10 Healthy Habits of a Volunteer Community | Part II
Continuing the conversation on volunteer management, it is important to take a look at what is working for your volunteer community and what new habits you can form to grow and strengthen your group of committed volunteers. Check out Part I of our 10 Health Habits series and don't miss 5 more healthy habits of volunteer management:
6. Pumping up Your Volunteer Web Page: Make online engagement a healthy habit for your volunteer community by strategizing unique ways to capture the online audience of potential volunteers who visit your organization online. Take your volunteer web page from mundane to memorable with simple steps and ideas like incorporating pictures and videos, posting online sign ups, including written volunteer contributions and quotes, and more! Check out 10 ways to pump up your volunteer webpage.
7. Networking: The common saying "It takes a village" is no more pertinent than when it comes to volunteer activity. Make networking a healthy habit for your volunteer group by finding like organizations in the same area to commit to service projects together, working with local businesses for sponsorship, and aligning with national organizations that can help promote your good work.
8. Tracking/Measuring Engagement and Results: Broaden your result analysis and strengthen your volunteer community by asking the right questions and tracking the answers. Not only do you want to know how many volunteer hours were dedicated, but volunteers in turn want to know how their commitment made an impact in the community. Creatively share results, i.e. number of food boxes packed, number of books collected, with your community either through email blasts, photos/vidoes from beneficiaries, organization brochures, you name it!
9. Encouraging Feedback and Response: The simplest way to find out if your volunteer participation tactics are working is to ask! Put out a call for feedback from your volunteers through online surveys, asking for ideas and suggestions on your webpage, or encouraging comments and replies to your eNewsletters. Implement new ideas and feedback in your volunteer community where and when it fits.
10. Showing Volunteer Appreciation: This final healthy habit never gets old and is one of the most important! Volunteer recognition not only shows volunteers how much their hard work and time is appreciated, but it increases return rates and encourages them to bring others, friends and family, back to help in the future. Whether it's with a hand-written thank you note, shout outs on social platforms, or even an online video, volunteer appreciation both grows your community and makes it stronger.
Don't Miss Part I of 10 Healthy Habits of a Volunteer Community
