Your volunteer program powers your initiatives, fundraisers, and outreach campaigns. Whether they’re professionals providing a skill-based service or members of your community performing routine tasks, volunteers want to work with nonprofits that have organized, impactful volunteer programs. 

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. 

You can make a meaningful difference in relieving the effects of natural disasters, whether it be through donations, volunteerism, or advocacy. When looking for ways to contribute before, during, and after natural disasters, consider how you can maximize impact by working with others! Here are 4 ways to support disaster relief efforts today:

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. This list offers a few ways to delve deeper into Black history and support a more equitable future.

Valentine’s Day is a great time to come together and celebrate love—and there are a lot more ways to do that than is typically associated with the holiday! Love is about expressing compassion, generosity, and kindness to others. That’s why we’re highlighting 7 ways to volunteer and put that love into action.

Every follower on your organization's social media is a potential volunteer—they just might not know it yet. Building and maintaining a social media presence, especially in a small organization, is not without its challenges. That is why we compiled 7 ways to level-up your social media strategy to recruit more volunteers:

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

Over the last couple of months I’ve been having some interesting conversations about the line between volunteers and paid staff. And, since it’s the start of a new year I thought it might be a good time to brush off those volunteer position descriptions and do a little risk management!

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.