u00a0are easy for you and your donors to use, well-designed, and a breeze to integrate with your website and payment processing. Yes, to raising money! No, to technical headaches!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Megan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sign up to have the Monday Mixtape delivered to your inbox.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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