Creating change requires a large network of people working together to get the job done. While your employees perform valuable mission-driven work every day, so do your volunteers! 

Your volunteers are a key part of your organization, and they deserve to be appreciated for all their enthusiasm and hard work. Most volunteers devote their time to a nonprofit because they’re motivated by the cause or interested in the organization’s work. To sustain that dedication and motivation, however, they need to feel appreciated.

Guest Contributor: Ira Horowitz

Whether they’re running a clothing drive, planting trees, or cleaning up after a natural disaster, volunteers make it possible for you to reach as many beneficiaries as possible with your mission. After doing the hard work of recruiting your volunteers, your organization should prioritize building relationships and retaining their support for the long term. 

SNAPkids is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children with disabilities by providing community-based swimming and fitness activities. By providing volunteers with a chance to work closely with our special swimmers, we open hearts, change attitudes and create more respectful, inclusive, and just communities. Learn more at: snapkids.org

Corporate volunteer programs offer an incredible opportunity for nonprofit organizations to partner with businesses to advance awareness of and raise money for their cause. A nonprofit liaison with a company creates a situation where everyone wins: the nonprofit gets the assistance it needs while the business benefits from building their brand and generating positive impressions throughout the community.

School on Wheels is an organization enhancing educational opportunities for children who are experiencing homelessness from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

• 1/3 of unhoused people are under the age of 18
• 1:20 children in CA don’t have homes
• 64% of children experiencing homelessness do not graduate high school

Guest post by Kelly Smith

As a nonprofit leader, you’re probably aware that volunteers are the heart and soul of your organization – it’s their smiles and hard work that move your cause forward. That’s why volunteer motivation is essential. Here are four smart ways to motivate volunteers:

Guest Post by Courtney Tull

“Volunteers Needed.” After seeing this ad pop-up on your social media page for the fifth time this month, you decide to give your favorite nonprofit a call, and get signed up to volunteer. Volunteer, to do what, exactly? The post was extremely vague, so you aren’t sure what you might volunteer to do. All you know is that you’re free every Monday and you believe in their mission.

Guest post by Ed Grocholski, Junior Achievement USA

November is National Entrepreneurship Month. It is a celebration of those visionaries who strike out on their own to start and build businesses that meet customer needs while benefiting the community as a whole.

Guest Post by Luisa Conlon, Director of Senior Prom

As we celebrate National LGBTQ+ History Month this October, we can work together to raise up the experiences and voices of our LGBTQ+ elders, and learn about the sacrifices so many of them made to get us here.

Guest post by Lesley J. Vos

Even the most devoted volunteers experience a lack of inspiration and motivation from time to time.

As a volunteer leader, it’s you who can change this. You can encourage your volunteers, engage and motivate them to grow, and become a source of inspiration!