This is the time of year when volunteer coordinators are hoping for a miracle. End-of-year budgets are tight, staff may be burnt out –all while community needs mount during the holidays.  

This time of year, there’s a lot of talk about annual giving and donating dollars to support the causes you care about, but —like we’ve done in the past— we’re collaborating with U.S. Bank to promote giving time through volunteering.

Earlier this year, I shared one of my Hot Takes – an opinion or idea that is meant to be thought provoking. My Hot Take was about the value of a volunteer hour and how I don’t think we talk enough about how all volunteer hours are not equally valuable.

Volunteering: The Gift That Gives Back

Q: Can you tell us about yourself and your organization, Crisis Text Line?

A: Yes. Thank you. I have been the CEO of Crisis Text Line for three years, and it's truly been a privilege to lead such an extraordinary organization that provides free and accessible mental health support through text messages.

Your nonprofit relies on a loyal and dedicated group of volunteers to push your initiatives forward. In addition to recruiting volunteers from the community, you can benefit from the support of skilled corporate volunteers. Corporate volunteers are an especially valuable asset because of their professional backgrounds and technical expertise, which can be used to help your nonprofit with everything from web development to organizing your financial records. 

Any nonprofit professional will agree that the strongest volunteer bases are those who not only connect with the nonprofit’s work, but with each other as well. This positions your sorority or fraternity’s alumni community to excel as a volunteering unit.

You know that the right volunteer can mean a world of difference in moving your mission forward. With a VolunteerMatch Standard Membership, you have the ability to recruit from the world’s largest network of volunteers and, when you upgrade to Pro, you unlock a whole new level of benefits to ensure you’re connecting with the right ones. 

If you’re looking to make the most of your VolunteerMatch account, you should check out our Pro Membership. We’re changing up some things and adding new tools and benefits. We’ll be sharing more over the Summer, but we’re excited to share this update now. 

VolunteerMatch is committed to always offering a free Standard Membership and we’ll be updating those tools as well. But, if you want to invest in your online recruitment we’re now offering more to help you find the volunteers you need!

Volunteers form the backbone of your nonprofit. From supporting your events and activities to running programs behind the scenes, your volunteers help bring your mission to life and drive tangible change in the community that you serve.

Running a hybrid event involves a lot of moving parts. You’ll need to create an engaging experience for both an in-person and remote audience, which requires getting the right tools in order, planning out engagement paths for both groups, and seamlessly processing incoming donations. With so much to manage, your nonprofit needs a full team of volunteers ready to tackle projects and promote your success.