When discussing the American nonprofit sector, the words development, fundraising, and philanthropy are often seen as intertwined, or even synonymous. However, proper development encompasses more than just your fundraising strategy, and having a well-executed volunteer recruitment and retainment plan can be just as beneficial.

While volunteer needs vary by the type of nonprofit, almost all NPOs can benefit from giving interested supporters an avenue to get more involved. While fundraising focuses on developing the organization’s resources through monetary gifts, volunteering similarly develops the organization through the donation of time and skills.

Your volunteer recruitment strategy should be aligned with the type of nonprofit that you are running. A food bank likely has more capacity for volunteers than a research-oriented nonprofit. In any case, the first place you should look for volunteers is within the demographic of people who are supporters of your mission. Specifically, I would first look for those who aren’t necessarily capable of being a big financial backer, but are nonetheless interested in what you do.

By giving these people an avenue to get involved, you are simultaneously gaining value from people who share your passion, and also sending a message that you are appreciative of more than just financial support.

As someone who has done lots of volunteer management as well as fundraising, my personal opinion is that it is harder to ask someone for their time as opposed to their money. Many of your big donors have an abundance of capital, and so their annual $5,000 contribution is something that they make back in a day. That isn’t to say it’s not extremely valuable or meaningful, just that they could make that same gift to several organizations per year (and some do), and not really be impacted.

But anyone who has a family, or job responsibilities, or just the physical limitations that come with being human (we’re all tired after a work week, right?) will tell you that asking someone for hours out of their Saturday or Sunday is a big ask. It’s time they could be spending with their kids, or watching football, or doing something they love (like fly fishing).

This is where volunteer retainment comes in. Just as you thank donors for every single donation, you should make a habit of thanking volunteers consistently. Find out when your best volunteers have birthdays, important events, etc. The quickest way to lose a volunteer is to only talk to them when you want them to show up somewhere or do something.

When the relationship feels transactional, donors and volunteers alike quickly catch on.

The final piece of advice I want to offer this week is to use your network of volunteers, donors, and supporters to connect with other people. Some of the best events I’ve ever been to involved having a volunteer host a small event at their house with people who were unfamiliar or uninvolved with the organization. This exposes you to new audiences and has the potential to advance your development strategy exponentially.

Similarly, you could print and send each volunteer 10-20 postcards with your branding and a QR link to your website, asking them to send the postcards to anyone they know who might be interested in getting involved or learning more. This is such a small ask and can reap massive results.

As always, if you are struggling with volunteer recruitment, retainment, or any aspect of your development strategy, please reach out and lets talk about solutions!

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