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YMCA Grant Opportunities

$20,000 Available for Schools & Community Groups

What could your school do with an extra $2,500? How would your community put $5,000 to work? The YMCA wants to turn your passion for helping others into real opportunity this October with the My Fresh Page Project.

With 10 prizes up for grabs, ranging from $500 to $5,000, the *YMCA’s Fresh Page Project is a great way for schools, community groups, neighborhoods, even families, to submit a creative and engaging service project idea they need funded.

 

In mirroring the focus of the YMCA, imagine all the ways your community could work to empower the development of children and teens, support and improve community health and well-being, or create an opportunity to assist individuals or organizations in need.

Turn thoughts into action with the YMCA!
Submit your idea today

5 Easy Ways to Turn Your Idea into a Submission:

1. Get creative: Where could your community use a helping hand? Think of creative ways to pull off your goals, e.g. boost healthy living with a community garden or free cooking classes for families, fight childhood hunger with a backpack food program for schools, support lacking graduation rates with free tutoring services and engaging educational programs.

2. Call your friends: Find other school parents or group members who you know are actively 2. involved in bettering the community. Let them know about this grant opportunity and set a time to get together, put your Fresh Page Project into words, and submit your idea.

3. Use Technology to Communicate: Collaborate with others to put a visual spin on your submission. Take some photos or shoot a short video to include with your submission to make it stand out from the rest!

4. Involve kids/students: If your community really is looking to turn a fresh page, involve the young minds and hearts of students and kids who are actively looking to make an impact in their community. Encourage and support young people in your community in their submissions and help them refine and realize them!

5. The Sooner You Enter the Better! Mark your calendar, October 24^th is the FINAL day submissions are accepted for the YMCA My Fresh Page Project and the earlier you enter the more time you have to secure votes. Once you submit an idea use social media to get the word out and get the votes in!

*The Y’s My Fresh Page Project invites individuals across the country to submit their idea for a community improvement or service project to carry out in their hometown. Every day until October 24, visitors to the ymca.net/freshpage will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite idea. After the voting period closes, the Y will review the most popular ideas and award 10 prizes of $500, $2,500 or $5,000 to help winners launch their projects.

Nonprofit Tips & Advice

Engaging Volunteers & Donors with Your Nonprofit

The success of your nonprofit or community organization is based largely of the good work and contribution of it's loyal members - but how do you retain a loyal base that both donates to your cause but also pitches in? Kirsten Bullock of TheNonProfitAcademy is sharing her expert advice with you in her June 5th, 2014 post & video (full article here).

To be able to start engaging people in the work we do, it’s important to be able to identify some areas that volunteers can help with. It could be as support during events, or to help with thank you calls to donors, become a donor, subscribe to your e-newsletter or become involved in program areas. Not everyone will be interested in the same things, so it’s important to be able to offer some variety. Be creative!

Next is to have some systems in place to support volunteers once they become involved. How will you continue to keep them involved? Do you have a volunteer coordinator? How often will you stay in touch with them? How will you track their interests? If you only have 200 people you’re trying to stay connected with you can probably do that with minimal systems – however if that number increases to 500 – or 5,000 – you’ll have a much more difficult time keeping track of details. Systems that are kept up-to-date will make your life much easier (and your volunteers and donors much happier).

Most importantly though are the interests of your volunteers and potential donors. What do they want to be involved in? If they want to advocate for a particular cause, and you ask them to file paperwork, will they be satisfied? . . .

Read the rest of Kirsten's article here

And join Kirsten for an online workshop around this topic and that of raising more money for your organization - this Friday, June 20th, 2014 at 11a ET, CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

 

Related:

Recruiting volunteers on twitter

Facebook for volunteer engagement

5 ways to increase your volunteer commitment rate

25 volunteer appreciation ideas

 

Volunteer Management Software Review

See Why SoftwareAdvice.com & Girls on the Run - Bay Area Recommend VolunteerSpot

Mission driven programs like Girls on the Run, a youth development nonprofit that sponsors running activities and events for girls, rely heavily on volunteer support. Spreadsheets, clipboards and reply all emails don't cut it anymore when it comes to organizing hands on effort; check out this recent post from SoftwareAdvice.com on how VolunteerSpot's free online sign ups help coordinate, track and maintain a volunteer schedule for a very important organization . . .

Girls on the Run—Bay Area relies on the generosity of about 800 volunteers, who contribute a combined 30,000 hours of time annually to coach and train participating youth. Over 100 of these volunteers are recruited to assist on race days with pre-race setup, post-race breakdown, food and beverage distribution, registration assistance, face painting and passing out medals at the finish line.

Prior to 2011, four full-time staff members devoted half their work week to recruiting and scheduling volunteers in the five weeks preceding a race, which strained their limited resources. People who were interested in volunteering signed up through an online form that Girls on the Run staff had created themselves, but volunteers weren’t able to choose which tasks they wanted to undertake.

“All of our race-day volunteers signed up for the same four-hour time slot, and we assigned them tasks as they checked in on race day,” says Thomas. “This created a bit of a mob scene in the check-in tent. We'd end up with too many people in one area and not enough in another, or some volunteers wouldn’t like the job we assigned them. Others were distressed when we had to split up their group to fill the available jobs.”

The disorganized sign-up and check-in process began to jeopardize the volunteer experience—so staff decided it was time to find a better solution.

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VolunteerSpot Provides Full-Featured, Budget-Friendly Solution

The team began searching for a system that could streamline race-day volunteer coordination and allow volunteers to accomplish three things:

1. Read descriptions of the available tasks.
2. Sign up for a specific task online.
3. Register a group of volunteers, such as a high school or corporate group, to serve together.

Fortunately, the search for a better system didn’t take long. One of the organization’s committee members recommended VolunteerSpot—an online volunteer scheduling and management system—because he had previous experience using it.

Read the rest of this article over on SoftwareAdvice.com

 

Related Articles:

How to organize a 5k, fun run or charity walk

VolunteerSpotlight - GOTR in Kansas City, MO

 

Summer Planning Apps

Your 9 Must-Have Tools for Summer Planning

Planning a fundraiser this Summer? How about a family reunion? DIY camp for kids? There are tons of great summer planning tools, resources and apps to make planning less stressful and more efficient, check out our 9 favorites here:

1) SplashThat.com > Use this website to set up a beautiful webpage for your big event. With free, instant access, social integration and fun customization options, this will ramp up your summer event planning.

2) Cozi.com > Get your families summer calendars synced so everyone knows when pool parties, camps, reunions and more are happening. Set up alerts, reminders and more - it's easy!

3) VolunteerSpot.com > Coordinate hands on help with free online signup sheets & volunteer calendars. Quickly schedule your volunteer needs, invite people to sign up from their computer or smartphone and rely on automated reminders to keep everyone on track! Great for VBS, family reunions, potlucks and picnics, team snack scheduling and more.

4) Pinterest.com > Get your DIY on and dedicate some summer free time to taking on new projects with your family. From festival decorations to family fun crafts, Pinterest has everything you're looking for this Summer.

5) VolunteerMatch.org > Find a nearby service project or volunteer opportunity for your family with the VolunteerMatch database - search by zipcode, interest and more.

6) KiwiCrate.com > Get your fill of super fun crafts for kids plus find the perfect supplies & checklists with a click. Great for DIY camps, kids corners at festivals and fairs, and more.

7. Trello.com > Enhance your project management with online boards and task cards from Trello. Assign projects, make check lists, set due dates and more!

8. Join.me > Share your screen for free and take your event planning meetings to the next level. On a call with siblings planning a vacation? How about coordinating a booth with the festival committee? Use join.me so everyone can see your screen and be on the same page.

9. ConferenceHound.com > Find conferences by date, industry, you name it! Continue your professional development, find marketing opportunities for your company and more.

 

11 Ways to Make Your Booth Stand Out

Tips for Nonprofits & Cause Groups

Hosting a booth to promote your nonprofit or organization this Summer? Festivals, fairs and community events are a prime environment for drawing in new community members to support your cause - catch their attention and bring them on board with these 11 creative ideas:

1. Use lots of color. Start with a bright tablecloth. A nice vinyl or cloth one (or a twin size bed sheet works if money is tight!).
   
   
2. Choose a centerpiece. Think flowers or balloons for a simple start - or a bouquet of bright pinwheels or paper poufs work too.
   
   
3. Post your social handles. Everyone is walking around with their smartphones on them; encourage them to take two seconds to follow your group on twitter, facebook, pinterest, you name it!
   
   
4. Use vertical displays. The bigger the better! If you don’t have a vinyl banner or pop-up, simply print your logo on a large poster and mount on foam core, put in a large (interesting) frame propped on an easel, or pin it to a large cork or magnet board.
   
   
5. Use pictures. Display real photos of those you are helping, your team, visuals that represent your services...you get the idea! 
   
   
6. Ask a question. Try using a large chalkboard with a quote, question, or quiz for people walking by. Offer a “prize” for everyone who gets it right!
   
   
7. Share a giant QR code. Have it link to your organization's webpage or facebook page; give visitors something to do when they get to the webpage, i.e. capture their email address, have them Like your page, etc.
   
   
8. Give something away. Temporary tattoos, stickers, pens, pencils - free stuff is always up for grabs! Try to find swag that relates to your organization or has your group's name on it.
   
   
9. Smile. Nothing is more inviting to check out your group's booth than smiling faces behind it!
   
   
10. Play music. Scoot a boom box right under your booth and blast some dance tunes or popular songs that will catch people's attention as they near your booth.
    
    
11. Perk 'em up. Hot coffee at a morning event, something fresh like lemonade in the hot afternoon, and something yummy like cookies all day are great ways to draw hungry tummies (and hearts) over to learn more about your nonprofit.

8 Tips for Involving Volunteers

What Your Organization Needs to Know to Recruit & Engage Volunteers

Volunteer programs serve vital roles in the GOOD work of nonprofits, arts groups, theatres, schools, faith communities, you name it, around the world. Building  a strong foundation of a volunteer program takes more than just finding a bunch of helping hands though. As Susan J. Ellis of Energize Inc. points out in this Theatre Communications Group piece, reflection on your group's mission in conjuction with knowing why before you know who, are just the ingredients you need for a recipe for success . . .

Tip #1: Know WHY you want volunteers in the first place.
Be careful that you are not seeking volunteers simply because you do not have enough money. If lack of funds is the major reason for wanting volunteers, you will always view them as a pooralternative to the paid staff you really want. Instead, focus on the unique things that volunteers can offer that are different from what employees contribute: credibility with the public because they do not personally profit from the funds raised; expanded spheres of influence; diversity of experiences and skills; the luxury to focus on one project while the paid staff must divide their time among all the work to be done; and, most especially, outreach to new potential audiences.

Tip #2: Develop the broadest VISION of volunteer involvement.
Working with volunteers is true community-resource development. The process of reaching out to a wide range of people will have the ripple effect of making friends for your theatre — not only the people who actually contribute their time, but also those who learn about your performances, your need for donations of cash and goods, and your work in general. Don't limit your outreach to those with a proven interest in the arts or in drama. Prospective volunteers can represent enormous diversity in demographic profile, occupation and talents — if you genuinely
welcome such contributions.

Tip #3: Never assume people know how to work with volunteers (even
if they are volunteers themselves).
Very few people receive formal training in how to work with volunteers, certainly not in academic course programs. And it is important to realize that being a volunteer does not automatically make someone into a great leader of other volunteers! It takes knowledge and skill to be a good volunteer supervisor. Diagnose and deal with possible staff resistance to volunteers and provide training in the best ways to support volunteers. Be aware of the fact that resistance to volunteers has a special history in the arts community. All too often in the past, actors and other performing artists were approached by organizations to volunteer their talents, usually for fundraising events. To establish the valid point that such artists need to be paid to earn a living, some people grew to resent the concept of volunteerism. In some ways, the theatre community's response to the AIDS crisis has broadened their understanding of volunteerism, but it is important to stress that you are seeking volunteers with skills beyond the theatre world.

Tip #4: Create the infrastructure to support volunteer involvement.
Consider what resources you will budget/allocate to support volunteers: money, staff time, space and supplies. Volunteers are definitely . . .

* * *

Read the rest of this post from Theatre Communications Group here

 

Susan J. Ellis is President of Energize, Inc., a Philadelphia-based international consulting, training and publishing firm specializing in volunteerism. Since 1977, the company has assisted a wide range of clients throughout North America and Europe, including many cultural arts organizations. For more in-depth information about volunteer program development and management, call for your free copy of the "Volunteer Energy Resource Catalog" at 1-800-395-9800 or visit the
Energize Website at http://www.energizeinc.com.

National Volunteer Week | April 6 - 12, 2014

25 Volunteer Appreciation Ideas 

1. Tweet a thank you! It's easy, start with this sample >> Huge THANKS to all our awesome #volunteers! We celebrate YOU this week especially for all the amazing GOOD you do. #NVW

2. SAY thank you! When you run into volunteers on site or parents helping out in school, stop, smile and say 'thank you for all you do!'

3. Thank parent volunteers on the  morning announcements. Kids love to hear how the special people who help in their classroom get recognized; ask staff to allow for this extra time during NVW.

4. Thank you cake - yum! Or cookies, or brownies, or any other delicious treat - say thank you with a homemade baked good that shows how much you care.

5. Facebook thank you shout! Post a quick thank you shout, a picture or link back to a special thank you section of your group/school's website.

6. Hand-written thank you note. Simple but thoughtful, a handwritten thank you note gives your stellar volunteers something to hold on to. Tips HERE

7. Thank you video. Make a quick 30 second thank-you shout out on your smartphone that you can share on your social channels with Tout or Viddy; or put together a quick (free) slideshow with music, text and pictures using Animoto.

8. Special thank you mention in newspaper. Contact your local paper or e-publications and see if there is free space available to dedicate to thanking your volunteers.

9. Thank you gift! Don't go crazy, but small meaningful tokens never hurt when saying thanks - goodie bags, photo placemats, personalized mugs, etc. More ideas on Pinterest

10. Pin a thank you. Are your volunteers or school parents pinning? Pin a special thank you image and link to it on all your other social channels.

11. Thank you email! Make it short, sweet, to the point and full of love!

12. Send a VolunteerSpot thank you note. It's easy to send a quick thank you message from your VolunteerSpot signup to all the wonderful volunteers who helped with your activity. More info here

13. Thank you formation. Check out the picture on the left! Is your school or nonprofit staff up for something awesome like this to show your volunteers how much they're loved?

14. Thank you latte! You got  that right, a "latte" love to go around! Hit up the local coffee shop and get a delicious sweet latte to surprise your star volunteer on their day to help out!

15. Appreciation party. Rock out a serious appreciation party with fun games, good food, photo booths and a special time to recognize volunteers in person.

16. Thank you brunch or potluck. Delicious food and good drink is a great way to spend time and recognize your star volunteers. Coordinate people to bring food and setup/clean up with VolunteerSpot's free online sign up sheets. 

17. Certificate of appreciation. Free, colorful printables can do no wrong; print off these certificates and awards for your appreciation party or meal to show special recognition to your volunteers. Free printables here

18. Thank you gift card! Small or large, it's hard to go wrong with a gift card! Unless you know a specific store your star volunteers would prefer go general with a gas gift card, Amazon, Walmart or Target.

19. Thank you graffiti wall. Paper one wall at your school or in your organization's building and leaving markers and sharpies for volunteers and staff to write down their thoughts of appreciation.

20. Thank you with chocolate! Go gourmet or bake it in, you simply can't go wrong in spreading the love and appreciation than with chocolate. Great ideas here

21. Thank you photo album. Online or off, a picture is worth a thousand words! Create photo albums with Facebook, Flikr or Shutterfly; or go old school with a scrapbook theme and binder.

22. Thank you flowers! Whether it's one big bouquet, or a flower a day from class students or organization staff, flowers are always a beautiful way to show volunteers how they help their community "bloom."

23. Love bomb their door or desk. Have staff handwrite thank you post-its and stick them all over your volunteer's car! Ideas here

 24. Flash Mob/Dance Party. Coordinate a synchronized flash mob dance routine to surprise volunteers, or simply show up with some sweet jams and a boom box for an impromptu dance party to say thanks!

25. Mini Carnival. Host a day of outdoor carnival fun with games, activities, food and free prizes for volunteers! Game ideas here

 

Check out more FAB ideas in our free eBook: 

Volunteer Recognition from A To Z from VolunteerSpot

 

 

*Heart picture courtesy of St. Andrews Episcopal School, New Orleans

Volunteer Recruitment Ideas

6 Things to Say to Grow Your Volunteer Base

As a volunteer manager or school volunteer coordinator, clear communication is key to getting more helping hands involved and sticking around. Make sure these 6 phrases are part of your vocabulary when it comes to recruiting and retaining volunteers:

1.   "Can you help with . . .?"  Having specific tasks and jobs for volunteers is a proven way to bring them on board quicker and more definitively. Instead of asking folks to show up at a vague time to do "something," request volunteers show up at a set time to help set up for the fundraiser, weed the community garden flower beds, sort and pack food bags, etc.  This also keeps you, the volunteer coordinators, more organized and prepared for an efficient and productive volunteer experience.

2. "Bring your friends." Encouraging volunteers and school parents to come with friends, families and other groups not only increases the number of helping hands your organization has to do GOOD work, but makes the volunteer experience an even more joyous and social one. Memories are made when folks are making a difference together and what better way to have your organization remembered by potential volunteers?

3. "Sign up online, it's easy!" Making it easier for a wider pool of potential volunteers to get involved is what VolunteerSpot's free online signup sheets are all about. Easy scheduling, mobile access and being able to post signups on social media and via email are the solution to coordinating volunteers in the modern day. Plus automated reminders? Doesn't get better than that! Check out Online Volunteer Calendars today

4. "Thank you for your time." Recognize a volunteer's time and commitment with a simple in-person thank you, handwritten card, or email. This simple act of appreciation helps volunteers know that their good work is noticed and encourages them to return in the future.

5. "Join us on social media!" In the digital age, it is vital for volunteer-based organizations to stamp out a social footprint that encourages volunteers and members to get involved in their social conversation. When you ask potential volunteers to follow you online (put social handles on your website and marketing materials), you ensure that you become part of their social feeds, staying in their "world" and reminding them time and again that your group is around and needs their help.

6. "See what we've done together?" Illustrating your organization's community impact is a great way to bring volunteers onboard. Find examples, stories and pictures to share with your volunteers and donors that show how and where their time and talents are affecting the community in a positive way. Keep volunteers updated on your website, via social media and in eNewsletters; and when possible, let them know individually how their contribution is making a difference.

5 Things Your Nonprofit Should Be Doing - Right Now!

Tips & Ideas for Nonprofit Leaders

Annual budgets, operational planning, strategic forcasts - oh my! With the new year in full swing, chances are your nonprofit is full steam-ahead with planning another year of making a difference in the community. Sure it's easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of paperwork, red tape and stressful event planning, but it's even easier to lighten the load with a handful of simple steps like these:

1. Go Social: Get your nonprofit or community group it's own facebook page, twitter handle, Google+ profile and applicable Pinterest account right now if you have not already. A social presence is a surefire way to spread the word about your group's good work, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities and community impact. People of all ages are online and leaving their own social footprints - become part of their world and they will soon become part of yours.

2. Set Up an Online Volunteer Calendar: It's 2014 and if your nonprofit is stuck on paper signup sheets and distracting spreadsheets, you are behind the times and losing ground. Online volunteer calendars and scheduling tools with mobile access and automated reminders make it easy for more people to get involved with your group and for your nonprofit to capture information digitally from potential loyal participants and donors. Click here to try VolunteerSpot's free online volunteer calendar tool

3. Use Your Board: Cultivate your Board (and donors) early and often! Use the skills, talents and know-how that brought them to your organization for your organization. Don't be afraid to ask for help, recommendations or assistance on big projects; Board members or Directors can offers these services as a gift. You recruited these members for a reason, and they anticipate such requests during their tenure. 

4. Get Creative with Fundraising: Taking on a huge fundraiser like an annual gala can be quite overwhelming. PLUS, it's not always the right fit for each group and might be old news for your growing community. Look at your nonprofit's mission and make your approach to fundraising thoughtful and focused on the donor. Depending on the size of your organization, it may make sense to team-up with a partner or complimentary group as well! Get creative with ideas like:

• small (but annual!) college scholarships
• student art auction
• book festival
• raffle for a specialty item (donated, preferably!)
• basketball tournament
• corporate golf tournament (try to link to an existing event!)
• private wine tasting and dinner
• BBQ dinner and dance

5. Share Content: Spread the word about the great work your nonprofit does with interesting and viral content that can make it's away across the internet and local publications. In today’s digital world, it takes three times as many touchpoints with a potential audience as it used to to get someone to take action. Use your current print strategy (brochures, flyers, programs) and combine with online avenues like blog posts, social media, and video content on your website to increase the visibility of your nonprofit and amplify your reach.

These 5 critical but seemingly simple steps will help your nonprofit take on a new life in the new year, get started today!

Tweeting for Help

8 Best Practices for Tweeting Volunteer Opportunities

Nonprofits, schools and community groups on social media are totally in tune to the 21st century tactics of getting the word out and recruiting help online. Few things are more cringe-worthy, however, then a group tweeting asking for volunteers and getting it all wrong! Rembember these 8 tips when tweeting for help:

1. Start with the perks: If there is free food, swag, drink tickets and the like available to volunteers, bring it up! "All volunteers get a free t-shirt" or "Volunteer on Saturday for free admission to the show" will grab attention quickly and encourage folks to volunteer.

2. Include your signup link: Send volunteers from twitter to your signup sheets, volunteer calendar or pertinent webpage so they can commit on the spot. Don't ask for help and not give them a way to sign up and be reminded.

3. Mention date/time: If you're coordinating a one day event, put the shortened date time, i.e. 2/14 at 2p - not only will volunteers know right away whether they can or can't help then, but it's good publicity for folks who might want to attend your event as patrons or participants.

4. Attach a picture: Whether it's an image of your event flyer or a picture of volunteers helping at last year's activity, a quick pic your followers can open gives them a visual cue to sign up to help your organization and not just a mental one.

5. Drop how many spots are left: Let volunteers know spots are limited or there isn't much time left to sign up. A sense of urgency helps potential volunteers commit faster and sign up right away.

 

 

6. Tell volunteers what you need: What positions are open for volunteer work or what skillsets does your group need for your activity? Tweet it out so potential candidates know exactly what your group is looking for and whether they can help.

7. Be funny: Twitter is largely a venue for people's comedic thoughts. Apply some humor to your tweets asking for help!

8. Remember to stick to 140 characters: Don't make a classic mistake and go over Twitter's standard 140 characters - you'll lose interestested parties when your message is truncated or your signup link is left off. Plus, it's just awkward.

 

Also see:

Twitter Basics for Recruiting & Engaging Volunteers

Facebook for Volunteer Engagement

Best of Blog | 2013

Check Out the Best of the VolunteerSpot Blog from 2013

What a year! BIG announcements, awesome spotlights, new trends for schools and nonprofits plus plenty of volunteer management ideas made 2013 a year to remember. Don't miss some of our most-read, highest-rated blog posts from the year below:

New VolunteerSpot Tools & Features!

Group pages link volunteers to ALL activities

Customizable email options & alerts

'Autofill' makes scheduling a snap!

New Pro apps for iPhone & Android

Adding resource/document links to sign ups

* * *

Volunteer Management Resources!

5 ways to increase volunteer commitment rate

Twitter tips for recruiting volunteers

Online volunteer calendars & sign up sheets

Highly effective habits of volunteer managers

10 healthy habits of a volunteer community

Top apps for communicating & collaborating

Volunteer appreciation ideas & tips

* * *

Fundraising Ideas!

Boost fundraiser profits (and turnout) with social media

6 non-game carnival booth ideas

Charity and benefit auction tips & resources

6 ways to add product fundraisers to school events

7 trends for school carnivals and festivals

* * *

School Parent Reads!

Parent checklist: 6 great ways to support your student

How to quickly coordiante a school volunteer calendar

Eazy peazy planning for Halloween & fall class parties

Science fair hints & tips for parents

Parent teacher conference do's and don'ts

 

 

 

 

5 Key Elements to Your Volunteer Webpage

Don't Miss These 5 Musts for Potential Volunteers Visiting Your Website

Make your volunteer webpage work for your organization! A few simple, key elements are all it takes to turn visits into volunteers, here's what you should have your volunteer webpage right now:

1. Social Channels: Clearly and visibly post links to your facebook, twitter,  pinterest (instagram, Google+, Youtube) accounts so potential volunteers can easily join your social community! People typically look at the top or very bottom of your website for these widgets, so be intuitive with their placement and make them vibrant, eye catching and colorful. Volunteers taking the iniative to check out your website already have a piqued interest; capture them in your social spheres so you can continue to show up in their online world and remind them of availabile opportunities to help.

2. Volunteer Signups: Free online signups, linked right from your webpage don't only help get new volunteers signed up to participate with your organization quickly, but they also reflect on how organized and up-to-date your group is in the digital age. Let volunteers know they can click to sign up at their convenience and they'll receive automated reminders (no reply-all emails or last-minute phone calls), they'll love it!

3. Volunteer Impact: Illustrating your organization's impact in the community, right from your volunteer webpage, is key to 'selling' your cause. Whether it's an image, graph, or short colorful text block, sharing how many food backpacks your group filled this year, how many houses your volunteers helped build, or how many books for kids were collected shows that your group is making a positive impact in the community and is well worth the time.

4. Dates & Times of Upcoming Events: Nothing's worse than potential volunteers visiting your webpage and seeing nowhere where they may help, volunteer or lend a helping hand. Even if your next event is a month or two out, list it big and bold on your volunteer page under an "upcoming events" section. Your webpage will look regularly updated and your organization will still seem active in the community.

5. Volunteer Testimonials: Quotes, quick volunteer-written stories, pictures, videos - all of these simple additions to your webpage make your organization seem welcoming, alive and ready for more volunteers. Don't be shy to ask current volunteers if they can write a short paragraph about why they love working with your organization so you can share on your website; a brief testimonial can really ring true with other potential volunteers visiting your site, making all the difference for their participation.

5 Free Tech Tools that Make Event Planning Easier

Event Planning Made Simple

Retire your project notebook once and for all! From chili cook-offs to charity races, fall carnivals to benefit auctions, holiday performances to food festivals – most annual events begin with a binder full of action plans, check lists, ideas and resources from the past event chair. 

“It was ridiculous,” said J. Knowles of Austin, TX, “when I became the school carnival chair I was presented with a notebook that had my MOM’s name on action items from when she was in the PTA and I was a student here!”

No matter what you're planning, no matter how big or small, these free tech tools will help you loose that binder once and for all:

Dropbox: File sharing is a breeze with loads of free storage space from dropbox. Literally create and save documents that can be shared with your event planning team; store and share print collaterals, forms, contracts, job descriptions and more.

Google Drive: With your Google account, your team can collaborate on planning documents, edit/update shared spread sheets, generate simple forms, and more. All saved in the cloud, you won't lost another important document again!

Trello: The simplest project management software on the web, Trello is the free and easy solution to piles of papers. Create project boards and task out what your group is do, doing, and done with. It includes easy to follow steps, checklists, the ability to assign people to certain tasks and a reset for next year!

Join.me: Wish you could show a fellow organizer something on your computer screen during your conference call? It's easy (and free) with Join.me - collaborate even when your miles apart and make the important decisions faster without having to wait to show them in person or hear back via email.

VolunteerSpot:  Large events come with loads of volunteers and free event signup sheets from VolunteerSpot are the fastest, easiest (free!) way to coordinate all the people and supplies you need for your event. 24/7 access from computers and mobile devices encourage more volunteers to sign up, and automated reminders keep everyone on track. More HERE

NEW! Group Pages on VolunteerSpot

One-Stop Sign Ups for ALL your Activities!

Each VolunteerSpot Organizer account now comes with one FREE Group Page. Your Group Page is a custom landing page where you can post links to your many VolunteerSpot activities in ONE place, giving your participants ONE-stop for your signups!

Group pages are great for ANYONE organizing activities with multiple VolunteerSpot sign up sheets: classroom teachers, schools, leagues, churches, nonprofits, and large events.

 

Here's how it works:

***

Getting Started:

To launch your Group Page, login (with a valid VolunteerSpot Organizer account) and click the link at the bottom of your MySpot tab:

 

Then follow three easy steps:

1. Name the Page: your Organization name, or something else. Add a brief description too.
2. Add Art: your logo, a picture or graphic
3. Choose Activities: Add any activity where you’re the Primary or Assistant organizer

Once setup, Activate and Share your page with others. You can invite participants to your Group Page using a link in an email, Facebook or Twitter, or by posting an HTML button on your webpage or blog. 

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Happy Planning!

Social Media for Social Good

Twitter Basics for Recruiting & Engaging Volunteers

"Tweet Tweet!" That's the sound of volunteers joining the conversation about your organization and what you're doing in the community. Twitter rocks the volunteer sector by helping organizations connect, share and collaborate with one another to get more people involved and fighting for their cause. Here are 4  great ways to use twitter for social good:

1. Recruit Volunteers: Gone are the days of illegible clipboard sign up sheets and reply all emails! Free online sign up sheets and volunteer calendars are easy to link to online from twitter. Best Practice: Tweet the date of your event, time and link to your online sign up. Use hashtags where people can search you - think location, your event name, etc.

2. Network: A response on twitter is oftentimes faster than via email or by phone. Connect with like organizations, local news outlets and community leaders on twitter to help spread the word about what your group is doing. Don't be afraid to ask for retweets and follows. Twitter is all about having a conversation online and sharing what you are doing. Reach out and tweet!

3. Spread the Word/Publicize: From recruiting volunteers to tweeting the day of your event, a strategic social media plan involving twitter is a great way to leave a digital footprint for your cause. Encourage volunteers to tweet their experience before, during and after your event and include your twitter handle on all publications - eNewsletters, brochures, flyers, webpages, etc. As your organization continues to show up in the social feeds of your volunteers and their friends, more people will learn about what you do and want to get involved.

4. Show Appreciation: Volunteer recognition is the most vital component of engaging and retaining volunteers within your program. Using social media tools like twitter to shout out volunteers, post pictures and videos from volunteer events, and publicly show volunteer appreciation is a must in this day in age!

Join VolunteerSpot on Twitter TODAY!