Nonprofit Technology Trends You Need to Know to Reach Volunteers In my book chapter for Volunteer Engagement 2.0, I talk about nonprofit technology trends that are impacting how volunteers’ needs and expectations are changing. Technology is one of the most important and rapidly evolving domains in our lives and those of the volunteers with whom [...]
7 Deadly Sins to Avoid for Better Online Volunteer Training If you lead volunteers, it's likely you’ll be called upon to design and deliver online presentations as part of your volunteer training or orientations. I’ve been participating in and presenting webinars for about seven years now, and I’m sad to say I don't see much [...]
Gathering candid opinions from your volunteers will help you gain insights around what you need to improve. Despite our best efforts, however, sometimes our surveys raise more questions than insights and don’t help us understand the specific actions we need to take next. If that’s the case for you, here are some suggestions that I hope will help generate the rich, actionable feedback you need.
volunteers seem like a great match and they show a lot of enthusiasm about joining. But, even though you’ve got them to “yes!”, getting them to show up for training or their volunteer shift, it’s like pulling teeth. Can anything be done, or are folks just not able to commit any more?
The public now expects to access information at any time of the day or night. Are nonprofit organizations ready to deliver? Not all, not yet, but it’s an imperative.
How to Crush Volunteer Satisfaction Surveys For Better Results Volunteer satisfaction surveys can help you take the pulse of your volunteers. They help you understand volunteer preferences and their current state of satisfaction. They also may predict what factors have an impact on whether a volunteer decides to stay or leave. Too often, however, surveys [...]
In volunteer programs, we often attempt to institutionalize socialization by creating a single orientation event that’s meant to, among other things, shorten the time it takes to get volunteers acclimated. But, does this really work?
While it would be great if all volunteers were natural born leaders, had tons of time to give, and were willing to take on even the toughest tasks, it isn't always the case. So, what can we do?
Volunteers are making a deep, personal choice when they agree to join your team. They are making an investment, with a calculated risk, that their time and energy will be used effectively. And, contrary to today's stock market, they expect to realize good returns.
On this day of remembrance, I’m reflecting on how well (or poorly) we dare to dream and have the courage to share our deepest aspirations. Are our volunteer recruitment efforts failing to inspire?