Volunteer Today is looking for one or more authors to write about technical issues, computer or otherwise, in the volunteer management world. If you are interested in contributing or know someone who is, please contact our managing editor Nancy Macduff at: editor@volunteertoday.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
This month's articles are provided by Nancy Macduff.
Recruiting Volunteers and
Donors Online
Writer Needed for “Tech Tips” Page
Right and left there are people and companies urging nonprofits, NGO's, and volunteer programs to recruit online or seek donations. There are software programs for sale, experts quick to sell advice, and pressure from the public to have more and more information online. A recent article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy (March 22, 2007) reviewed some basics to consider when pushing forward on online recruiting or fundraising. This list of recommendations is adapted from that article.
- Check your technology - You
need to ensure that you have the basic technologies in place to manage
large databases, take applications online, and have automated responses.
Time to chat with the IT person in your organization.
- Start with a small project -
Begin with a small in house project that provides the opportunity
to interact with the target audience. As an example, if you want to
recruit volunteers, begin with information on MySpace that provides
personal information (volunteer to potential volunteer) about the
work and joys of serving. Use it only as a way to allow people to
gather more information. This interactivity can give you an idea of
how a larger project might fare.
- Build personal relationships
- Volunteers who are seeking information online are likely to respond
to the organization that develops a relationship with them BEFORE
they complete the application and commit! Train volunteers on the
Volunteer Recruiting team to be "first responders." He/she
can answer questions of the potential volunteer and begin building
that relationship. There should always be a mix of online and off
line communication with volunteers and/or donors, that continues into
the time of the service or donation the person provides.
- Create control - A donor should
be able to give online - completely. A volunteer should be able to
complete all the paper work necessary to start. For volunteers, some
rudimentary training can occur online as well. The online audience
needs to feel like he/she is in control, because that is what happens
on other sites. It is an expectation. If you cannot do that with the
software currently available, maybe you are not ready to go online
with recruiting and donations.
- Make it simple - Often people who recruit put all the ifs and buts into the "pitch" when it is in person. The online environment requires simplicity. What is your message? "We need volunteers to flip hamburgers for a fund raiser on August 22." That is the message. You can get into the food handlers card, grilling experience, and the like once the person expresses interest. The simple message is especially key in raising money. Pick a single project or service, easily understood for the message to raise money. An example of this is the United Nation's campaign "Nothing But Nets." For $10.00, a person provides the money to buy mosquito netting for an African family. A clear, simple message.
Tech Tips is the page to share information on everything
from how to use Excel to developing "telephone trees." A writer
with an interest in anything from online volunteering to creating donor
databases would make a good writer for this page. Are you interested?
If so, please contact the editor of Volunteer Today at: editor@volunteertoday.com.
A Service of MBA
Publishing-A subsidiary of Macduff/Bunt Associates All materials copyright
protected ©2006
925 "E" Street Walla Walla, WA 99362 (509) 529-0244 FAX: (509) 529-8865
EMAIL: editor@volunteertoday.com
The content of all linked sites are beyond the
control Volunteer Today and the newsletter assumes no responsibility for their
content.