Some of the most common ways nonprofits raise funds to support their missions are event- based. Events like walks, runs, galas, rec sports tournaments, and bicycle rides all represent great ways for nonprofits to engage with their constituencies, cultivate donors, and reach into new networks through peer-to-peer fundraising.
Successful fundraising events take volunteer power. And volunteers put a public and personal face on your organization. That’s why it’s critical to create a great volunteer experience with your events.
Let’s look at some helpful tips to help you create a positive volunteer experience.
Creating a great volunteer experience starts well before volunteers arrive at your program or event. So, as you plan each stage of the event, identify key details that your volunteers will need beforehand. For example, be sure to let volunteers know about:
Communication during an event is the oil that runs the machine. Create a text message group or use a messaging app for communicating during the event. This can be a great way to broadcast important details, such as “a rain squall is headed our way, please prepare for windy and wet conditions” or “stage show is starting in five minutes,” to volunteers and staff who are spread out across the event.
If you’re relying on cell phones/internet/messaging, be sure your event doesn’t have any issues with transmission or connectivity. Create a group for your communications and test it before the event to confirm it’s working as expected and no one is missing communications. And be sure to tell your volunteers what to expect, so they know to keep phones handy.
Also, make sure each volunteer knows who to contact to report information or ask a question. Map out the flow of information back and forth between volunteers and staff and then share that map with your volunteers to keep information flowing freely and to the right people throughout the event.
Once the event gets going, continue to communicate regularly and proactively with volunteers. For example, a volunteer manager can circulate through various places to check on volunteers. You can also use your text messaging capabilities to communicate important updates. If there’s a break in activities, such as a time when participants are all out on a walk route, some of your staff members can circulate to say thank you to volunteers, answer questions, and make sure volunteers have water or get a bathroom break.
No matter when you conduct volunteer training, be sure to give volunteers a tour or overview of the location or site layout once they arrive. Highlight key locations that attendees might need, such as bathrooms, a medical tent, and lost and found. For larger events that use site maps, print extra maps for volunteers and keep them at various locations for reference.
As you consider volunteer training, think through the information each volunteer role may need and make a “cheat sheet” handout. Include key details about the event for volunteers to reference. Also, consider including key messages or facts related to your organization’s mission to help ensure that volunteers have answers to common questions close at hand. This handy reference sheet can help volunteers feel more at ease and enable them to present a knowledgeable face to your event participants that inspires donor confidence.
For example, let volunteers know what time it will be okay to pack up and what to do with leftover event materials. Tell volunteers if you expect them to help with site cleanup, and what to do.
It can also help to ask volunteers to check out so that you can say a big “thank you” and perhaps even give them a volunteer appreciation gift. Not only will this approach give a sense of closure to the volunteer’s experience, but it also lets you convey your gratitude in person and get immediate feedback about the volunteer experience.
Volunteers are critical to the success of your fundraising programs and events. So, as you plan your next event, be sure to put the ideas in this article to work and consider other ways that you can create a great volunteer experience that keeps volunteers coming back again and again.
Jane Kramer, Account Manager
Cathexis Partners
Jane Kramer has served in the nonprofit space for more than 20 years and across many roles, including volunteer management, participant recruitment and retention, event production, and most recently IT.
As an IT project manager, she loves being the connector between clients, designers, developers, and technical solutions.
Since 2008, Cathexis Partners has worked with more than 1,000 nonprofit clients. Our focus is to use technology to help your organization raise more funds and engage more supporters.