Why Are Volunteers So Valuable to Nonprofits?
It is easy for nonprofits to get so caught up in trying to accomplish the mission of the organization and neglect to bring on volunteers to help advance the cause. Given that most nonprofits have limited staff, volunteers can play a pivotal role in growing and helping the organization. Volunteers not only are helpful by creating relief for staff members, but they can also help save the organization money by giving their time in place of financial compensation.
Here are two reasons why all nonprofit organizations should increase their volunteer base:
- Volunteers Help Nonprofits Save Money and Increase Donations. Getting volunteers to help you out with a project or a job for you in the office or on the ground will help you greatly reduce the costs of running the organization. Having volunteers helps you save money because it prevents having to hire staff salary and benefits while also creating momentum in the community for your mission. Ultimately, even if volunteers are not staff members, their value is just as high of one because they believe in the cause so much that they are willing to serve without compensation. Volunteers not only save you time and effort but also make fantastic donor prospects. It is easy to convert volunteers to donors by simply giving them some kind of encouragement. Volunteers who donate lots of money to charity organizations are in fact very committed to the causes that they work for. Prioritize valuing volunteers and warming them up as prospective donors.
- Volunteers Improve Organizational Visibility and Impact. Having volunteers help out can greatly improve your organization’s capacity to fulfill its mission. If people see that the volunteers who work for your organization are acknowledged and respected, this can encourage others to volunteer as well. This kind of networking leads to more people impacting their community through awareness. Likewise, having volunteers on the ground can help you accomplish more tasks and expand the programs that you are offering. Helping others by recruiting volunteers or having them work on the streets helps you accomplish more tasks. Volunteers can support your mission by allowing you to connect with many new individuals and develop relationships with their families. This will allow you to better serve your beneficiaries and gain their trust.
Volunteering is about multiplying impact. Volunteers help out in many different capacities: they help out with things like helping homeless children or serving as their interpreters, doing research or writing grant proposals, or attending events or assisting with fundraising. The diverse skill sets of volunteers allow your impact to increase its impact without hindering the financial bottom line.
In order to track and add value to your volunteers, leverage a tool like MyVolunteers. MyVolunteers is an effective and affordable volunteer management system that will allow your organization to track volunteer information, volunteer hours, and communications. 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.
* * * * *
Source: https://donorbox.org/nonprofit-blog/nonprofit-volunteers