“Your volunteers are one of the most valuable assets in fundraising for your organization—or they should be!”

By: Jocelyn R. Edwards

Beginning a good relationship with your volunteers doesn’t have to take a lot of effort. When working with a non-profit organization, a simple smile can be worth a million dollars, and just might be. Volunteers are the heart and soul of your organization. Without them a day would not run as smoothly, the number of people affected by their work would decrease and the contacts they bring to your organization through networking would be diminished.

How can you make sure you will retain your volunteers? Appreciation, appreciation, appreciation! It is easy to overlook volunteers. We tend to focus our attention on achieving our mission and raising cash and in-kind donations that we can easily forget the value of the donation of people’s time and talents. Remember, time is our most valuable asset. Many volunteers feel overworked and underappreciated while others feel underutilized. How do your volunteers feel? What are they getting from their involvement with your organization? What is the organization getting from their involvement? The relationship should be mutually beneficial.

Acknowledging the efforts and skills of your volunteers can be as simple as saying “thank you.” You would be surprised how many volunteers go un-thanked in the non-profit world. A thank you is greatly appreciated whether it is oral or handwritten or just communicated with a smile and a look of appreciation. However, you should always thank your volunteers each time you have contact with them.

Think of a volunteer as a referral for your organization. When you do not take the time to thank them for all of their help you could be creating a bad referral, which could, over time, reflect on your bottom line. And remember, there are lots of other organizations competing for their time and attention.

Besides a “thank you,” another idea to make your volunteers feel appreciated is to create a volunteer bulletin board. Post pictures of your volunteers with their names and a short caption under each picture. (Don’t forget your Board of Directors—they’re volunteers too!) Then, periodically, feature a “star” volunteer where one volunteer is recognized with a little, one-paragraph write-up. The paragraph should include what they have done for your organization as well as some entertaining or significant facts about the person. By doing this, you and your staff can learn more about each volunteer.

Don’t forget to utilize another resource you have at your disposal—your newsletter. This valuable communication tool provides a great opportunity to recognize your volunteers. If you don’t already have a section dedicated to your volunteers in your newsletter, you should add a section called “Volunteer Corner.” This is where you will recognize one or more outstanding volunteers who have made a difference in your organization.

If you don’t have a newsletter, you might use a community resource available to everyone—your local newspaper. Contact your paper to see if they would donate a spot periodically to recognize a volunteer from your non-profit organization. You can include the wording, “This spot sponsored by the ABC Newspaper” at the end of the article. Then the newspaper, your nonprofit organization and volunteer gets the recognition they deserve. Think about how many people read the newspaper. These individuals could become future volunteers or, better yet, donors.

Creating a personal relationship with your volunteers creates volunteer loyalty. Volunteer loyalty is much like customer loyalty. Without customers, your company will not be successful; without volunteers, your organization may not be successful. People tend to volunteer with an organization because it is a cause dear to their hearts and they enjoy socializing with others in the organization. If your volunteers feel underappreciated and there is another organization in your community of a similar nature, where is their loyalty going to be? Are you at the top of their list or at the bottom? Take a moment out of your day to say hello, smile or write a personal note to sustain volunteer loyalty within your organization.

Happy volunteers will help your non-profit prosper. These are only a few suggestions of how to keep your volunteers happy. Remember, it is a small world, and your volunteers can connect you with other individuals who can have a tremendous effect on your organization. Let this springtime bring about a blossoming of appreciation for your volunteers.

Jocelyn R. Edwards was formerly Director of Communications at Custom Development Solutions, Inc. (CDS). CDS is one of North America's most sought after fundraising consulting firms specializing in the strategic planning and tactical execution of capital campaigns for non-profits throughout the United States and Canada. More information on CDS can be found on the web at www.cdsfunds.com. If you have a fundraising question, please call 800-761-3833 or send an email to lcs@cdsfunds.com.