Nonprofit Volunteer Recruitment: Overview + Top Strategies
Volunteers are the lifeblood of nonprofits, offering their time, skills, and passion to drive missions forward. However, attracting (and retaining)...
5 min read
Team Better Impact
:
Feb 25, 2025 1:11:35 PM
Volunteers serve as the backbone of many successful nonprofits, contributing their time, expertise, and passion to further important missions. However, even with the best intentions, volunteer programs can fall short when they lack structure, engagement, or clear communication.
Effective volunteer management is essential for any organization that relies on volunteer support—when done well, it benefits both the nonprofit and the people who donate their time.
In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about volunteer management, from recruitment and onboarding to engagement, appreciation, and beyond. We’ll cover:
By incorporating these best practices, you’ll set your volunteer program up for long-term success and ensure your supporters feel valued, empowered, and eager to stay involved.
Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of volunteer management, let’s begin by answering some common questions about the process.
Volunteer management is the systematic process of recruiting, onboarding, engaging, and retaining volunteers so that they can effectively support an organization’s mission. It involves everything from coordinating schedules and tasks to ensuring volunteers have the resources, training, and motivation necessary to succeed.
The goal of volunteer management is to create a thriving volunteer program where individuals feel engaged and empowered and where administrative tasks are streamlined for efficiency.
Effective volunteer coordination benefits both your nonprofit and your volunteers—a true win-win. By organizing and supporting volunteers properly, your organization can:
For volunteers, a well-managed program ensures a better overall experience. They’ll receive clear expectations, adequate training, and meaningful recognition for their contributions—encouraging them to stay engaged and spread the word about your mission.
At most organizations, a lead volunteer manager or coordinator heads the volunteer program. This person typically needs a variety of skills, such as:
Larger nonprofits may have additional volunteer coordinators who specialize in different branches, campaigns, or volunteer teams. This allows each coordinator to focus on a narrower scope, leading to a more personalized and effective volunteer experience.
When done correctly, volunteer management follows a lifecycle that moves volunteers from curious prospects to passionate, long-term supporters. Here is a closer look at each stage.
Recruitment is your chance to make a positive first impression on potential volunteers and find the best individuals for each role. Consider these tips:
Once you’ve found the right people, a structured onboarding process helps volunteers understand their roles and your organization’s values. This can include:
Volunteer engagement involves everything you do after onboarding to keep volunteers active, informed, and excited to contribute. Some ways to boost engagement include:
Emphasize empowering volunteers to take ownership of their roles and creating a culture that’s both inclusive and supportive.
Showing gratitude is crucial for a thriving volunteer program. Recognition can take many forms, but the key is to ensure each volunteer feels genuinely appreciated. Here are some ways to thank volunteers that go beyond the standard email:
Always respect individual preferences—some volunteers prefer more private forms of gratitude, while others love a public shout-out.
Retaining volunteers is less time and resource-intensive than continuously recruiting new ones. A strong appreciation strategy is your first step in ensuring volunteers feel valued and inclined to stay. Additionally, regularly collect feedback through surveys or check-in meetings so you can spot potential issues early and make any necessary improvements.
Now that you understand the basics of volunteer management, let’s walk through some best practices to take your nonprofit’s volunteer program from good to great.
Quantitative data—when combined with qualitative feedback—helps you fine-tune your volunteer program. Examples include:
Analyzing these metrics allows you to make data-driven decisions to improve recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, and more.
Your most dedicated advocates might be both donors and volunteers, or they may start as one and become the other over time. By encouraging volunteers to donate—and donors to volunteer—you can deepen relationships with supporters and uncover new opportunities for involvement. This holistic approach ensures you maximize the potential impact of each supporter, leading to a more robust community around your cause.
Corporate volunteerism is on the rise. According to Double the Donation’s volunteering statistics, 84% of employers believe volunteer opportunities effectively engage employees. Common corporate volunteer programs include:
Research local companies to see if they offer these programs and explore partnerships. Not only do such relationships increase the volunteer pool, but they also create positive brand associations for both parties.
Managing volunteers through spreadsheets and manual processes can quickly become overwhelming. Upgrading to volunteer management software provides:
Volunteer Impact by Better Impact is an all-in-one solution that offers these features and more at an affordable price, plus dedicated support to help you maximize your program’s effectiveness. But don’t just take our word for it—discover how organizations like yours have improved efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction within their volunteer programs by leveraging Volunteer Impact!
Effectively managing volunteers goes beyond assigning tasks. It’s about nurturing your volunteers, showing them the value they bring, and leveraging tools and strategies to keep them engaged over time. By following these guidelines—from setting clear expectations to showing appreciation—you’ll build a loyal volunteer community ready to champion your mission for the long run.
By implementing these tips and exploring the recommended resources, your nonprofit will be well on its way to mastering volunteer management and creating a program that truly benefits your organization, your volunteers, and the community you serve. Good luck—and happy volunteering!
For more information on volunteer management, check out these resources:
Volunteers are the lifeblood of nonprofits, offering their time, skills, and passion to drive missions forward. However, attracting (and retaining)...
Volunteers are the lifeblood of many nonprofit organizations. By dedicating their time, energy, and skills, these individuals help nonprofits fulfill...
If your nonprofit relies on volunteers to further its mission, engaging them effectively should be a top priority. However, you may be wondering...