Recruitment during COVID-19

How in the world do you recruit volunteers during a pandemic? Why do you need to do this in the first place? A quick reminder:

A good % of board & nonprofit leaders understand that volunteer value can notably improve your bottom line, boost employee morale, and lead to a more fully engaged brand presence. CFOs, auditors, and finance committees can certainly attest to this.

Maximizing volunteer engagement, and leveraging volunteers’ time and talents effectively, can obviously extend the impact of your organization’s work.

And with proper documentation and accounting by staff, an auditor can calculate the dollar value of volunteer labor, and help to raise your organization's financial imprint.

By carefully capturing the contributions your volunteers make, you can paint a more accurate picture of your  true program size, which can help with fundraising — especially when a program is heavily reliant on volunteers.  Over time, a thoughtful and well-run volunteer program can become a virtuous circle for your organization.

The reminders:

1. Don't forget all the potential lists and sources from which you can recruit volunteers: such as email, social media followers, former board/committee members/retired staff, and your staff's own networks.
2. Document and include volunteer contributions when sharing program budgets with funders.
3. Be sure to check your policies and protocols on volunteer training, as well as accounting for volunteer work.Take the time to update these policies if needed
4. While not everyone is in a position to do so right now, consider that there are some folks with the time, ability, and interest in volunteering. Can you think of creative, accessible ways for volunteers to help you meet your organization’s current needs?

Thanks to Bruce Braunewell and his entire team at CliftonLarsonAllen for training me in 2010 on the IRS rules. 

Photo credit: Tara Lessard, 2014, Mazzoni Center volunteer recognition night