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) dedicated volunteers can be a serious challenge. According to the 2025 Volunteer Management Progress Report, more than 70% of nonprofits recruit volunteers year-round, yet 26% of volunteer managers cite recruitment as their biggest hurdle. Meanwhile, many volunteer managers say they lack enough time to dedicate to recruitment, and about one-third struggle with insufficient responses to their outreach efforts.

Why does recruitment often feel so tough? The nonprofit sector has become more competitive, with many organizations seeking volunteers from the same pool. On top of that, today’s volunteers expect a positive, streamlined onboarding experience—slow communication or cumbersome sign-up processes can turn them away. These factors make it essential to adopt smarter, more holistic approaches to volunteer recruitment.

In this guide, we’ll outline the essentials of volunteer recruitment, including:

• What Is Volunteer Recruitment?
• Benefits of a Volunteer Recruitment Plan
• How to Recruit Volunteers: Top Strategies

 Along the way, we’ll share examples drawn from real-world organizations and case studies to show how a well-executed plan can yield tangible results. Let’s get started!

What Is Volunteer Recruitment?

Volunteer recruitment is the process of attracting and enlisting individuals to support an organization’s mission by giving their time. It’s about identifying volunteer needs, connecting the right people to the right roles, and ensuring that each volunteer understands (and is motivated by) the cause they’re supporting. 

Recruitment lays the foundation for every volunteer’s experience—if it’s well-organized and welcoming, your chances of finding engaged, qualified volunteers soar. It’s why the Better Impact team believes retention begins at recruitment.

The Volunteer Management Lifecycle

The volunteer management lifecycle includes all of the stages a volunteer goes through, from first contact to becoming long-term supporters—which begins with recruitment. Here is a quick overview of the process:

1. Recruitment: Bringing in prospective volunteers by advertising opportunities, raising awareness, and initiating contact.
2. Onboarding: Orienting new volunteers with your mission, values, policies, and the specific role expectations.
3. Engagement: Guiding volunteers in their assigned tasks and responsibilities. Maintaining open communication is crucial here.
4. Appreciation: Thanking volunteers for their contributions—through events, awards, personal notes, or public acknowledgment.
5. Retention: Keeping volunteers involved long-term and building strong relationships so they continue serving.

When recruitment is strong, it sets the entire volunteer lifecycle up for success. In contrast, if volunteers have a poor recruitment experience—long wait times, unclear descriptions, or minimal follow-up—they might drop out before they even begin.

Benefits of a Volunteer Recruitment Plan

A well-structured recruitment plan can transform your volunteer program in several ways:

Attract Passionate, Skilled Volunteers

By defining the roles you need to fill, the attributes of ideal candidates, and where to find them, your recruitment becomes more focused. You’re more likely to find volunteers whose abilities and interests fit each role well—leading to higher-quality work and more satisfying experiences for everyone involved.

Strengthen Your Volunteer Community

A well-thought-out recruitment plan supports a sense of unity. Volunteers clearly see how they fit into your mission, and they meet like-minded people as they go through orientation and training. Camaraderie grows when volunteers are aligned with your organization’s cause and are well-informed about how to contribute.

Improve Program Satisfaction

When volunteers are recruited into roles that match their skills, they’re more likely to enjoy the work and stay motivated. Satisfaction skyrockets when volunteers feel prepared, supported, and recognized from day one. This positive energy also flows back to staff, reducing friction and burnout for everyone.

Increase Your Nonprofit’s Capacity

Successfully recruiting more volunteers (and making better use of their abilities) translates into reaching more community members, running additional programs, and more effectively furthering your mission. With strong recruitment, even small nonprofits can increase their capacity—particularly if they bring on skilled volunteers whose expertise would otherwise be expensive to hire.

How to Recruit Volunteers: Top Strategies

Now that we’ve reviewed the basics, let’s dive into some essential strategies to boost volunteer recruitment.

Update Your Website’s Volunteer Page

A clear, engaging, and user-friendly volunteer page directly influences whether a website visitor follows through to apply. If your nonprofit’s website doesn’t already have a volunteer page, the best time to create one is now! If it already does, review the page to determine how you can improve engagement with it

Here are some key elements to include on this page:

• Overall Philosophy of the Program: Explain how volunteers power your mission and the impact they have on beneficiaries.
• FAQs: Cover common questions (time commitment, training provided, etc.).
• General Requirements: Specify age limits, background checks, and basic skills needed.
• Open Roles or Current Needs: Present available volunteer positions alongside concise role descriptions.
• Application and Contact Links: Include prominent buttons linking to your signup form and contact details for volunteer coordinators so visitors know how to get started.

It’s also helpful to add photos or short videos of volunteers in action—many prospective volunteers want a quick peek at what their experience might look like. Make sure to obtain permission from volunteers featured in these images before adding them to your site.

Develop Streamlined Application Forms

Once potential volunteers decide to move forward, a strong application form can significantly increase the number of completed sign-ups. Here are some tips for creating one.

• Keep It Short: Ask only for essential information initially—contact details, availability, relevant skills.
• Ensure Mobile-Friendliness: Many prospective volunteers will apply from phones; a form that’s not mobile-ready means lost opportunities.
• Auto-Confirm and Explain Next Steps: Send an automatic confirmation email right after someone applies, reassuring them you received their application.

Case Example: Haven House —a homeless shelter working with over 1,500 volunteers—previously used a basic web form that required manual data entry. Once they streamlined everything into a modern online form tied to a volunteer management system, they cut down on lost or delayed applications and freed up staff time to focus on real engagement.

Write Clear Volunteer Role Descriptions

Volunteers want to understand exactly what they’ll be doing. A well-written volunteer role description functions like a job posting: it clarifies expectations, responsibilities, and goals. When volunteers know what they’re signing up for, they’re more likely to remain committed.

All of your volunteer role descriptions should include the following information:

• Role Title (e.g., “Social Media Volunteer,” “Student Mentor”)
• Purpose of the Role (highlighting how it connects to your nonprofit’s mission)
• Key Responsibilities (bullet points outlining the volunteers main tasks)
• Time Commitment
• Location and Logistics (on-site, remote, or hybrid)
• Qualifications or Requirements (background checks, special skills, etc.)
• Support and Training Provided
• Benefits to the Volunteer (e.g., networking, skill-building, or community impact)

When each role description is clear and concise, applicants can self-select roles that match their interests and abilities. This saves time on both ends and often leads to higher volunteer satisfaction.

Promote Opportunities Across Multiple Channels

No matter how polished your volunteer page is, you still need to guide people there. Promotion is key—especially in a digital age—so leverage the following platforms to market your volunteer opportunities:

• Social Media: Post calls to action, volunteer spotlights, or behind-the-scenes videos across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
• Email Blasts and Newsletters: Alert donors, past volunteers, and supporters of new opportunities.
• Volunteer Matching Websites: These include sites like VolunteerMatch (soon to be merging with another popular site, Idealist) and Points of Light Engage.
• Community Bulletin Boards: Physical flyers in coffee shops, libraries, and community centers still work well!

Track where your new recruits come from by asking a question on your application form like “How did you hear about us?” Over time, you’ll see which channels deliver the best results so you can invest more resources there.

Create a Volunteer Marketing Calendar

Many nonprofits scramble for volunteers only when they’re short on help. A better approach is to treat recruitment like an annual campaign by creating a marketing calendar that includes information about:

• Seasonal Drives: Plan your outreach for holiday or event-related spikes.
• Regular Touchpoints: Schedule monthly or quarterly social posts, email campaigns, or volunteer fairs.
• Key Dates: Align with events like National Volunteer Week in April or International Volunteer Day (Dec 5).
• Team Assignments: Clarify who is responsible for newsletters, social posts, or community outreach.

Having a calendar helps you stay proactive. Over time, you can measure which months or tactics yield the most applicants and refine your strategy accordingly.

Tap Into Existing Volunteers’ Networks

Word-of-mouth recommendations can be more powerful than any paid marketing. When current volunteers enjoy their roles, they’re often happy to share that experience with friends or coworkers.

Here are some ideas to leverage this type of promotion:

• Encourage Referrals: Ask current volunteers to invite friends or family; provide them with easy-to-share email templates.
• Offer Simple Incentives: Raffles, gift cards, or public recognition for referring successful applicants.
• Spotlight Testimonials: Featuring volunteer success stories can inspire prospective volunteers to sign up.

Case Example: Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA) staff freed up time to interact with volunteers one-on-one after adopting volunteer management software. Those deeper relationships led volunteers to spread the word in their own circles—improving recruitment outcomes significantly.

Leverage Community Partnerships

Recruitment can scale rapidly when you partner with businesses, schools, or other nonprofits. By forging “win-win” alliances, you gain new volunteers while partners fulfill their community engagement goals.

Some potential partners your organization might work with include:

• Businesses: Many companies have programs like volunteer grants, volunteer time off, or team service days you can tap into.
• Schools and Colleges: Students often need volunteer hours for graduation requirements, service-learning courses, or sorority and fraternity involvement.
• Other Nonprofits: Sometimes collaborating in adjacent fields introduces you to volunteers you’d never otherwise reach.

Case Example: Operation Kindness set up group volunteer days for local corporate partners, introducing the shelter to hundreds of new prospective volunteers who later signed on individually.

Use Volunteer Management Software

If you’re juggling dozens or hundreds of prospective volunteers, spreadsheets quickly become overwhelming. Volunteer management software centralizes every aspect of the recruitment process, making it easy to post openings, review applications, and communicate at scale.

By leveraging a volunteer management system, your team can access: 

• Streamlined Applications: Applicants enter data directly into your system, making it easy to review.
• Automated Communication: Send welcome emails, follow-ups, application status updates, and more.
• Data Analytics and Reporting: Pull reports on volunteer interests, recruitment channels, and other key information for improved decision-making.
• Better User Experience: A user-friendly interface, especially with mobile app access, appeals to tech-savvy (and busy) volunteers.

Better Impact’s Volunteer Impact solution is a top-of-the-line platform that includes all of these recruitment features and more to help you attract the most passionate, dedicated, and skilled volunteers to your organization. Plus, it includes tools for managing the entire rest of the volunteer lifecycle—from training to recognition and beyond—in a single, integrated system trusted by more than 3,400 nonprofits like yours!

Wrapping Up: Additional Resources on Volunteer Management

Recruitment is the gateway to a thriving volunteer program. Done well, it leads to a vibrant, skilled, and mission-aligned community of supporters who stick around long-term. By focusing on the above strategies and using the right tools, you can foster a volunteer base that not only meets your organization’s current needs but also helps grow its future impact.

For more information on coordinating volunteer programs, check out these resources:

• How to Thank Volunteers in the Digital Age: 6 Top Ideas
• Volunteer Management Training: An Overview & Top Resources
• 18 Best Volunteer Management Software Tools for Nonprofits