Make recruiting volunteers a community affair

For many people, autumn is a time to start fresh. Kids are back in school and adults may have more time to pursue new hobbies and interests before the rush of the holiday season. So if your nonprofit could use some helping hands, now’s a good time to recruit volunteers from your community. Consider these best practices.

Get to know your neighbors

Is your nonprofit familiar to businesses, residents and schools in the surrounding community? People often are drawn to volunteer because they learn of a worthwhile organization that’s located close to where they live or work.

Get to know your neighbors by performing an inventory of the surrounding area. Perhaps there’s a large apartment building you’ve never paid much attention to. Consider the people who live there to be potential volunteers. Likewise, if there’s an office building nearby, learn about the businesses that occupy it. Their employees might have skills, such as website design or bookkeeping experience, that perfectly match your needs.

Once you’ve identified outreach targets, mail or hand-deliver literature introducing your nonprofit as a neighbor and describing volunteer opportunities. Consider inviting your neighbors to a celebration or informational open house at your facility. And if you haven’t already, join local Facebook groups and set up a Nextdoor.com page.

Inspire community members

By making your pitches as informative and compelling as possible, you’re more likely to inspire potential volunteers to action. Specifically, explain the types of volunteer jobs currently available, the skills most in demand and the times when volunteers are needed. Don’t forget to emphasize the rewards of volunteering — and warn about possible challenges your volunteers may encounter.

When possible, incorporate photographs of actual volunteers at work, along with their testimonials. You can make it easy for people to take the next step by including a phone number or directing them to your website or social media accounts for more information and a volunteer application.

Ask stakeholders to wield influence

Develop a system to keep your stakeholders informed of your volunteer needs. Major donors, board members and active volunteers often are influential in their communities, so a request from them may be more likely to get people’s attention.

Stakeholders may even frame a request for assistance in the form of a challenge. For example, leaders might contribute a day of volunteer service and challenge employees of their companies or members of their social organizations to do the same.

Holiday season opportunities

As autumn gives way to the holiday season, keep up your recruiting efforts. Many people like to volunteer — particularly as a family or group of friends — during the giving season. Volunteer-supported events enable nonprofits to educate the community about their missions, programs and long-term volunteer needs. These are opportunities to turn one-off participants into lasting supporters.

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