Creating an impactful volunteer event is a great way to get your friends and coworkers involved in their communities, but it can seem overwhelming. Follow these 5 steps to facilitate an amazing and impactful event!
Written by Josephine Redfern
Volunteer projects are a great way to make an impact in your community, as well as a great way to get involved with coworkers, friends and family members! While volunteering can be a wonderful experience for everyone involved, the idea of starting to create and organize these events can seem overwhelming. Thankfully the Union Home Mortgage Foundation is here to help! Follow these five steps to ensure that your next volunteer event runs smoothly and is mutually beneficial for both your volunteers and the organization you are volunteering with.
- Identify your goals
The first step to creating any volunteer project is to identify what you would like to do. Here are some things to think about:
- What types of activities are you and your team interested in? Something more manually intensive? Something indoors? Activities working directly with people or activities where your group is working with each other only? Is this a one-time activity or a project that your group hopes to continue with?
What causes are you and your group passionate about? For instance, if your group is interested in helping animals or children, it would be beneficial to find an organization to partner with that specializes in those areas. What skills do the members of your group possess? If members of your team specialize in creating videos or marketing materials, they might be able to offer these services to non-profits in need of such items. Volunteers can be put to work doing extremely valuable work beyond the more common volunteer jobs.
Establishing these goals and narrowing down opportunities will make sure that your volunteer project can be as beneficial and impactful as possible for both your team and the organization that you are partnering with.
- Develop a logistical plan
The next step is working on logistics to make sure your volunteer project runs smoothly. First, you need to establish which organization you want to work with and contact their organization. Work with them to finalize the types of jobs your team will be doing (be open, sometimes what you have in mind might not be a priority for the nonprofit or possible with their staff). This includes figuring out the date, time, and location of your project. Communicate with your non-profit partner to see if an additional orientation or training session is required of the volunteers. Will this orientation be a part of the day of service? Or does it need to be completed in advance, as preparation for the project?
After those items are established you need to think about what requirements your team will need to fulfil. As an example, if you are working with specific populations, sometimes volunteers will need to get a background check. Opportunities requiring a background check would likely not be a great option for one-time volunteer projects, but it depends on what your goals are for this project.
Next, you’ll need to figure out what supplies your team will need and make sure they receive all resources needed to complete the project. Supplies might include snacks, food donations for a foodbank, volunteer t-shirts or craft supplies for working with children. Logistical planning will also mean that you have to figure out how many volunteers are needed, and if they will be split up into smaller groups or not. Volunteer projects often need volunteer leaders to manage smaller groups.
The last thing you’ll want to think about is a backup plan just in case your project doesn’t work out. In the non-profit world things can change quickly. The group you are working with might not show up, the weather might be bad, or your volunteers might not be able to make it. Coming up with a backup plan is necessary to ensure that the day isn’t ruined for your group or the non-profit you want to work with.
- Recruit your volunteers
Arguably one of the most important parts of creating a volunteer event is to have volunteers! Without volunteers, your event will not succeed, and there will be minimal benefits for both you and the organization you are working with. There are many ways to recruit volunteers for a project, and it might take some trial and error to gain the number of volunteers you need. Depending on what kind of group you are creating the event for you can utilize social media, email, phone calls or flyers to recruit volunteers. Once you get a small group of confirmed volunteers, have them recruit their friends or coworkers! Word of mouth is one of the best ways of advertising events, especially volunteer events.
- Implement the project
Finally, the day is here! It’s time to implement your volunteer project! Make sure that you maintain strong communication with both the nonprofit and your volunteers regarding expectations, instructions, and any details about your event (like making sure they know if parking is available, what to wear, if they need to bring anything with them, and who they should contact if they have any issues). Communication is key and it should remain consistent throughout the planning and implementation process. Without strong communication, your volunteers might be confused about or uncomfortable participating. If you are planning on having photographs taken of the project and volunteers you will need to communicate with your volunteers and have them sign a photo release if necessary. This will ensure that, again, no one is uncomfortable throughout the day. You will also need to check with the nonprofit if taking photos is permissible on location, especially if children are involved in any activities.
On the day of your project, be sure to start on time. This is important so that your non-profit partner and volunteers feel like they are being respected for their time and energy. Keep your volunteers engaged throughout their service. Check in with them personally while they are working to make sure that they are comfortable and having a good time. Staying engaged and making the day fun and impactful will ensure that volunteers and the organization leave feeling positive and feeling that what they did mattered!
- Follow up with your volunteers
Even though the day has passed, your work isn’t quite over yet. There are a few things that need to be done to ensure that your event was as successful as possible, and to help prepare for any future events. First, try measuring the impact your volunteers had on the non-profit organization. Talk with the non-profit partner about what goals they had, if the goals were met, and what future tasks relating to your project are left to be completed.
One of the most important things you can do after a volunteer event is to reach out directly to your volunteers and say thank you! A genuine thank you will make your volunteers feel appreciated, and like what they were doing had a genuine impact on the non-profit and the community. Also be sure to thank the non-profit for partnering with your group and allowing you to come into their space and work with them. Share photos and recap the event to your volunteers – they will appreciate the effort!
Finally, the last step is to share more opportunities with your group! Volunteerism is so important, and crucial to organizations everywhere. The only way volunteers are going to get involved is if they know of the opportunities available to them. Keep your volunteers in the loop and keep experiences accessible to them.
Happy Volunteering!
