4 Top Ways Your Volunteers Can Support Your Fundraising

Your nonprofit has ambitious goals, but you don’t have to pursue them all on your own. The volunteers in your community have a lot to offer, and chances are they’re more than happy to commit their time, skills, and energy to push your mission forward.

There are countless ways volunteers can provide value to your organization, including supporting your fundraising initiatives. In this guide, we’ll cover four top ways volunteers can help you raise more funds and build a strong donor base that you can count on for years to come.

1. Lend their skills to improve your giving process.

It’s no secret that to secure more donations, you need a convenient and streamlined giving process. The easier it is for donors to make a gift, the more likely they are to follow through when they’re inspired by your latest fundraising appeal.

If your volunteers have web or graphic design expertise, you can reach out to them to help enhance your donation page. Fundly recommends these basic improvements to start:

• Incorporate your logo and colors. Assure donors that their gifts will go directly to your organization by branding your donation page—including CTA buttons and visuals—to your nonprofit.

• Make it mobile-responsive. 96.5% of people access the internet using a mobile device. Allow donors to easily make a gift on their phones by using flexible grid layouts, scalable images, and buttons that are large enough to be tapped with a finger.

• Add alternative text to images. Alternative (alt) text refers to short text descriptions of the images you include in your online content. By adding alt text, you can ensure that people can still understand what the image represents, even if they’re using a screen reader or the image fails to load.

• Share suggested giving amounts. Some donors may decide they want to give to your nonprofit, but they might not yet have a specific gift amount in mind. Simplify their decision-making and encourage higher donations by including preset suggestions that donors can select with just one click.
• Include a fundraising thermometer. A fundraising thermometer allows donors to visualize how close you are to reaching your fundraising goal. By including it on your donation page, you can create a sense of urgency and inspire more people to give promptly.

In addition to optimizing your donation page, check if any volunteers have experience managing social media accounts or writing blog content. If so, they may be able to lend a hand and help you expand your fundraising reach to new donors online.

2. Facilitate fundraising events.

Fundraising events present valuable opportunities for your nonprofit to raise funds and build community among your donors. However, whether you’re hosting an annual gala or a casual bake sale it can take a lot of planning and effort to pull off a successful event. Fortunately, your volunteers can fulfill many event roles, including:

• Setup and decorations
• Technical support
• Check-in
• Photography
• Food and beverage coordination
• Cleanup

Before the event, hold training sessions so that each volunteer feels prepared to succeed in their responsibilities. New volunteers should attend a more in-depth orientation that covers basics such as your nonprofit’s history, mission, and recent impact—this way, they’ll be able to converse effectively with guests at your event.

3. Tap into corporate philanthropy.

There are plenty of companies that, as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, find ways to support nonprofits with both funding and volunteer service. According to 360MatchPro, 82% of businesses report that their employees want the opportunity to volunteer with peers in a corporate-supported event.

Even if your volunteers have a limited capacity to give to your nonprofit, they can still contribute essential funds if their employer has a volunteer grant program. Typically, the process looks like this:

• An individual who regularly volunteers with your nonprofit checks their eligibility for a volunteer grant.
• After meeting a minimum number of service hours, the volunteer submits a volunteer grant request to their employer.
• After verifying the volunteer’s hours and confirming other eligibility requirements, the company donates a certain amount to your nonprofit, depending on the number of hours served.

Beyond volunteer grants, many companies make it easy for employees to support the causes they care about with other workplace giving initiatives such as matching gifts and automatic payroll deductions. Add information about these opportunities to your website and social media posts to maximize awareness. Then, assess your volunteer data to identify individuals whose employers offer these opportunities and reach out to them directly.

4. Become peer-to-peer fundraisers.

Empower your most passionate volunteers to take the lead in fundraising for your nonprofit by participating in a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. During these campaigns, participants create an individual fundraising page and share it with their personal networks to raise money on your organization’s behalf.

To provide your peer-to-peer fundraisers with a smooth, successful experience, keep these tips in mind:

• Provide a brand or style guide. While your participants should personalize their own fundraising page, it should still represent your nonprofit as a whole. Equip them with brand assets, templates, and images they can easily incorporate into their fundraising efforts.

• Encourage participants to share their personal stories. To inspire their family, friends, and acquaintances to donate, participants should explain why the cause is so important to them. By communicating their connection to your nonprofit and mission, they can spark more empathy and convince potential donors who are on the fence to contribute.
• Offer incentives. Your peer-to-peer fundraising participants are going out of their way to help your nonprofit get more funding for its mission. To express your appreciation and motivate them throughout the campaign, plan some incentives. For example, you might give out free branded t-shirts and award top performers with discounted tickets to your next event.

Additionally, you can build a sense of camaraderie among your peer-to-peer fundraisers by inviting them to join an exclusive social media group, where participants can share tips and encouragement throughout the campaign.

By consistently engaging and appreciating your volunteers, you can deepen their involvement in your fundraising initiatives over time. Many of them might even decide to directly contribute by making donations to your nonprofit.

Take the time to survey volunteers about their experience with your nonprofit, fundraising ideas they might be interested in, and giving options they’re most drawn toward—whether that’s monthly giving or cryptocurrency donations. Keep an eye out for ways to improve your communication strategy and engagement opportunities, and before long, you’ll have a dedicated volunteer base ready to power your fundraising efforts with their skills and passion.