Creating Nonprofit ‘Go To’ Volunteers!

The importance of volunteers in your nonprofit’s ecosystem with specific actionable insights for organizations to better manage and nurture their volunteers. An informative chat with Jared Throneberry from Bloomerang. By valuing volunteers’ contributions and strategically engaging them, nonprofits can build a loyal and motivated volunteer base that is crucial for their success.

Jared shares his unique journey from an IT and business analyst background to his current role at Bloomerang, and shares his insights into volunteer management highlighting the need for strategic engagement and thoughtful placement of volunteers.

One key Jared emphasizes is the importance of matching the right volunteer with the right task. He illustrates this with an example from his experience: “If a volunteer doesn’t feel like they’re being useful or helpful in a particular area, it’s probably because that’s the thing they don’t need to be doing. You need to find the other person who enjoys that, that will enjoy and appreciate it.” This approach ensures that tasks are completed efficiently and fosters a sense of fulfillment and purpose among volunteers, plus it encourages them to return and remain engaged.

With host Julia Patrick, the two dig into the often-overlooked aspect of treating volunteers with the same respect and appreciation as donors. Jared notes, “Thank you for donating your time and your energy. You’re helping to support our mission.” This mindset shift from seeing volunteers as free labor to recognizing them as integral parts of the mission is vital for building long-term relationships and encouraging repeat volunteerism.

Continuing, Jared shares practical strategies for engaging volunteers, such as providing impactful feedback and showing appreciation through follow-up communication. He recounts a memorable volunteering experience with a customer who provided shower systems for homeless populations. The experience was enriched by a pre-volunteering briefing that detailed the mission and impact of the work, followed by hands-on, gritty tasks like cleaning showers. Despite the nature of the work, the thorough orientation and clear communication of the mission made it a fulfilling experience for Jared and his colleagues.

Julia highlights the parallel between customer retention in the business world and volunteer retention in nonprofits. Just as restaurants thrive on repeat customers, nonprofits must cultivate long-term relationships with volunteers. Jared suggested simple yet effective practices like sending personalized follow-up surveys and sharing the tangible impacts of volunteer efforts to keep the engagement strong. If your nonprofit finds volunteer support and management challenging, this is a great primer for you!!!