Volunteer Opportunities

Make volunteer opportunities stand out on your website

Like any non-profit, you might depend on volunteers to help your organization run smoothly. How can you make volunteers jump at the chance of working with your organization? Here’s a list of the top 7 things you can do:

Example of a great volunteer page CLICK HERE

1:  Make it easy for volunteers to find your opportunities

• Ensure volunteer opportunities are prominently featured on your homepage for easy access.
• Cross-promote them across various sections of your website to increase visibility
• Ensure your search function pulls up your opportunities.
• Add your volunteer positions to Volunteer Match and Catch a Fire.

2:  Your volunteer opportunities should have easy-to-use forms.

• Simplify the process of filling out and submitting forms for potential volunteers.
• Streamline the form layout and minimize unnecessary fields to enhance usability.
• If your website doesn’t have built-in forms, we recommend either Type Form or  Jot Form. 
• Your CRM might have form-building capabilities but what we like about the two mentioned above is their ability to integrate them into WordPress.

3:  Flexible Orientation Options:

• Offer a range of orientation times to accommodate the schedules of full-time working volunteers.
• Provide options for both weekday evenings and weekends to maximize accessibility.

4:  Compelling Video Testimonials: Have video stories of your volunteers.  A picture speaks 1000 words a video speaks a million.  This also gives people a great idea of what they can expect when volunteering for you.  It is a great idea to add your impact statistics to these pages so people realize what they can accomplish.

• stories of your volunteers to provide a more immersive experience.
• Utilize testimonials to showcase the impact of volunteering and inspire others to get involved.

5:  Corporate Volunteerism Initiatives: 

Example of a great Corporate Volunteer Page

• • Stand out by offering corporate volunteerism opportunities to businesses.
  • Position these initiatives as team-building experiences, fostering camaraderie and community engagement.
  • Include sponsorship packages to attract corporate partners and support your organization’s mission.

6:  Detailed Volunteer Opportunity Information on Your Website:

• • Ensure your website provides comprehensive details and requirements for each volunteer role.
  • Clearly outline the responsibilities, time commitments, and any necessary qualifications.
  • This ensures potential volunteers can make informed decisions and find the best match for their skills and interests.

7:  Volunteer opportunities  should be easy to understand

• • Orientation:  A perfect time to educate your volunteers about your mission, values, and additional expectations
  • Detail boundaries:  What does that mean? What can a volunteer say and do in your name and what they can say about you during their tenure as a volunteer
  • Outline exactly what they are doing, what their responsibility is, and the days of the week.
  • Ensure there is a clear communications policy — how they can communicate with you.
  • Outline your social media policy when they speak about your organization
  • Have a list of expectations and responsibilities.
  • Recognize and appreciate!  How you do that is up to your organization but it is extremely important.

Advertising your volunteer opportunities*

If your website isn’t enough to drive more people to your volunteer opportunities, here are some ideas to get the word out:

• Volunteer Match
• Catch a Fire
• Points of Light
• Create the Good
• Doing Good Together
• Do something
• Idealist

We hope that this article has been helpful to you.  We Are Immediate offers many services to non-profits.  Click here to see them all.  If you would like a pro-bono consultation, please contact us.  We look forward to hearing from you!

*Please note that this is a partial list of databases that offer volunteer opportunities.  A search may uncover more ideas in your local area.