How to Increase Involvement in Your Volunteer Group

Following is a transcript from this episode of the Two Minute Treasurer’s Podcast.

Welcome to the Two-Minute Treasurer’s Tip Podcast. I’m your host Cyndi Meuchel with MoneyMinder where we’re hoping to make your life as a volunteer easier.

Cathy asks if we have any tips for increasing involvement in her group? She notes it seems the same 3 people volunteer & do everything.

I think that’s the million-dollar question for most small volunteer run nonprofits. The beauty of having a small group is that it’s easier to make decisions and take action. The downside is that usually means there are only a handful of people doing everything.

One of the things I routinely hear, and personally found super helpful, is to clearly identify where & what you need help with. For example, it’s different if you just need someone to help out at an event for a couple of hours, as opposed to filling a vacant board position for the next 2-years. Clearly identifying the job description along with offering several opportunities will go a long ways.

Some of the places I’ve found helpful in locating volunteers is via our social media channels. If they’re already following you, it’s pretty likely they have some sort of investment in your group and what you do. So they might be more than willing to step up.

You might also ask your existing network of volunteers who they know who might be interested in helping out. For example, if you’re a parent group, you could ask teachers what parents might want to volunteer. Or, if you’re with a sports group, you might ask the players if they have an interest or if they know someone who
would be a good fit.

The more clearly you spell out the things you need help with, the more easily your prospective volunteer can tell what’s a good fit for their skills & schedule.

That’s it for today! Be sure to click the subscribe button to get new episodes automatically. And if you have a question, email it to me at [email protected] so I can address it in a future podcast. My name is Cyndi Meuchel and this is your Two-Minute Treasurer’s Tip for today.