❖ Heads up! This article is intended for Site Managers. If you're a Program Facilitator looking for more information about how to review your programs, click here!
Volunteer engagement on your site is essential for your organization to meet its goals and mission! So, how do you increase and promote engagement? While there's no one-size-fits-all solution to this matter, we do have a few suggestions for best practices that we have seen work for others!
Communication!
One great way to increase engagement and promote your site is through communication! Your site sends automated notifications to volunteers when certain actions take place. But you can also send email blasts whenever you want and interact with them on social media! Here are a few best practices for promoting engagement on your site:
- Send an email blast once a month to your volunteers and consider including some of the following:
- Upcoming volunteer opportunities
- Organizational updates and reminders
- Fundraising goals and progress
- Volunteer stories and spotlights
- Personal thank yous and messages of appreciation
- Calls to action to get involved
- Build a social media presence
- Post regularly
- Interact with volunteers
- Share your social media handles in communications
- Focus on one or two social media platforms while building your presence
ⓘ So you know: We created some fun templates that you can use to make your own social media announcements!
Share
One thing you can do is always think like a marketer! This means ensuring you reach your targeted audience through targeted advertisements. In this case, sharing your site and Opportunities with your community on social media, in newsletters, through email, print media, word of mouth, etc. Some of your best advocates are your volunteers. Already got a dedicated community of volunteers? You can see if they'd share their experiences through the social media "grapevine".
Highlight your volunteer impact
You can create Volunteer Impact Pages (VIPs) that are either shared publicly or privately to highlight the great work your volunteers are doing for the community. This is a great way to boost engagement because you can spotlight your top volunteers and award them with kudos for all that they do for your organization, your programs, and your community. If there's one way to motivate a crowd, it's through accolades and proof that what they're doing is making a difference. 