Ways to Hire & Onboard Remote Workers Recruiting remote workers has shifted to become a main focus for many businesses. Prior to the pandemic, many companies had little to no best practices in place for recruiting, hiring and onboarding remote workers and had to...
The Applicant Manager Blog
Subscribe to Email Updates
Search
Recent Posts
4 Strategies to Get Volunteer Prospects
It comes as no surprise that non-profit organizations always need volunteers. This can be tough at certain parts of the year, or dependent on how the job market looks. An organization’s engagement with their audience can also fluctuate throughout the year, so they will always be in need of help in one way or another.
This is where driving prospects comes in. Volunteers come and go, move and retire, leave for another cause, experience life changes, etc. So how can you keep your volunteer count fresh and always reliable?
Here are some strategies to help drive new prospects:
1. Retention
A starting place for finding volunteers is to look where they already are! If you have already gained workers through different channels and have varying levels of rapport, there are good chances there for retention. Some may stay longer than others, but with the option for future contract work, they can still be made useful. Especially during times where remote work is possible, technology makes it easier to stay connected, stay productive with teams, and drive a mission forward!
Utilizing a staffing software helps streamline this process and helps keep your candidates managed in one place. With other features such as job boards, screening and onboarding tools, an applicant management system is really helpful when keeping tabs on candidates. So whether they stay or leave, they can always be reached via their stored contact information.
2. Utilize Technology
Running a contest or offering an incentive for volunteering is a great way to give back to those volunteers who donate their time. While they might do it out of the good of their hearts, this is something that might help get the word out initially to help bring them in. Having something such as a gift card giveaway to one volunteer or another prize could be really effective in getting people excited for helping a cause.
Another way to hype up your job opportunity is with the chance to get free swag. By that, I mean shirts, bags, mugs, keychains, etc. Anything free! People love free is stuff given away at a moments notice. These can also double as free advertising for your organization!
Last but not least, you can strive to do something incredible. Set a goal that is extreme, yet realistic. This can help gain attention among people, the media, and others around your organization. Making your event seem like a special and important opportunity will help volunteers stick around!
3. Word of Mouth
Someone being referred to a job or role is typically a better fit than a candidate just passing through and looking. The same goes for volunteers. Getting some word out to people about these volunteer opportunities can come in many forms and work wonders for driving applicants to your front door.
One of the first ways is to create some PR buzz. Traditional sources include the radio, TV and newspaper ads – however younger segments will be better reached on social media. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are key for these demographics, as this is typically a source of entertainment and news for the age group.
There can also be simple way to get more people to assist in your volunteer efforts. Just like referrals, someone can bring a friend or have donors volunteer. With things such as incentives to bringing volunteers that are friends, this can double and even triple your efforts. If they end up having a great experience, trying campaigns that can easily be shared on social media would benefit your organization by getting more free publicity out there.
4. Keep New Recruits Engaged
Sometimes volunteers will initially reach out, interact or even help out in some way. Engagement is important at this step because the more engagement they feel, the more likely they are to feel accepted and appreciated. This simple act of gratitude in the form of a text or email can help keep volunteers around for the long-term.
Using these tips can help you strategize when it comes to recruiting volunteers, as well as finding ones that engage with your organization. Following these tips and related ones will help keep volunteers driving to be recruited and helping out with efforts across the board.