Social Media is great for raising money and building a community but it's also good for another thing: finding volunteers.
Good volunteers are a staple of any organization and can really help your organization succeed. So how can you use social media to find them?
Social Media lets you put the word out. You can post your need for volunteers on Twitter and Facebook. Even if your followers aren't interested, they might know someone who is. I found my recent volunteer post with the United Way through Twitter.
Here's a tip: Use social media to look for specialized volunteers. If you need a graphic designer, or a writer, or a program coordinator, it's likely you can find someone using social media. If you are specific, then your followers will have a better idea of who you are looking for.
So now that you've got your volunteers, how can you engage them through social media?
Why not create a volunteers group on Facebook? A place for your volunteers to post their experiences, learn about new assignments and events and promote the organization to others. If a volunteer posts on their own profile that they love working at your organization, that will inspire others to follow.
Also, give them a shout out on Twitter. Everyone loves to be recognized and Twitter is a great way to do that. A simple note that says what a great job they did, will inspire them to come back again and again.
When volunteers are respected and engaged, they will continue to come back again and again.
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Wow I like where you're going with this! I'm co-founder of a non-profit that is trying to do this on a macro scale. Our site is www.urbantastic.com. I'd love to hear what you think about our ideas here.
Best,
Benjamin
I checked out your site and it's really cool. I think you are going in the right direction. It's about bringing all of the social media tools together to provide the best information in an easy to read format.
This is a topic that is not addressed enough - engaging ALL your stakeholders through social media/social networking. Thanks for putting it up to start conversation. I also think that a commonly overlooked form of social media is the specialized chat group (Yahoo or Google,for example) that is just for one organization's volunteers. Volunteers could utilize such a group to support each other and grow as volunteers, while the organization could utilize it as an easy crowdsourcing platform.
That's a really great point Debra. You are right, small groups are a great way to keep people in touch with events and news, especially if it's internal to the organization.
I would also add, letting volunteers have a voice and posting on their own about their experiences with your organization.
I've run quite a few trainings on how to use social media to find volunteers with sites to visit, and tips to get started on each social platform. You can find them here: http://searchmarketingfornonprofits.wordpress.com/2007/07/16/driving-volunteers-to-your-website-workshop/
@Katherine: I will check it out!
@Tessa: Thank you for your lovely comments. I do appreciate them!
I agree, the social media as a leverage for broadcasting concentrated and collective efforts benefits social civic volunteers. Very cost effective and a very palpable solution.
One of the best users and implementation of Social Media are Civic Volunteer Organizations. They use it to broadcast and coordinate information drives and activities.
"Social Media is great for raising money and building a community but it's also good for another thing: finding volunteers." - Indeed I used this method when I was looking for people to help me plant trees in our community!
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