Communicating with volunteers
Effective communication is vital for recruiting volunteers and for ensuring these stalwarts of the community feel informed and valued and want to continue volunteering with you.
Our work in Farnham, Haslemere and north east Hampshire has shown us first-hand how much more is achieved by schools, charities and not for profit organisations when they have the support of volunteers.
Nine ways to improve how you communicate with volunteers
- Help potential volunteers decide if you are right for them by being crystal clear about your organisation’s purpose and ensuring this is communicated consistently on your website, social media, press releases and marketing material.
- Include information on your website specifically for volunteers.
- Acknowledge volunteers as a stakeholder group in your PR and marketing strategy. Your strategy’s supporting action plan should include specific tactics aimed at keeping volunteers informed and satisfied.
- If you have an announcement to make about your business, inform volunteers after trustees and staff but ahead of the general public.
- Publish a newsletter for volunteers. This can be used to communicate information about the organisation, volunteering opportunities and case studies about other volunteers. Keep down distribution costs by sending it out as an enewsletter.
- Send volunteers a personal thank you note from the Chief Executive on the anniversary of when they started volunteering.
- Introduce opportunities for volunteers to meet key staff face-to-face. Hold a drop-in coffee morning so volunteers can ask questions, share ideas and find out more about what you do.
- Conduct an annual volunteers’ satisfaction survey.
- Say ‘thank you’ by holding an annual event for volunteers.
Next steps
Contact us if you have a question about this guide or if you would like to improve how you communicate with volunteers.
