Harnessing the Power of Volunteers: A Strategic Imperative for Nonprofits

Submitted by Michelle Raymer, Deputy Director of Volunteer Service, Volunteer Iowa

As we celebrate National Volunteer Week, it's a time not only to celebrate the incredible contributions of volunteers but also to reflect on the strategic importance of volunteer engagement for nonprofits.

Volunteers are the backbone of many nonprofit organizations, offering their time, skills, and passion to advance and advocate for causes that matter. From tutoring youth to providing skilled HR or IT support, their impact reverberates far and wide, often shaping communities in profound ways. Yet, the true potential of volunteers lies not just in their numbers but in the strategic manner in which they are engaged.

Strategic volunteer engagement goes beyond merely filling roles; it involves aligning volunteers' skills, interests, and availability with the organization's mission and needs. By doing so, nonprofits can maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of their volunteer strategy, ultimately amplifying their impact.

This level of strategic engagement starts with senior leadership buy-in and involvement. This is not just speaking about the importance of volunteers but demonstrating it by involving skilled volunteers in supporting your own work, and ensuring a voice for volunteer engagement is present in high-level discussions. Is your Volunteer Engagement Professional a part of your leadership team, to ensure volunteers are effectively incorporated into any new projects, programs, and goals? In order to engage volunteers in mission-expanding and budget-extending work, planning needs to start at the top.

Another key aspect of strategic volunteer engagement is staff buy-in. All staff have a role in supervising volunteers that support their work, but have you trained your team to do this? Including volunteer engagement in all staff position descriptions, providing an overview of your volunteer engagement processes during employee onboarding, and then offering ongoing training on effective volunteer supervision empowers all staff to have a team of volunteers to amplify their work.

When organizations embrace strategic volunteer engagement, the impact of volunteers multiplies. Leaders identify ways for skilled volunteers to provide valuable pro-bono support. Staff embrace what volunteers can do, each leading their own team of volunteers to support their work, and asking the question "Is that something a volunteer can help us with?" Volunteers are recognized for their accomplishments and promoted to leadership roles mentoring and supervising other volunteers. These volunteers become the organization's best recruiters and advocates in the community, dedicated to advancing your mission.

As we celebrate National Volunteer Week, let us not only applaud the dedication and generosity of volunteers but also recognize the critical importance of strategic volunteer engagement for nonprofits. By harnessing the power of volunteers in a strategic manner, nonprofits can not only fulfill their missions more effectively but also cultivate vibrant communities of changemakers committed to making a difference. Together, let us continue to harness the transformative potential of volunteerism to build a brighter, more inclusive future for all.

Volunteer Iowa's mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. If you're interested in advancing strategic volunteer engagement in your organization through training, technical assistance, coaching, resources, or AmeriCorps programming, contact us at volunteeriowa.org or [email protected].