Make sure your organisation has motivating factors for volunteers. What motivates others to join a not-for-profit organisation? What motivates you? Highlight possible motivations when searching for new volunteers. Some great examples are:
- Helping people
- Mental stimulation
- Spending time with friends
- Learning new skills
- Significant tasks
- Achievement of goals
- The feeling of doing something good
- Respect from peers
- Reward and acknowledgement
- Competition
- Red wine and chocolate at meetings!
An organisation will improve, progress and be successful through the support of its members! Most members don’t realise it is part of their responsibility to volunteer. We need to change this and create a vibrant volunteer culture where everyone wants to contribute.
- Create a volunteer culture within your organisation.
- Appoint a Volunteer Coordinator to match people with jobs.
- Advertise tasks that need to be done and have a contact accessible for people to sign up.
- Keep it simple! Tasks, timeframes and who to report to.
- Know what your people can do. Create a database of member occupations and skills.
- Know your task that needs to be done and find the appropriate person to ask
Do something new! All not-for-profit organisations complain about not having enough volunteers, but what has your organisation done to improve it?
- Register with your local Volunteer Resource Agency.
- Ask a grandparent to help with little things or start an “Adopt a Senior” campaign.
- Nurture young people to be part of decision making.
- Go to universities and get students to do practical work for their degree/resume.
- Always demonstrate you’re having fun as a volunteer! People will be attracted to places that are vibrant, fun and exciting.
- Invest time in getting volunteers. Don’t wait for them to come to you!
Do you have strategies mapped out for a volunteer drive? No? Contact NFP House to see where we can help!
NFP House provides information and advisory services to not-for-profit (NFP) organisations. Any advice, information or data provided by NFP House does not constitute financial or legal recommendations and should not be relied upon for business decisions. Ownership of any decisions remains exclusively with the NFP organisation being assisted and should be made at their discretion, in consideration of all possible risk factors. NFP House shall not be liable or held liable for any consequence of decisions or actions made by NFP organisations being assisted.