Current volunteer recruitment is trending towards increased online engagement and technology-driven campaigns . . .as the makers of the leading online FREE volunteer scheduling software, we at VolunteerSpot love this new movement!
5 Trends in Volunteer Recruitment
1. Videos! Get out from behind the desk and start filming! Volunteer recruitment and orientation with videos is becoming a growing trend as prospective volunteers spend more and more time online. An informative yet FUN and interesting video gives organizations the chance to introduce themselves and their cause in a way that an "About Us" link on their homepage simply can’t do. Videos can be shared and promoted via YouTube, facebook, organizational websites and e-newsletters -- you name it! One of our favorite examples comes from Project Angel Food; and it covers a popular Broadway song while orienting volunteers to the duties which are expected of them - it's fabulous!
2. Social Media! Joining the Twitter and facebook conversation allows organizations to exponentially increase their reach by calling for volunteers and then encouraging others to invite their friends and spread the word on their own social media channels. Tip: When you create a VolunteerSpot signup link you can promote an immediate actionable call for volunteers by dropping the link into your social media networks
3. Micro-Volunteering! Volunteer recruitment is scaled down to one-time commitments from the comfort of one's own home with micro-volunteering. Sparked.com and Koodoonation.com are two specific examples of platforms for recruiting volunteers online with smaller assignments geared towards a volunteer's skill set and preferences. Organizations can post requests which online micro-volunteering sites categorize and publish. Think about your organization’s needs – can virtual volunteers lend much-needed muscle, e.g. creating a graphic logo or website content, tagging and organizing photos and video clips, or identifying locations of interest to your group?
4. QR Codes! In the same vein as volunteer recruitment, QR (quick response) codes are driving an unprecedented online response to charitable donations and non-profit awareness. Placed strategically within communities on everything from products to posters, QR codes are snapped by those with smart phone cameras, allowing organizations to share information or ask for donations in a super quick, yet effective way.
In a most interesting use of this technology, a homeless charity, Simon on the Streets, in the UK printed large qr codes on cardboard boxes and placed then around the town center with blankets and belongings to simulate a homeless person sleeping there. After scanning the QR code with their cell phone cameras, community members were taken to an online giving page to show support for the organization's cause with a donation.
5. Online Volunteer Scheduling Software! No more squinting at those clipboard sign up sheets to see if it was a Jen or a Jan who signed up to help at the food pantry. No more dialing down your Excel spreadsheet at the last minute to fill vacant volunteer spots at your benefit auction. Online volunteer scheduling software takes all the hassle and stress out of volunteer recruitment and organizing, leaving more time and energy to do good!
Online volunteer scheduling software expands volunteer recruitment range by giving organizations and groups the chance to promote opportunities on a variety of channels (social media, email, websites, e-newsletters), while at the same time, letting volunteers sign up at their convenience without feeling pressured.
The past few years have been reflective of both an increased need, specifically in the non-profit world, as well as a decline in volunteership across the board. Utilizing any one of these 5 growing trends to increase your reach and expand your volunteer recruitment will mean all the difference to the potentially hundreds (or thousands) of people whom your organization serves.
Check out VolunteerSpot’s free and easy online volunteer managment software and get planning and recruiting today!
