Should I place volunteers wherever I have needs? How to allow volunteers to self-select.
Tim
Last Update 2 tahun yang lalu
You have a big event coming up. You might need servers, videographers, childcare, cooks, sign-up desk, digital marketing and cleanup... all for the same event. Phew!
OR . . . let's say you need volunteers every day for multiple jobs. Monday-Friday you run a consignment store staffed entirely by volunteers who stock shelves, work the cashier, assist with inventory, etc.
Would it be better to just post an umbrella opportunity and place volunteers into these varying roles after they've signed up to help? (for example: work at our banquet! vs. help with childcare at our banquet!)
We'd argue that it isn't!!
Research shows that placing volunteers "where they're needed the most" is ineffective for long-term retention. It also potentially removes many of the health benefits associated with volunteering.
The problem that arises when placing volunteers wherever you have a need is that this removes the volunteer's personal preference. However, when volunteers place themselves, they naturally align their motivations with the opportunities they choose to sign up for.
We don't want to place volunteers based on immediate need. We want to place them based on their passion/enjoyment, in a role where they'll feel most fulfilled.
This is why we always recommend creating different volunteer opportunities for different jobs, even if they are both taking place at the same event.
"But isn't it tedious to create 10 different volunteer opportunity listings for the same event/organization?" Not necessarily. This is what we created the "duplicate" tool for.
Using the "duplicate" tool to separately post different responsibilities within an umbrella opportunity cuts out the extra work of creating many different opportunities. This functionality duplicates an opportunity that you've already created, then allows you to tweak the duplicate to fit a slightly different need (for example, having "check-in table" and "banquet serving" be two different volunteer opportunities at the same fundraising event).
Posting specific needs separately allows volunteers to walk into an opportunity confident and excited to spend the morning, afternoon or evening doing something that they are passionate about!
Here's a great podcast that dives deeper into the topic of volunteer satisfaction: