How can you make a volunteer portal user-friendly and accessible?

1 Choose a suitable platform

The first step is to select a platform that meets your needs and budget, as well as your volunteers' preferences and expectations. There are many options available, from custom-built websites to ready-made software solutions, each with its own features, advantages, and limitations. You should consider factors such as the functionality, design, security, scalability, and compatibility of the platform, as well as the support and feedback mechanisms it offers. You should also consult your volunteers and involve them in the decision-making process, as they are the end-users of the portal.

2 Organize the content

The next step is to organize the content of your volunteer portal in a clear and logical way, so that your volunteers can find what they need quickly and easily. You should create categories and subcategories that reflect the main topics and tasks that your volunteers are interested in or required to do, such as orientation, training, events, opportunities, policies, forms, feedback, recognition, and so on. You should also use labels, headings, menus, and buttons that are consistent and descriptive, and avoid jargon, acronyms, and technical terms that might confuse or alienate your volunteers.

3 Optimize the design

The third step is to optimize the design of your volunteer portal, so that it is visually appealing, intuitive, and responsive. You should use colors, fonts, images, and icons that match your organization's brand identity and values, as well as your volunteers' preferences and expectations. You should also use white space, contrast, alignment, and hierarchy to create a balanced and coherent layout, and avoid clutter, distraction, and inconsistency. Moreover, you should ensure that your volunteer portal adapts to different devices, browsers, and screen sizes, and that it loads fast and smoothly.

4 Ensure accessibility

The fourth step is to ensure that your volunteer portal is accessible to all your volunteers, regardless of their abilities, disabilities, or assistive technologies. You should follow the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) that provide standards and best practices for making web content accessible to people with various impairments, such as visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor. Some examples of accessibility features are alt text for images, captions for videos, keyboard navigation, contrast options, text resizing, and language translation.

5 Test and improve

The final step is to test and improve your volunteer portal regularly, based on your volunteers' feedback and behavior. You should solicit and collect feedback from your volunteers through surveys, interviews, focus groups, or other methods, and use it to identify and address any issues or gaps in your volunteer portal. You should also monitor and analyze your volunteers' behavior through web analytics, such as page views, bounce rates, time on site, and conversions, and use it to optimize and enhance your volunteer portal. You should also keep your volunteer portal updated and relevant, by adding new content, features, and opportunities, and removing outdated or redundant ones.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?