Arreva Blog

A successful year-end giving campaign starts long before the final months of the year. In fact, the day-to-day interactions, task breakdowns, and general management of your organization’s staff and volunteers can directly impact the success of your campaign.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with the potential pitfalls your nonprofit may encounter so you can implement clear plans that will help you avoid major year-end giving obstacles.

Picture this: It’s 24 hours before your big event and you’re frantically trying to juggle 20 different volunteer schedules, 15 different skill sets, 12 people who can’t lift over 15 pounds, 3 people who have mobility restrictions, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Is this scenario at all familiar to you?

According to the Corporation for National & Community Service, people who volunteer are twice as likely to donate to a nonprofit organization compared to those who don’t volunteer. Volunteers not only ensure that programs run smoothly but they are also potential community ambassadors and donors for your organization.

Volunteer coordinators directly interact with these important individuals, so how they manage and interact with volunteers is also integral to the charity’s success. Below are 5 daily habits that volunteer managers should adopt to create an effective volunteer program.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, a quarter of the country’s total population volunteer. It’s truly inspiring that so many people contribute their time and efforts for free to advance charity causes.

Volunteers are central to a nonprofit's success, but they also share a mutual relationship with the organization. While people complete a variety of tasks to advance the charity’s mission, during the process, they also develop skills and gain new experiences. To best motivate your volunteers to become champions for your cause and perform their duties to the best of their abilities, take a look at the tips below for effective volunteer motivation and management.

According to Independent Sector, in 2017, every volunteer hour is valued at $24.14, which is up 2.5% from the previous year. That’s over three times the national minimum wage! Even though volunteers contribute their time for free, their contributions have real-world value.

I have been a volunteer on at least eight capital campaigns over the past 25 years. On some I was a working co-chair; on several I was an “honorary” co-chair; on some I was part of the campaign cabinet. I have been to countless cocktail receptions, dinners, briefings. I have squired many a prospect around on site visits. I have participated in myriad meetings with potential and actual donors.  I have vetted hundreds of names on prospect lists.

Most of these campaigns were successful in reaching their goal. One was not. Some were lots of fun. Some were frustrating.  All came with the rewards of helping secure major gifts for an important cause, being part of a hard-working team, and, perhaps most rewarding, watching other donors light up at the idea of making a major commitment to something they love.

Capital campaigns typically follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of the money comes from the top 20% of the donors. This means that the key to success for your capital campaign is securing those major gifts that fill in the top tiers in your gift range chart. These major gift donors are those who believe in your cause and your ability to make a difference, have the capacity to make a large gift, and have a connection to someone within your organization.

Fundraising with major donors is largely achieved through personal relationships and conversations between the donor, a volunteer, and the leadership team. Below are some helpful steps to securing large donations through capital campaign fundraising.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Americans spend over 7.8 hours volunteering their time at a variety of nonprofits. That adds up to an estimated value of $184 billion dollars! Volunteers are an important cornerstone to many nonprofits and proper volunteer management is critical to a successful volunteer program.

The men and women that donate their time through volunteering can have a big impact on your organization’s success and bottom line. Because of their importance to nonprofits, proper volunteer management is important for a number of reasons listed here.

Let’s get proactive about volunteer burnout

Approximately 100 million people volunteer for nonprofits each year. In fact, volunteers are responsible for bringing in upwards of $150 billion annually. They’re also invaluable assets that allow you to expand customer service and community outreach while simultaneously reducing the cost of services and making them more widely available.

Maybe you’ve never had to plan a major fundraising event before and recruit volunteers, and now you’re wondering where to start, or maybe you’re just looking for a little inspiration to streamline your existing volunteer program. Even if you’re a volunteer management veteran, you might find some of the following recommendations helpful to up your fundraising game. Whatever the case, the following are four steps to successfully recruit and retain the right volunteers for your charity.