“[It] is really important ensuring that your volunteers are…properly stewarded. They are donors of your organization.” – community foundation executive
Research shows that people who volunteer are more likely to make financial donations than those who do not volunteer. Many of them donate to the nonprofits where they serve. Yet, nonprofits often treat volunteers and donors differently. It’s a practice that can lead to missed opportunities. It also is one of the reasons that funders supported six nonprofits with training and coaching through the Strategic Volunteer Engagement (SVE) Project in Arizona.
Challenges in Volunteer and Donor Engagement Integration
Part of the challenge in engaging donors as volunteers and vice versa is that there tend to be separate staff, engagement strategies, and technology systems assigned to each group. None of the six nonprofits in the cohort, for example, could pull a report that showed the overlap between donors and volunteers. They had no easy way of determining how much money volunteers had contributed to the agency. It took several steps across systems to sort out which donors had participated as volunteers. As a result, it made it difficult to tailor communication to these supporters or honor the multiple ways they contributed.
Aligning Volunteer and Donor Engagement Strategies
While the nonprofits explored solutions to address the technology barriers, they worked with SVE consultants to identify other ways to integrate volunteer and donor engagement. One nonprofit supporting LGBTQ youth worked with many companies and Employee Resource Groups as volunteers. They started researching and tracking which companies offered financial grants to match employees’ volunteer time or provided paid time off to serve with a nonprofit beyond the initial company engagement. Having this list made it easier to educate individual and group volunteers about the potential for support from their employers. Next, they added a widget to their website that allowed volunteers and donors to see if matching gifts were available for financial donations. Finally, they introduced a brief invitation to volunteer social gatherings to be part of their monthly giving program.
A youth arts organization realized that its processes for bringing in corporate volunteer groups were inconsistent because of collaboration issues between the development and program departments, which did not lead to quality volunteer (or staff) experiences. They charted a new process flow for working with corporate groups. Now, there is clarity about key points of contact and hand-offs between departments that lead to a smoother group volunteer experience. It also improves communication about additional ways to contribute, such as the company making a financial donation or employees coming back to volunteer on their own time.
The leadership team combined this improved process flow with more intentional sharing of volunteer impact. Now funders and volunteers are more aware of the outcomes of their staff-volunteer partnership.
The purpose of these strategies is not to pressure people into giving. Rather, it acknowledges that people who are involved with a nonprofit in one way are often interested in other opportunities to show their support. Enhanced awareness paired with authentic invitations creates pathways for deeper engagement for those who are ready.
Cultivating Engagement, Cultivating Trust
Providing opportunities for community members to get involved directly with nonprofits is an important strategy for building trust. In fact, Independent Sector’s 2024 report on trust in the nonprofit sector found that 79% of Americans who volunteer say their experience made them view nonprofits more favorably. Trust also is a key factor in whether people will give money to nonprofits. These links between giving and trust show how important it is to create positive engagement experiences for donors and volunteers alike.
As nonprofits face increasing attacks on their integrity, it is crucial for the sector to help community members experience their mission in positive ways. Engaging the community well as donors and volunteers provides a powerful strategy to demonstrate transparency, cultivate trust, and build connections that sustain the mission for the future.
Sue Carter Kahl, PhD is President of Sue Carter Kahl Consulting. Her work helps bridge the gap between research and practice in volunteer engagement.
Photo credit: Nattanan Kanchanapray from Pixabay
