Every organization that runs volunteer programs knows how important it is to stay organized and keep everyone informed. Whether you’re brand new to the space or have established volunteer programs, there is nothing more damaging to these relationships than wasting a volunteer’s time with missed information. That is why creating a multifaceted volunteer communication strategy is an essential element to any successful volunteer management process.
Effective communication is a powerful tool for cultivating meaningful relationships and long-term commitment to the organization. Taking the time to develop a regular cadence allows you to relay important information to your volunteers and encourages them to reach out with any questions or concerns they have when helping your organization. In turn, they’ll be motivated to do their best possible work and make a lasting difference.
This article will walk you through five foolproof ways to create a successful volunteer communications strategy with increased volunteer engagement and retention. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Get to know your volunteers.
- Be as specific as possible.
- Use the right communication methods.
- Invite volunteers to voice feedback.
- Say thank you often.
Poor communication will naturally result in more misunderstandings, unhappy volunteers, and higher attrition. It might even deter some volunteers from getting involved with your organization at all. By prioritizing consistent and thoughtful communication, your team will make the most of the volunteer experience. Let’s get started.
1. Get to know your volunteers.
In order to establish a meaningful connection with your team of volunteers, you first need to get to know them and how to effectively interact with everyone. Understanding what motivates and interests your volunteers is essential for creating personalized and engaging communications.
You can collect important information like skills, interests, motivations, and demographical information through an online volunteer sign-up form. Once a volunteer completes the sign-up process, all that important data is stored in your volunteer management platform.
You should be able to filter that data based on your needs, like if you want to send an email to every volunteer interested in environmental causes and volunteered for your organization in the past five months. With this information, you could send an email that promotes some sustainability volunteer opportunities and provides more details on how your organization has made an important environmental cause. The more detailed your communication segmentation, the more personalized the messaging can be for your target volunteers.
2. Be as specific as possible.
Once you start filtering and segmenting your volunteers by their interests or other attributes, you can begin crafting engaging content that is specific for each of your volunteer segments. No matter what medium you are communicating through, it is important to avoid any jargon or overly complicated language. All your communications should be simple and easy to understand. The last thing you want to do is alienate any of the volunteers by sending messages that are inaccessible to those who aren’t very experienced.
To create meaningful and clear messages for your volunteers, it is important to establish the following:
- What is the purpose of the communication?
- What is the desired primary action you would like your volunteers to take?
- What value you are providing your audience through communication?
By defining your goals for each message, you will ensure that you are never sending a communication without a purpose, which is crucial for making the most of every interaction. Otherwise, you risk sending irrelevant messages that waste everyone’s time and can irritate volunteers rather than deepening your relationships.
3. Use the right communication methods.
Let’s be honest; not everyone combs through their inbox every day, so limiting your volunteer communication strategy to a single communication channel will leave many people in the dark. That's why it's so important to invest in a multi-channel volunteer communication strategy. When creating a communication strategy, you should take stock of your volunteers’ preferred channels to communicate and receive information from. You can even collect that information during the sign-up process to ensure that you have those insights from day one.
Here are the most common communication channels to add to your communication strategy
- In-App Messaging (through your volunteer mobile app)
- SMS Text Messaging
- Your Website
- Social Media
- Phone
By circulating your messages through these channels, you will ensure that every volunteer is kept up to date on all the information they need to stay motivated.
4. Invite volunteers to voice feedback.
Improving volunteer programs is an important annual goal for most nonprofits, but there are only a few ways to meet that goal. Nonprofit organizations can review their program metrics from reports generated by their volunteer management software and survey their volunteers for feedback. This two-pronged approach allows organizations to collect quantitative and qualitative data to then evaluate their programs' strengths and weaknesses.
Collecting volunteer feedback doesn’t need to be complicated. Consider sending out a survey after a shift or once a month to all your active volunteers. You can base your survey questions on the volunteer experience, administrative experience, or even ask volunteers how they would like to impact this cause.
All the data you collect should be evaluated and then saved for historical records. Your organization can then leverage that information to continually improve your program and maximize impact while delivering meaningful experiences to your volunteers.
5. Say thank you often.
Your volunteers donate their time, attention, and skills to your organization. They give so much which is why showing them gratitude is vital for communicating their impact on your organization. A simple thank you can go a long way in making your volunteers feel appreciated and valued, which can, in turn, help you retain more of your volunteers year over year.
There are countless ways to show appreciation to your volunteers. InitLive’s list of volunteer appreciation ideas suggests several common ways organizations do this, including:
- A simple thank you message after a shift.
- A lunch after a big event.
- Branded merchandise like hats, mugs, and t-shirts.
- An appreciation video that communicates gratitude for their work.
Taking the time to incorporate words and actions of gratitude within your volunteer communication strategy will set up for long-term success while making everyone feel valued along the way.
Creating a volunteer communication strategy doesn’t need to be complicated. If an organization has the right team and tools in place, creating a new communication strategy should be simple. Now it’s time to start creating your volunteer communication strategy and developing messages that resonate with your supporters and enhance their experience. Remember, the more personalized the communications, the more engaged your volunteer team will be.
____________________________________
Guest Post by Cassandra Smallman
Cassandra is a passionate content creator dedicated to fostering positive impact through thought leadership in both the Nonprofit sector and live events industry. You can find her work at www.initlive.com or on Linkedin and Twitter.
Donations
Events
Petitions
Forms
Shop
Directories