How can you improve volunteer retention without spending money?

Here are some ways to improve volunteer retention without spending money; Keep volunteers feeling valued! Recognize their impact by highlighting how their work makes a difference. Provide clear expectations, feedback, and support to help them grow. Offer flexible schedules and a variety of tasks to keep things interesting. Build a sense of community through social events and celebrate their achievements.

Highlighting the efforts of volunteers *to other volunteers*. Peer recognition is more valuable than generic recognition to a wide audience. A social media shout out to the full list is great (do that too!) but a volunteer newsletter which highlights the commitment and gifts of volunteers to people they know can really inspire people to keep giving. A regular newsletter to a small group with new opportunities, but also featuring a success story naming and thanking a specific person can mean a lot to keeping people engaged.

To retain volunteers without spending money, you need to have a clear line of communication with volunteers. Money is not the determining factor for volunteer; remember they are here for your cause. You must show appreciation and clearly communicate that their work has made an impact. Tracking their work and making verbal rewards will not cost you anything but retain your volunteers.

To retain volunteers without spending money is to model to the whole team the valuable contribution of their effort to the people economy. It is increasing the capacity to explore their innate abilities more by recognising their exceptional role in the companies success. Give them the opportunity to champion a cause that is good for people especially those that promotes cycle of greatness - People to Product to Presence to Presence to Power - Leading to Prosperity and Pleasure. Once they find Blossoming in their present role, you improve volunteers retention more without using money.

Engage volunteers in the work of your organization. Treat them as the insiders they are. Help them help you. They are vested in your mission or else they wouldn’t be there. Vest them in the working relationships too.

Remember it is not about what volunteers can do for you as much as it is about providing a joyful, satisfying, meaningful experience for them. When designing your volunteer experiences, think about the outcome - a fulfilled volunteer - as well as the process - how easy it is to access that sense of fulfillment.

Busy nonprofits leaders can benefit from building a community *among* volunteers. While volunteers want to engage with the nonprofit, they will stick around if they can connect with other people with a shared passion for the nonprofit's mission - in a forum, whether physical or virtual, that allows them to support each other, share praise, or offer encouragement and advice. Once volunteers get in the habit of interacting with *each other* to support their shared mission and goals (as opposed to interacting directly/solely with the nonprofit), they will build a community that will help the nonprofit thrive in the long term. It's the nonprofit's job to create and support the opportunities for its volunteers to connect and build community.

Continually thank your volunteers. Say thank you five times in different ways after they agree and complete a request on your behalf. Know each volunteer personally. It’s the personal touch that means the most.

Every organization with which I’ve wanted to volunteer again has always done the same thing - expressed their sincere appreciation directly. Joanne is so right, saying thank you personally and repeatedly is vital. In-person “thank yous” of course, and emails too - and whenever possible, short hand-written notes go a long way, too. Thankfully we have community partnerships with grocery stores, bakeries, and similar places who are happy to give us vouchers or small gift cards for our volunteers, on top of the other support they provide. A simple voucher for coffee and a bagel, or a small gift card to a bakery, will always bring a happy smile - and can be remembered fondly for years after the event.

Ensuring volunteers do not feel exploited is crucial. Even though they offer free services, organizations can provide support like uniforms, meals, and transportation. Training programs boost skills and show commitment to personal growth. Recognizing efforts with awards or certificates boosts morale. Flexible scheduling and social events create a supportive community. These gestures foster a positive volunteer experience, leading to higher satisfaction and commitment. It's about valuing volunteers' contributions and creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

It is also about recruiting the right people. Recognize and appreciate your volunteers, but also make sure that they are getting the most out of the work they do for you. Will this help them career-wise? Can they gain new/beneficial skills out of this experience? This way, you have people that are passionate and excited about their work rather than simply doing it.