July 30, 2024 | 5 min read By: Matthew Nash

Leveraging volunteers can be a powerful way to attract new donors. When nonprofits offer hands-on opportunities to support their mission, they can effectively showcase its value and importance in the community. Volunteering events can highlight the nonprofit’s mission while helping to attract more donors.

Volunteer events are a great way for people to learn more about the nonprofit’s work, understand what it’s working to accomplish, and see its impact firsthand. These events can help participants better understand the need the nonprofit is addressing and how their ongoing support will be instrumental in addressing the needs the nonprofit serves.

Firsthand experience can reframe the nonprofit’s mission as a shared vision with its volunteers. When people are actively involved in the nonprofit’s work, they are more likely to continue offering their time. They may eventually become regular donors because they understand the tangible benefits of their ongoing support.

One way to develop a solid volunteer base is to establish relationships with local businesses and offer volunteer events for their employees.

Here are eleven ways to leverage volunteer opportunities to encourage donations:

1. Showcase the importance of donations: During volunteer sessions, fundraisers should highlight why, in addition to volunteering, donations are an essential part of achieving their mission. Showcasing how the community will benefit from their monetary support, the long-term implications on the group they serve, the lives they will change, and the programs they will fund will help people understand the impact donations can have.
2. Educate volunteers: Infusing educational components into volunteer programs can help further participants’ understanding of the nonprofit’s mission and why it’s so important to continue working toward a solution. Including educational information in follow-up communications with volunteers is a great way to educate and direct them to additional resources and information. This information can help people understand the importance of the work the nonprofit is doing and why financial contributions are an essential part of a nonprofit’s success.
3. Know your supporters: Sometimes, a nonprofit’s biggest advocate is their volunteers. If a fundraiser knows a volunteer is still in the workforce, they can explore partnerships with that company. Using volunteers as a gateway to corporate partnership opportunities can open a world of possibilities for growing a nonprofit’s donor and support network.
4. Host corporate volunteer events: Cultivating relationships with businesses through corporate volunteering programs can open doors to other forms of support, including grants or employee-corporate matching gift programs. By offering companies opportunities to give back in tangible ways, nonprofits can benefit from valuable volunteer contributions, which could lead to other avenues for support.
5. Create profiles on workplace-giving platforms: Almost 27 million Americans have access to workplace-giving programs where employees select a nonprofit to allocate a portion of their paychecks to. When a nonprofit enrolls in these platforms, like NPOconnect, they are visible to employees who are actively looking for a cause to support. Even better, these programs often have a company match, which means the nonprofit can receive double or even triple the employee’s original donation amount. These workplace-giving platforms often offer resources to help fundraisers create volunteer events with companies. Using these platforms to their fullest potential can help fundraisers leverage current relationships and identify new opportunities to connect with generous donors.
6. Encourage volunteers to stay in the loop: During volunteer events, fundraisers should encourage people to sign up for newsletters, volunteer again, and follow them on social media. Ensuring a constant flow of communications to people who already support the nonprofit can help them stay informed about news and donation opportunities. When volunteers receive regular updates from the nonprofit through emails and social media, they are more likely to donate because they see the value of the nonprofit and understand the importance of supporting the nonprofit’s cause.
7. Make it easy: In the emails sent to volunteers, newsletters, website copy, social media posts, and email signatures, showcase straightforward ways to donate. If a supporter doesn’t know where or how to donate, the nonprofit may have missed an opportunity to receive critical funds. Including links and relevant call-to-actions on these materials that show where and how to support the nonprofit will help supporters donate to the cause quickly and easily.
8. Focus on the story: Storytelling is essential to a nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. Showcasing the heart story behind a nonprofit’s work can be the deciding factor in whether or not a person donates. Sharing real stories of people who have been impacted by the nonprofit’s work can demonstrate the nonprofit’s effectiveness while also highlighting the importance of donations to continue making progress toward its mission.
9. Send updates: To develop an ongoing relationship with volunteers, fundraisers should maintain open lines of communication. Updating supporters on progress made, milestones, the impact of their support, and the importance of donations can go a long way in showcasing the value of the nonprofit’s work. Maintaining a steady flow of communication will continue to highlight the critical ways the nonprofit supports the community.
10. Personalized outreach: Conduct personalized outreach for volunteers, with specific messaging related to their personal history with the nonprofit. A targeted approach and segmenting email outreach lists into groups can help improve donation requests.
11. Thank them: Every volunteer and donor should receive a thank-you, whether that’s an email or handwritten note. Showcasing gratitude for supporters is a vital strategy to help foster relationships with the people who support the nonprofit and its mission. When volunteers understand their work is appreciated, they are more likely to participate again or become donors.

By highlighting the value of the nonprofit with their volunteers, fundraisers can tap into a dedicated group of supporters to help increase donations. Leveraging this already active audience can help fundraisers achieve their goals and continue making a difference in the communities they serve. Nonprofits can ensure they are actively working towards achieving their mission through the use of storytelling, active outreach, and simplifying the giving process to encourage donations. Leveraging volunteer efforts for fundraising strategies can strengthen a nonprofit’s mission while working towards increasing donations.

For more information about NPOconnect or to sign up, visit https://nonprofit.yourcause.com/login/create-account.

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