Volunteers are essential to any successful organizing operation. Approximately 25% of adults in the US volunteer. That’s a ton of volunteer capacity, but are organizations using it effectively? Organizations that lack volunteer management systems may not be maximizing the impact of their volunteers. Luckily, volunteer management software can make coordination between volunteers and organizations easier.
The Importance of Volunteer Management Software
Every organization should leverage the power of technology. In fact, in a survey by Salesforce, 85% of responding nonprofits said that technology is the key to their organization’s success. Tools like Slack and Google are great for everyday communication, but organizing teams may need more specialized tools to manage their volunteers. Volunteer management software assists both volunteers and administrators by streamlining and simplifying the process of taking action. These are some of the benefits that volunteer management software can provide:
1. Volunteers can participate digitally.
Volunteer management software eases the transitions for organizations looking to take volunteer actions online. Especially at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations realized the need to embrace digital volunteer opportunities and increased their use of digital organizing tools like peer-to-peer texting. Organizations can use management software like Impactive to send messages with links to donation pages or petition platforms to encourage digital action by volunteers.
2. Volunteers access information in a centralized location.
Organizations using volunteer management software can ensure that their volunteers always have the most important, up-to-date information. Instead of trying to find the latest opportunity to get involved in crowded email inboxes or social media feeds, volunteers can access a single hub of resources. A tool like Impactive makes it convenient for volunteers to have a single place to check for the latest opportunities to take action. An action homepage like Impactive’s that feels like a “news feed” for the organization’s digital organizing efforts is easy and simple to use.
3. Volunteers can share ways to act easily.
Promoting action within personal networks is one of the most effective ways to increase volunteer impact. Volunteer management software makes this easy! With Impactive, volunteers can import their personal contact lists for quick friends and family messaging easily and increase the organization’s list of supporters quickly. Plus, Impactive offers a Social Media Sharing feature, so volunteers can post content from their organization directly on their personal social media networks.
4. Volunteer impact is tracked easily.
Volunteer management software can help organizations track information accurately to understand the impact of their volunteers. Many software programs provide a way to track volunteers’ actions, like donations or texts sent, allowing organizations to see how engaged volunteers are. Plus, organizations can use this data to gauge the effectiveness of texting programs or messaging tactics.
4. Volunteers are more easily motivated.
Volunteers will be more motivated to take action with an organization with the right volunteer management software. When social interaction increases, volunteers gain a sense of community. In turn, a strong community increases the chance that current volunteers will encourage their friends and family to support the organization. Impactive offers multiple features to support connection between volunteers, such as a Teams and Leaderboard functionality, as well as a Video Sharing Collection feature.
Volunteer Management Software in Action
One of the best examples of the benefits of volunteer management software is When We All Vote’s use of Impactive. When We All Vote gathered volunteers digitally on Impactive to encourage action through peer-to-peer texting. Impactive’s features allowed the nonprofit to provide pre-written scripts to volunteers, and direct unregistered voters to When We All Vote’s registration tool. As a result, volunteers contacted over 400,000 voters. When We All Vote was able to manage volunteers, encourage action, and distribute vital information in one central location.
Organizations should use volunteer management software to upgrade volunteers’ experiences, which will increase retention rates and sustained support for organizations. After all, volunteers are donating their free time to actively support and advance an organization’s cause — organizations should take every step to make that time as impactful as possible.
