With a global pandemic hitting us in 2020, we have seen almost everything shift into a virtual environment. From schools to offices, all work was done online, and two years later, that still continues to be the case. For activities requiring a physical presence, it was a challenging task to make things work virtually. But with the need to take the safest measures possible, it had to be done.
The process of volunteering was one such activity that shifted to a virtual sphere. Although requiring a physical presence, the need for safety left no choice but to start working online. Ever since then, virtual work has become the norm, and volunteering has also found itself to be more active online. But how do you make sure you make the volunteering process as effective as possible? Here are four tips for recruiting and engaging virtual volunteers in 2022.
4 Tips for Recruiting and Engaging Virtual Volunteers in 2022
- Make volunteering opportunities accessible: To make sure you can smoothly run your volunteering process, the first step is to make the opportunities seen and easily accessible. To do this, start by making an SEO-friendly, well-designed website. It will allow potential volunteers to find your website conveniently and also get them interested in the volunteer opportunity.
- Market volunteer opportunities smartly: It is necessary to create a marketing strategy that will allow your volunteer opportunities to be seen on a broader scale. Ensure that you provide an accurate description of the program and details about how potential volunteers can join. You can carry out marketing through social media, newsletters, newspaper ads, etc. Taking up multichannel marketing, will allow the news of your volunteer program to reach a larger audience.
- Create a dedicated training and onboarding program:For volunteers who choose to join, create a program that will help them onboard conveniently. It will also be helpful to make training guides so that volunteers can learn more about the volunteering process and understand their roles, tasks, and how to proceed with their work. Training can be provided through the categories of online videos, pdf tutorials, online group activities, etc. You can also make use of volunteer management software to keep track of each process.
- Encourage volunteers to connect with each other: When volunteers join your program, encourage them to get to know each other and build an engaging volunteer network. You can enable this by creating group chats, online group activities, having video chat sessions, etc.
How to find virtual volunteers
In order to recruit volunteers for your program, you need to find the most suitable people who will be willing to join the volunteering opportunity. Here are some effective places to find virtual volunteers.
- Reach out to existing volunteers: If you have a pre-existing volunteer base, you can communicate the need to find virtual volunteers to them. They are valuable resources, and are also a cost-effective method of finding suitable people to join your volunteer program.
- Volunteer listing sites: There are several sites over the internet that list potential volunteers. People sign up on these sites and detail their skills, experiences, and interests. You can visit these online volunteer platforms and reach out to people who you feel will be most suitable for your volunteer programs.
- Corporate partnerships: If your organization has corporate partnerships, you can reach out to them. They may have people involved in their operations with skillsets and experiences that align with your needs. Communicate with these partnerships, and you may come across people who might be willing to join your programs.
- Local community online groups: You may see that there are active online groups with neighboring community members. You can list the details of your volunteer programs on these groups, and potential volunteers from within your community can reach out to you.
