Nonprofit Recruitment Campaigns That Shine

July 26, 2021

(US content, not applicable to Canada)

Nonprofit Recruitment: New Innovations That Can Help Push Further Volunteer Engagement

Volunteering is an essential part of achieving your nonprofit’s vision and goals. The time that volunteers give up out of their schedules needs to be used wisely. Organizations will require a continuous commitment to recruitment and marketing to maintain a flow of engaged recruits that can help you serve your community better. Your nonprofit recruitment campaigns should communicate that volunteering free time with your charity is an opportunity to grow as a professional, develop essential leadership skills, and gain recognition for their efforts that can develop into other career opportunities.

When HR managers that work in nonprofits understand these fundamentals, they can communicate the value of the opportunity and apply it to their recruitment campaigns. The result is recruitment campaigns that speak to potential candidates about their importance, resulting in further engagement and a steady flow of eager and ready volunteers to give back to their community.

Nonprofit Recruitment SMS Campaigns Show Incredible Effectiveness

SMS or text message campaigns have gained popularity as of late among recruiters, as email campaigns have seen to be less effective with up-and-coming generations. Text messages are, of course, instantaneous and can regularly engage volunteers. Should an event require volunteers to show up at a specific time, SMS notifications can remind candidates in different intervals to promote further engagement. Text messages have a higher open rate than email newsletters, and the person receiving the notification doesn't have to rely on internet access to get important and up-to-date information.

Recruiters also have the option to broadcast out text messages and "blast" an entire contact list all at once or choose one-on-one messaging options that allow candidates to respond with questions. Communicating with volunteers on an individual level makes the volunteer experience much more personable, hopefully making candidates feel more valued and eager to contribute their time. Do your best to ensure that your SMS campaigns communicate the value behind the opportunity and include language that speaks to the “what’s in it for me” element of the volunteer experience.

Nonprofit Recruitment: Refine Your Messaging and Tell Your Story

Social media and other digital tools like email blasts are great for communicating and recruiting potential volunteers, but these efforts might not be enough. Many major charities lean on emotion to draw in potential volunteers and gently nudge them towards signing up for an email newsletter or social media group. Consider using a phrase or slogan that can be used as a hashtag to tie into all your social mediums. It could be as simple as #GiveBack or something tailored exclusively to your nonprofit. This hashtag could be a theme tied to parts of your campaign. Volunteers can use the hashtag on their social feeds to help spread the word of new volunteer opportunities while boosting the nonprofit’s reputation online.

Further, video content posted on digital mediums can tell the nonprofit’s story and effectively communicate the cause of the charity and the potential difference a volunteer can make should they offer up some of their free time. This is also a great opportunity to tell the story of the people and causes the nonprofit serves while bringing together emotion and the potential value. Social media and digital marketing are constantly changing. Experiment with new social platforms, and consistently strive to understand your volunteers and what makes them choose your charitable opportunity over another.

Nonprofit Recruitment: Speak to Those Who Wish to Listen

Targeted ad campaigns are likely one of the most effective ways to ensure that your efforts reach the right people. Google Ads and Facebook offer advertisers the opportunity to send ads only to selected audiences, even allowing for several different subsets or personas that can communicate various types of messaging. These paid advertising campaigns can pinpoint select audiences and help you save time, focusing your efforts on specific and targeted audiences.

For instance, one targeted ad campaign might specifically speak to a younger generation of volunteers just getting involved in post-secondary education. In another campaign, consider targeting a different age group, such as retirees, and create a language that speaks to each group of potential volunteers. Painting a picture of the volunteer you are after can help develop messaging that solicits emotion but is also highly relatable to each group you are attempting to recruit.

Nonprofit Recruitment with OrderYourBackgroundCheck.com

Many nonprofits are challenged by tight budgets, especially when it comes to recruiting new volunteers. As you adjust your marketing and recruitment campaigns, consider innovating your strategies to help save money while hiring the best possible volunteers available.

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