How to Get Volunteers More Engaged Post-Covid

While many tried-and-true methods of engaging volunteers are still valid, revisiting your organisation’s tactics and strategies post-Covid is essential. A lot has changed over a relatively short time, including people’s hopes and expectations for volunteer opportunities.

Authored by: iClick2Learn Team

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How to Get Volunteers More Engaged Post-Covid

During the pandemic, many volunteers stopped volunteering. Most people were trying to limit how often they went out. They were also trying to keep their social circles small. As a result, the number of available volunteers has dropped.

A lot has changed since the pandemic. Volunteers have different needs and expect different things. Your organisation can increase its volunteer team by learning to engage and connect in new ways.

Engage Young Volunteers

Many organisations have older volunteers. But during and after Covid, older individuals might not feel safe in groups of people. One way to engage volunteers post-Covid is by ensuring your organisation is as safe as possible.

Another way to keep your organisation strong is by attracting young volunteers. Young people might feel more comfortable getting out and being around groups.

Keep the following in mind when bringing in young volunteers:

They’re looking for active social media pages and a good website
They want flexible and or from-home options
They may be in school and or have a job, so they can’t always give a lot of time
They want to know why their work matters
They want to connect with your mission and vision
They need encouragement and recognition

If you are new to working with young volunteers, give it time. Once you get to know them, you can start to understand their needs. You’ll also begin to learn how valuable they are.

Youth volunteers have a lot of energy and will often invite friends and family members to help. They like to share volunteer information on social media, which can bring new people to your organisation.

Make Volunteering Easier

All over the world, fewer people are volunteering. The ones that are volunteering are giving fewer hours. Organisations that depend on volunteers are struggling to keep up.

If you make volunteering easy, you are more likely to engage new people. You might think volunteering for your organisation is simple because you are already part of it.

But think about how people find your organisation and sign up to volunteer. Is your organisation easy to find online? Is sign-up fast and simple?

Consider the following:

Do you have at-home volunteer opportunities?
Is your website professional and clear?
Do you respond to messages on time?
Are you willing to have interviews with Zoom or Skype?
Do your website and social media pages welcome all kinds of people?
Do your website and social media pages use simple language?
Do you offer a variety of tasks: longer hours, shorter hours, in-person, at-home, etc.?
Do you have openings for volunteers who don’t have much time?

The easier it is to volunteer, the more people you will attract. There are many places to volunteer, so your organisation needs to stand out. One of the best ways you can do that is by having a simple sign-up process.

Another way to make the decision easy is to explain your values and mission. This way, volunteers can know if they are a good match. People who share your values are more likely to sign up and stay engaged long-term.

Give Volunteers the Support They Need

Signing up to volunteer is exciting. But what about the next steps? Once a new volunteer gets started, they need ongoing support. Without someone helping them, new volunteers can feel lost and left out.

If new volunteers feel supported, they will stick around. That’s why training is so important. New volunteers want to be prepared for the work ahead. When their job and duties are clear, volunteers can work with confidence.

Make sure all volunteers feel good about asking questions and getting help. This is especially important for new people. If you make them feel like asking questions is a good thing, volunteers will learn faster and do a better job.

Conclusion

Your organisation might have in-person volunteers, at-home volunteers, or both. No matter where your volunteers are, you can take steps to keep them engaged.

You can keep volunteers engaged through:

Regular social media posts where you reply to people and interact
Emails and texts that keep volunteers in-the-know
Phone calls for people who don’t have email or text
Online training, video messages, and more about your mission and vision
Repeat your vision, goals, and mission regularly
Praise hard work and successes
Make expectations and responsibilities clear
Encourage communication, questions, and feedback

For your organisation to succeed, you need to keep volunteers engaged. Post-Covid, that means trying new methods. The best part about trying new things is finding what works for your organisation.

Learning and growing are exciting because you have more chances to serve your community. When your volunteer force is engaged, they’re happier and more hopeful. As a result, they’ll stick around longer. They might even bring friends and family to help you reach your goals.

Now is the perfect time to think about new ways of engaging volunteers. Our Volunteer Engagement Checklist is a great place to start!