How to Get More Volunteers and Keep Them Engaged In Your Cause

The more engaged your volunteers are the more likely they are to want to help.

Passion can move mountains, but your passion alone has its limits – we all need the help of others.

Find other people who share your same passion and nothing can stand in your way.

As a nonprofit organization, your job is to find the volunteers that want to help your cause and then nurture their passion. Start finding the right people by educating your audience, and then show them how big of an impact they can make.

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Educate potential volunteers about your cause

The people familiar with your organization may be aware of the problem you’re trying to solve, but they may not know why it’s so important. Your organization’s email marketing can explain the problem, providing context that shows why it’s important to the world and how it can affect the lives of others.

Say your organization is trying to clean up your local reservoir. You could show how dirty the water is using photos or video, both on your website and in email, to inspire them to want change. Connecting the issue to your audience is as simple as explaining that the reservoir is where their drinking water comes from, or how important it is to the local ecosystem.

Put emphasis on need change now with short term goals

You may want to change the world, but that goal will feel too daunting for your audience to believe they can make a difference. Show them what they can do now to put your long term goals into perspective and to inspire change that needs to happen now.

You may want to solve world hunger, but highlighting your local food pantry efforts can show your audience that you’re enacting change now in your local community. Set a goal that is reachable, but inspiring, like solving hunger in your local community. With the issue so close to home, your audience will empathize with the cause and be engaged to help right now.

Ask for their help and be specific

The more specifically you can show your audience where you need help, the more they can imagine themselves actually helping. After you’ve presented your short term goals, explain the gaps in your volunteer base or your funding. The more specific you can be, the smaller the effort will seem to your audience, making it easier to offer their help.

Since your short term goals are attainable, you can show your progress to inspire your audience to join the cause. Show that you’re only a few hundred dollars from your fundraising goal to convince those last hold-out donors to throw their hat in the ring. If you’re throwing another reservoir cleanup event, list the roles that are still vacant, and how many people you need, plus the time commitment that is involved.

Keep your volunteers engaged once they join the cause

Once your nonprofit starts to get new volunteers to join, sign up, or attend an event, then it’s time to make sure they stay happy and energized. The key is to thank them in a way that shows their efforts are significant to the cause and that their hard work is appreciated, both during the event, and after. Also, let them know there is still work to do and that they are instrumental in achieving the organization’s goals.

While your volunteers are at the event, make sure they are comfortable, and happy. If the event is outside, make sure they have plenty of sunblock, water, and snacks to keep going. After the event, send a thank you email that highlights their efforts to your entire audience. After each donor makes a contribution, use an autoresponder email series to thank them right away. Show both groups how their efforts are helping the long-term problem, and then introduce the next short-term goal to keep them energized.

Engaged volunteers can lead to more positive change

You may have enough passion to want to take on the world, but the more people you have by your side, the more you can accomplish. The more passionate your volunteers and donors are, the more willing they will be to offer their time or money, as long as you keep them engaged and coming back to support your organization.