We get absolutely jazzed when leaders come to us because their organization has set a volunteer goal for a year or multiple years. It’s so fun. We find that big goals engage people that aren’t your regular volunteers which otherwise can be hard to do. These big team or group volunteer goals tend to inspire a lot of people and make a huge impact on the community.
Leaders come to us because they are looking for a volunteer management solution to help them stay organized and to help them track hours. After supporting several organizations (churches, schools, communities, nonprofits, companies, alumni groups, fraternities, sororities etc. ) we’ve put together seven tips to help you achieve your group volunteer goal.
1
Don’t just rely on the one big event. Big events are awesome – especially as a kick off event – but be sure to partner with nonprofits and ask them how they need support or if there are projects your volunteers can help with. Also encourage members to volunteer on their own or share opportunities that they think would be good for the group. Having volunteers lead opportunities is extremely empowering and effective.
“Helper Helper has made a huge impact on the volunteer participation in the missions department at First Baptist Trussville. When we started, we were heading into our 200th year as a congregation. We wanted a way to increase participation and easily present opportunities that people may not know existed. We have seen an across the board increase in involvement with the 25 ministries we work with.
2
Communicate Regularly with all participants. Make sure as you plan events to communicate out who, what, when, where and why. The more individuals know the more comfortable they are dedicating time to attend. Consider using email, text, social median and app notifications to get in front of your team.
3
Slow and steady wins the race. When it comes to volunteering each individual is finding something that makes sense for them. Maybe people like to volunteer with their friends or maybe they are exploring different nonprofits to see what types of serving brings them the most joy. For a lot of new volunteers it’s important to keep the barriers to entry for the first few events low. Then, once a volunteer finds an organization/event they love – they won’t be able to help but spend more time there. Mostly, plan for volunteer engagement to increase over time… it takes testing the waters with volunteering to get hooked.
We have used Helper Helper to promote and recruit volunteers for major events, weekly serving opportunities and donation drives. After the initial learning curve of the new program, the almost 400 people that are using it love to see where they can serve next.
4
Keep the big picture in mind – we’re here to help others. We have clients that come to us that get concerned about tracking hours. Because ultimately the hour goals are just there because the organization wants to make a meaningful impact. Sharing anecdotes from the community and your volunteers helps you center your efforts around impact and not hours.
5
Regularly share progress. With the big picture in mind, understand that hours are still a really good metric that people understand and get motivated by. If your goal is to make a powerful impact that’s wonderful. If your goal is also to engage more people in service, keep in mind that goals that can easily be tracked are a big motivator for people and can ultimately bring your community of volunteers together.
The communication with my volunteers through a short email message has proven valuable in the rare instance that we have to change or cancel something. I really can’t see how we functioned without Helper Helper for so long! I love it!”
6
Shoot beyond your goal. Most clients offer events to their volunteers and also hope that volunteers go out in the community and find their own events. If you’re planning events add in more events than you may need. Sometimes events get canceled and you don’t want to be scrambling at the end to find another way to get in hours to meet your goal.
7
Celebrate the win! Too often we reach a goal and quickly move on to what’s next. Be sure to take time to celebrate and recognize the impact you and your team made in the community. As a volunteer when you feel part of an impact that was bigger than yourself your likelihood to participate in the future is that much greater.
If you have more questions about how to set a group volunteer goal and achieve specific impact outcomes please reach out to us at info@helperhelper.com. We’d love to help you create and achieve your volunteer goals!