Volunteer management made easy: Follow these 4 key steps

Cultivating healthy relationships with your volunteer team is critical to your nonprofit’s success. 

Volunteers contribute their time, knowledge, and enthusiasm for a cause, pushing your campaign across the finish line. It's important to put as much effort into maintaining those relationships as you would a high-gift donor.

In this article, we’ll dive into what volunteer management is, why it matters, and how to make it a central focus in your nonprofit strategy.

What is volunteer management and why does it matter?

Nonprofit volunteer management is the process of investing energy, resources, and technology into new and long-standing volunteer relationships.

No matter what their responsibilities are, volunteers are just as important to your mission as major donors:

• Volunteers are committed 💪 72% of volunteers only serve one organization or cause.
• Volunteers are valuable resources 💸 The current estimated national value of each volunteer hour is $33.49.
• Volunteers contribute in many ways 💛 Volunteers are 66% more likely to donate to the organization they support than those who don’t volunteer 

How to create a successful volunteer management strategy in 4 steps

Developing a flourishing volunteer program management requires planning, coordination, and the right team in place to see it through.

To kickstart your volunteer management plan, follow these four steps:

1. Set your goals up front 🎯

The first step in devising a volunteer management program is to determine your goals and develop a plan that will spare resources in the long run. 

When developing goals and objectives, consider the following questions

• Do you need more volunteers? 
• Are you looking to increase your volunteer retention rate? 
• Could your current volunteers be more knowledgeable at fundraising events? 
• Do you need specific volunteers for niche tasks?
• Are you in need of new strategies for engaging potential volunteers?

Your answers will influence how you dedicate time and resources to your efforts.

2. Outline your volunteer management program 💪

With your goals in place, you can begin developing a volunteer program. Think in depth about how your organization can improve the overall volunteer experience and grow engagement. 

At a minimum, you should look at the following areas:

• Volunteer recruitment 🙋Will you launch an email campaign or a social media push to reach new prospective volunteers? Don't forget to embed signup forms on your website to grow your email list and get in touch with folks who are interested in your organization! 
• Volunteer opportunities 💭 Determine how you’ll keep volunteers excited by offering a broad range of volunteer positions, tasks, and time commitments to accommodate busy schedules. Could you recruit volunteers to help start your volunteer management program and train new recruits, or run a "takeover" campaign on social media?
• Volunteer communication 📞 How you can improve the lines of communication between your team and volunteers? Consider sending out quarterly surveys, feedback cards, or conducting a focus group. To keep folks coming back, consider starting a bi-monthly newsletter specifically for volunteers, or express your gratitude with thank-you notes. 

More to explore

How to recruit volunteers for your nonprofit: 3 top tips →

3. Assign roles and resources 👯

Effective volunteer management is all about leaning on your team. Just like advertising job descriptions, be sure to clearly outline the responsibilities of volunteers—then match volunteers with tasks that align with their skills and interests.

Assign a volunteer coordinator at your organization to develop actionable steps toward your goals, and empower them to do their job well with the help of a few tools:

• Nonprofit CRM system 📊 A contact management platform like Givebutter can help you keep track of all your contacts in a donor and volunteer database—and log key data and activities with tags, segments, and helpful automations.
• Communication tools 📣 Givebutter’s high-quality marketing and engagement software can streamline and automate volunteer communication via email and text blasts.
• Training 👋 Develop a volunteer onboarding system using something as simple as sharing a slide deck or creating a shared folder in Google Drive or Dropbox.
• Project management system 📆 Platforms like monday.com, Asana, Trello, and Givebutter Plus’ task management feature make it easy to break ambitious goals into actionable tasks.

🌟Pro Tip: Givebutter makes it easy to assign the right roles and permissions to the right people, so your volunteers can work with the information and fundraising tools they need without compromising any sensitive info.

More to explore

Discover the best nonprofit apps for your org →

4. Create a seamless volunteer management system 💻 

With the right volunteer management software, you can coordinate all of the moving pieces related to volunteer service. 

POINT is a modern, easy-to-use volunteer management solution that offers an app for easy volunteer registration, check-ins, and time tracking. The platform also provides options for background checks, website integration for signups, and automated tools to help communicate with volunteers.

The best part? POINT now integrates with Givebutter’s all-in-one nonprofit fundraising, engagement, and nonprofit CRM platform, so you can convert more volunteers into donors—and donors into volunteers. 

Volunteer organizing best practices

To make the most out of your strategy, follow each of these volunteer management practices:

• Develop clear procedures 🗒️ Have well-documented policies in place that govern expectations so volunteers feel confident contributing to your organization—and know who to ask if they need support. 
• Be transparent 💛 Treat volunteers as trusted partners and provide transparency regarding how they contribute to your organization's mission. Ensure that everyone understands their purpose and the impact of their work to keep them motivated.
• Understand incentives 🧐 Some volunteers contribute their time simply to give back. Others, though, appreciate the chance to enhance a resume or CV or are interested in making friends. Knowing these motivators will help you understand how to engage and mobilize your volunteers.
• Share learning opportunities 🍎 Offering opportunities for learning and development helps make volunteers feel valued. Plus, for those looking to enhance their resumes, a volunteer opportunity that involves skill-building is a perfect match.

Launch your volunteer management strategy with Givebutter

The right volunteers share their expertise, passion, and time in furthering your good cause, which directly impacts your bottom line. 

To nail volunteer management for nonprofits, organizations need to allocate people, resources, and technology. Carve out a volunteer coordinator role, empower them with the resources they need, and find the right tools to keep volunteer data organized. 

With Givebutter and POINT, your organization can engage and retain volunteers and streamline all of your volunteer management efforts with ease. Create your free Givebutter account today to get started!