Fundraising isn’t always about money. According to Lynn Margherio, founder and CEO of Cradles to Crayons, volunteerism is the backbone of many successful nonprofits, even though attracting and retaining volunteers can be challenging. 

Mobilizing your volunteers can also have a financial impact. Here are five ideas to make that happen:

* Share “giving recipes” to spark creative volunteerism. Sometimes people want to support a local nonprofit, but they don’t know where to start. Margherio suggests outlining different volunteer/giving opportunities that she calls “Giving Recipes,” from hosting a clothing drive as part of a celebratory occasion or birthday party to setting up a community donation drop-off.

* Make it easy for people to volunteer. Create a seamless experience on your website for volunteer sign-ups and information; check out how C2C simplifies the process for volunteers: https://bit.ly/4gWq9uw

* Include young volunteers whenever possible. Kids emulate behavior, so introducing kids to volunteerism at an early age is instrumental to creating future generations of volunteers. Think about how to get kids involved in your organization, even if you sponsor one “kid’s day” event a year. C2C accepts volunteers as young as age 5.

Very few organizations offer this, providing caretakers who volunteer more flexibility by bringing kids along. C2C has also created a program specifically for teens, called the “Teen Leadership Corps,” which offers not only hands-on service opportunities but the chance to learn real-world leadership skills, according to Margherio.

* Elevate top volunteers. Every organization has at least a handful of rockstar volunteers who go above and beyond. Recognize them. Implement a special recognition system to honor top volunteers and keep them motivated or offer them more opportunities to shine. C2C created the “Champion Corps” for committed volunteers who want to deepen their involvement beyond typical volunteer shifts. Fully invested volunteers are priceless to a nonprofit organization.

* Share the finished product with volunteers. People take pride in their work, so don’t forget to share your successes with volunteers. If volunteers contribute to making something during their shift, take photos of the finished product and post them on your website. C2C’s Quality = Dignity vision ensures that beneficiaries receive quality items free of rips, tears and stains, requiring volunteers to take careful consideration when sorting through donated items. 

According to Margherio, volunteers can directly see the impact of their service at the end of every shift — the number of kid packs and the number of sorted clothing bins that will be distributed.

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Source From Non Profit Times