Volunteers are some of your most loyal supporters. They know that you need their help, and they are willing to give their time to help you. Volunteers are genuinely concerned that your cause needs their help, and they are willing to help you meet that need. Volunteers are already committed supporters of your organization, and if you ask them to contribute financially, they will remember that they have already donated a highly valuable asset: their time. People spend an average of $23 per hour volunteering their time to nonprofit causes. When you ask volunteers to give generously, they’ll remember that they already contributed a great deal of time and energy to your cause. Here are three reasons why your volunteers can turn into your strongest donor base:

1. Volunteers already know what your cause is about, so they should be able to help you in making a monetary contribution to it.

No matter how long you have been fundraising, getting new donors to buy in is a difficult task. Telling compelling stories is among the most difficult aspects of donor cultivation. However, you do not have to “sell” your organization’s story to your volunteers, because they have experiences that speak to your impact. By asking volunteers to contribute a monetary gift to your cause, you show that you trust them.

Some of your volunteers may never give a monetary gift to your cause, but they know what your cause is about. If you ask volunteers to make a donation, you won’t have to spend time and money advertising to get people to donate to your cause. When you ask volunteers to give a monetary donation to your organization, you are able to start a meaningful conversation about the help that you need from them and how they can take the next step in advancing your organization’s mission.

2. Volunteers already give their time to help you accomplish great things.

Because volunteers are already giving your cause their time – it will not be very difficult to ask volunteers to donate a monetary donation to your cause. Ben Franklin wrote about this in his autobiography. He states: “He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged”. It is a common psychological concept that says that volunteers who do favors for you are highly likely to do another favor for you.

Volunteers know what you are looking for, and are willing to help in some small way but also may be ready to grow their commitment. By asking your volunteers to make a donation, the likelihood they will give is higher than a new donor because they have already contributed to the cause that they support through volunteering their time. People will be willing to give a monetary donation to your cause as a result of them already having generously given their time and money to your cause.

3. Volunteers genuinely want to see your cause succeed.

You rely on volunteers to help you every day to achieve your mission. Don’t be afraid to ask them to help you in a big way. If you have volunteers, try to ask them to help you in a different way – by donating their money to your cause. Volunteers are very willing to give their time and money to your cause if it helps them in some way. Maybe they will wait until you ask them to do it. Volunteers are very generous and are willing to help you in a big way. If you ask them, they will most likely help you in some way.

Some volunteers simply want to show that they support your organization by saying a thank you for your organization’s impact via donation. Volunteers have great potential to contribute generously through monetary donations because they believe in your organization. In the same way that you target communication to donors you hope to retain, you should target communication to volunteers about how taking this next step in generosity can even further their ability to advance the organization. Volunteers are not just volunteers; they are community members and are a part of the people who serve you.

If you’re looking for more insights to help you connect with your volunteers, check out MyVolunteers. MyVolunteers is part of MyCommunity, which exists to build relationships and tools that equip organizations so that they can maximize their impact. Our suite of tools is designed to help organizations of all sizes focus on their mission without worrying about the logistics. We understand the importance of building strong relationships, so we provide the necessary tools to maximize impact and make a difference like our easy-to-use platforms MyDonors and MyVolunteers. Likewise, MyNonprofitCoach equips nonprofits with the training they need to be successful. Schedule a demo for any of our solutions here.

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Source: https://thefundraisingauthority.com/fundraising-ideas/volunteers-as-donors/