Running a nonprofit can be quite a challenge. One of the obstacles that you have to overcome is the lack of people working for you. Nonprofits have the disadvantage that they can’t offer the big bucks that often attract employees to work in businesses. You will have to be a bit more creative in recruiting so that you can get some work done. Here are some tips about what to do.
Be Smart About Your Resources
It is very expensive to recruit people. While your nonprofit may not pay volunteers, there are still costs for adding people to your group. For example, interviewing volunteers takes up a lot of time, and doing it yourself would not be as efficient. Additionally, training and equipping new volunteers can be extra expenses to your organization. If possible, you want to be smart about reducing recruitment costs. For example, part of the cost of recruitment is the various checks that you have to make to ensure that they are employable. While some of these are not skippable, like checks for criminal behavior, there are some checks you don’t need since you are not a business. As long as a volunteer can do their job, then they should not be a problem.
Use Modern Technology
There are several tools out there that can also reduce the cost of recruitment. For example, video-conferencing technology allows interviews to happen without needing to meet with them physically. This can be a big help since it allows for easy access with minimal investment. Another way that technology can help is by making tasks easier. For example, multi-job posting software functionality allows you to streamline your job posting duties with one click. That allows you to get back to other things immediately.
Craft The Right Message
The biggest obstacle that nonprofits have is to encourage volunteers to come and apply. When you want volunteers, you need to have the right message. Crafting one can be difficult. The message that you want to send depends on the purpose of your nonprofit. It would be best if you highlighted what your organization is doing and what it needs when it comes to volunteers. Be as clear as possible in outlining what type of volunteer you want. It would be best if you then showcased how volunteering for your organization will help develop their skills or increase their reputation.
Focus on Retention
The key thing about volunteers for your nonprofit is that you should put effort into keeping them. The longer a volunteer works with your nonprofit, the more they develop the skills that your organization needs. There are several ways you can keep your volunteers working for you. While you can’t reward them materially, you can show your appreciation in different ways. For example, you can publicly praise them in newsletters or highlight their efforts on your website—many people like it when the spotlight is on them, and they are given praise. Additionally, creating a workspace where they feel safe and appreciated goes a long way when it comes to ensuring their happiness.
Find The Right Personalities
Another way to ensure that your volunteers stay with you is finding volunteers that match well with the culture that you have in your organization. Someone who takes things seriously will not find it comfortable to work with a more fun-loving atmosphere. Their presence alone would cause friction and problem for your organization. If you want to avoid this, you should have a detailed interview with all your potential volunteers. A good conversation with them should reveal their personality and whether they can be a good fit with your people.
Allow For Different Levels Of Engagement
Your nonprofit should provide people with different ways to help. Depending on their circumstances, they may not be able to give you full-time work. But that shouldn’t exclude them from helping out your operations. It would be best if you allowed various people to work for you at varying levels. For example, if some can work a few days a week or only on weekends, then you should allow that option. Working at a nonprofit is much different from any other organization, so you should give people options on how they can contribute with their work.
Nonprofits have a lot of work to do. When you don’t have the people to do it all, then you are not as effective as you can be. Learning how to get more people to help in your organization can be very beneficial in the long run. Start developing your recruitment strategies now so that you can see some great results.
