The Real Lives of Volunteer Coordinators
A Blog for us to Learn from Each Other
Written by Melissa Davis Recap for July 20th - August 1st
Corporate Sponsorships
Many companies have volunteer programs for employees to spend time at local organizations. However, in some scenarios, certain volunteer experiences may require supplies and other purchases. You may want to consider asking companies if they are willing to include financial resources to put towards the cost of their volunteer experience.
Suggestions from Others
“We have a group inquiry form on our website that we try to direct people to. That form gives us all the info we need about their group, and there is an option where people can state they have a budget. If they reach out to us directly and not via the form, we then offer a few opportunities available to them. We typically list the opportunity that needs a budget first and then a couple of free ones as well. This avoids the awkward "ask" and we found that if people really like the project, they will find a way to fund it even if they didn't have a budget set up originally.”
“If you are looking for in-kind donations around a volunteer opportunity, I would let them know what donations are needed and why. If you are just looking for general donations, you may consider including your website's donation page and asking them if they would be interested in sharing with their staff volunteers or budgeting for a donation. I would be more hesitant to do the latter, unless you can connect it to their volunteer service somehow.”
“You can also call it a sponsorship if you want to make it feel less like an ask, and more like a benefit to them. Sometimes we just need to shift our perspective.”
Social Media Training
Volunteer coordinators are frequently required to perform various tasks, such as marketing, fundraising, and program management. If you’re new to certain responsibilities, look for free or low cost resources that are available for training. Certain programs may even offer special discounts for those associated with a nonprofit organization.
Comments from the Group
“I’ve heard good things about HubSpot courses: https://academy.hubspot.com/courses... Facebook also has free courses called Blueprint”
“Futurelearn for all your general needs and nonprofitready.org for everything specific to our sector.”
“Sprout Social has good resources: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/resources/”
“This page has TONS of links: https://bgdigitalmarketingsolutions.com/resources/”
Tracking Hours for Board Members
In addition to general volunteers, most organizations have various committees and boards that are primarily volunteers. While these leadership positions may be considered more specialized, they are still volunteers who are donating their time. Depending on your organization, you may want to include service hours for board members to fully represent the volunteer impact at your organization.
Comments from Others
“We log board meetings and committee meeting hours. We see board members as volunteers.”
“Even when just attending meetings, they still are donating their time.”
“I haven't seen anything official, I'll see if I can find anything out from The Beryl Institute or CCVA.”