Retention Begins at Recruitment

Volunteer Engagement focuses a lot on terms like recruitment, onboarding, orientation but how much do we focus on our welcome, on our cultivation of belonging.

Often when we think about retaining volunteers, we link recognition and retention. Although it’s true that you cannot have good retention without adequately valuing what volunteers are giving to your organization, I would like to argue that more importantly it’s about the recruitment experience.

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression”
— Will Rogers

What are you communicating to prospective volunteers? What does your website communicate about volunteers in your agency? How easy is it to find your application? How easy is it to find out the process to get to volunteer? Do prospective volunteers feel appreciated?

When should volunteers be appreciated? It’s not once they’ve begun and have “earned” the recognition, It’s the moment they consider giving their time. Whether someone is well suited to volunteer with your organization or better suited elsewhere, they should walk away from their interactions with you feeling like they’ve already made an impact.

In a webinar I attended the instructor asked the question:

“If your organization had all the money it could need to operate would you still engage volunteers? Why?”

I love this question because it makes you pause and consider the meaningful impact that volunteers have. “Because we need more hands” is an absolutely valid reason, but it shouldn’t be the sole reason you involve volunteers. When I interview volunteers I often share about why the organization uses volunteers. In addition to providing integral support to the community, volunteers are our community mobilizers. They carry a heart for your organization that is not motivated by monetary compensation. I’m not saying that those in paid positions aren’t dedicated to their work but volunteers bring something a little different.

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once [in] a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” – Author Unknown

Volunteers carry their passions on their sleeves; they talk with friends and family members about their time volunteering. It can shape how they move forward in their careers, self-care and fulfillment. For many organizations, volunteers play a direct role in helping support staff to continue in the work they are doing. Volunteers play an integral role in helping prevent burnout of those working on the front lines. I share these things in the interviews and make sure I tell them how the simple gesture of applying or sitting down for an interview keeps us tethered to the goodness of humanity.

Volunteers could choose to spend their time anywhere else…how many hours do you lose on Tik Tok alone? I lose MANY, but volunteers choose to put those devices down and be present with your organization, whether that’s planting trees, loving on animals or providing crisis intervention, they chose you! Acknowledge this.

When a volunteer is valued before they even begin, they stick around. Your best recruitment strategy is your volunteer team. When you create a culture of appreciation and value, they will tell others about how it feels to be part of a team that values the person that they are over the tasks that they complete. Word will get out and people will come to you. Imagine having a waitlist of volunteers who wish to begin volunteering with your organization because they hear how amazing it is to be on the team.

One of the things I find incredibly helpful is auto replies to applications. The moment a volunteer applies they get an email that thanks them for considering the organization. I then offer a sense of connection by sharing short facts about me, such as how long I’ve been doing the work and highlighting my two dogs that I love. This creates a personal, human connection before I have even met them.

Connection is what drives people. If they feel connected and seen they will bring more than you can imagine.

Maya Angelou said: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Your interview with volunteers is a fantastic way to create connection and investment. Here are a few things that I do:

1. Ask the applicant to answer ‘If we had all the funds we could need why would we still engage volunteers?” Use this as an opportunity to share your answer to this as well.
2. Ask how they like to be appreciated. This questions often catches volunteers off guard. Sometimes volunteers do not have an answer because they’ve never thought about it. That’s okay because what you have communicated is a culture of appreciation and that, although we know they aren’t motivated by praise, we are intentional about how we show our appreciation.
3. Discuss collaboration. Trusting your team to be the experts in what they do creates a motivation within them and a sense of ownership bringing the best ideas and creating a collaborative culture.

When your first impression from the moment of recruitment creates collaboration and connection, retention follows.