How can you maintain a positive relationship with volunteers who have left your organization?

Volunteers are essential to a non-profit organization's sucess. Without them organizations will only be able to do so much. Thus it is vital to maintain strong connections with volunteers after their initial engagament with the organization ends. Saying thank you - in an authtentic and meaningful manner - is obviously vital, but it goes beyond that. Maintaining connections through regular organizational updates nurtures the relationship and creates opportunities for volunteers to re-engage. So often volunteers can feel a sense of loss after their work concludes. Keeping in touch honors their contributions and also encourages them to champion the good work of the organization. Its a win-win for everyone.

Expressing gratitude to volunteers is critical for maintaining relationships with volunteers who’ve left the organization. Beyond that, I strongly encourage clients to communicate in a transparent and timely fashion with former and current volunteers. The goal is to ensure they continue aligning with the mission and engaging with the organization. The engagement may be different, such as a financial donation or an introduction within their network, but you’re keeping them close to the cause and active.

Gratitude is super important. It is the start of most things. Being humble and having gratitude takes you further, it always makes you understand better and be understood better

I was on a volunteer board for 13 years and timed out. I get that, what I don't understand is that I was never ever asked to do anything else. I guess this is more of an example of what NOT to do. Past volunteers should get a special update once or twice a year acknowledging their contributions by updating them on current activities and resources needed.

In my experience it is important to A. Publicly acknowledge their work while part of your agency. Be sure at your Annual Gala event to award them with a plaque or momento to let them know you appreciated all their hard work while showcasing them to the audience of the event and letting them know some of their achievements and be sure to share funny and interesting memories of working with them along the way. B. Always keep them informed about all future events, news and activities your undertaking and C. never forget their names and always greet them everytime you see them anywhere. Make people feel special and appreciated before , during and after.

Connect with them on professional networking platforms or social media. Share updates about the organization's activities, and engage with their posts or achievements. Offer to serve as a reference for their future volunteering endeavors or job applications. Share positive feedback about their past contributions if appropriate. Occasionally host gatherings or reunions for former volunteers. It could be a casual meet-up, a volunteer appreciation event, or a reunion focused on sharing experiences. While it's good to stay in touch, be mindful of not overwhelming them with communication. Respect their boundaries and preferences for engagement. Express that the door is always open for them to return.

In my years running volunteer programmes and working closely with volunteers, I found that it was the little acts of care like staying in touch - remembering dates of importance they shared once before, checking on their next adventures, wishing them on events and holidays and festivities - that made it so easier to make future project partners, strong referrers, return volunteers and brand ambassadors out of them. It is not that hard, don't be a stranger!

En mi opinión la mejor forma de tener buenos contactos con los voluntarios que han dejado la organización es seguir teniendo un trato personal con cada uno de ellos. Seguramente las newsletters, los eventos, las chats de grupo, pueden ser instrumentos útiles para no perderles del todo. Pero no creo que sea suficiente para poder mantener un contacto vivo y duradero en el tiempo. Son muchas las razones para la cuales un voluntario pueda dejar de serlo, por lo tanto incluirlo solamente un un canal de comunicación de grupo, puede no ser suficiente. Una llamada individual de vez en cuando es lo que salva de verdad la relación cara a una futura colaboración. Esto se puede hacer por ejemplo pidiendo una opinión sobre un futuro proyecto.

Staying in touch is very important for future relations and public relations. Staying in touch helps them stay well informed and engaged

Most relationships, friendships, business deals, and, yes, engagement if volunteers fail because of lack of follow up. Follow up requires effort, discipline, and planning.

You get excited or galvanized about an issue. You sign up to give selflessly of your time. And then, crickets. You are not ask to do anything. Or worse, you are asked to do something that feels menial and pointless. Your passion fizzles. We volunteer to do something meaningful. When our time and talent isn’t used, we do not feel needed. Be thoughtful in channeling passion of your volunteers.

This is why it's important to know what you need to achieve your goals. If you have clear goals (outcomes! positive change!) it is easier to design a variety of engagement opportunities. Then, you can track who participated in what which helps you learn how your supporters want to engage. If someone lapses you'll have the history and be able to offer a relevant way for them to re-engage. Lean into data - track, measure, learn, offer, succeed together.

J'ai un doute quant à la disponibilité d'un past membre pour des missions ponctuelles. Si toutefois celle-ci est existante il serait peut-être plus opportun d'envisager avec ce membre comment adapter son maintien dans les effectifs actifs à ses contraintes.

When people sign up for volunteering, it is usually from a place of wanting to give back. Ensure that they actually have the opportunity to do so. Avoid being the volunteer organization that boasts of big numbers with many of the volunteers actually only nominal volunteers. Provide opportunities according to the skills and expertise of volunteers.

Offering ongoing opportunities to contribute to our organization's mission is something we should do for all stakeholders - including past volunteers. I am a big proponent of developing OKR's (Objectives and Key Results) and identifying key audiences for achieving desired results. Volunteers, both past and present, should be included in those identified audience groups.

Very similar to retention of donors, there are going to be ebs and flows in the support throughout the time that a volunteer has a relationship with your organization. Recontextualize your volunteers in the larger work your organization is doing by adding them to other key performance metric tracking initiatives that relate to communications and revenue planning. An example of this would be running reports to see which volunteers are also donors. You can then prioritize which segments to invest energy into celebrating and turning into long-term advocates, even if they move on from the organization on a daily volunteer basis.

Organiser au sein du bureau un poste communication avec un ou une community manager - créer ou mettre à jour une page et inviter les anciens membres et les actifs à adhérer - envoyer un inMail ou SMS pour les anniversaires des past membres - encourager des commentaires de leurs expériences passées - pour certains past membres il est possible de leur attribuer un statut de membre d'honneur

Find opportunities for former volunteers to be celebrated or inspire others. For instance at open events of the volunteer program.

I agree with the first 5 because they each play a part in running a successful nonprofit. When you have volunteers you always want to show your gratitude towards them, you want to make it personable. Stay in touch with them to let them know that you care about their well being, always offer opportunities for them to come back to the organization to help, seek feedback and how you can change as a leader or what made them want to stop volunteering.

Seek feedback from volunteers to strengthen the volunteer engagement plans, involve them in planning and strategy. They are the one who knows in and out of your program and can help you get better impact

Seeking regular feedback from volunteers is essential to maintain a strong overall volunteer program and culture, but be prepared to do something with that feedback. Listening without acting will not work out well. I am a big proponent of hosting volunteer town halls every other month to give volunteers an opportunity to ask questions, share feedback and ideas that will strengthen impact, and celebrate the collective results of everyone's contributions.

Ensure that the volunteer experience has contributed towards their studies/career growth. Have a feedback session on their volunteering experience with the organization will benefit both parties. Furthermore, the organization can also think of re-engaging them in future activities allowing them with opportunities to explore more

Initiate contact with a personalized message expressing gratitude for their contributions. Highlight the impact of their work on the organization. Clearly explain that you value their experience and insights. Express a genuine interest in learning their perspectives to improve the volunteer program. Reach out to them a few weeks after their departure to give them some time to transition. It could be through a survey, email, phone call, or an in-person meeting, whichever they prefer. Encourage detailed responses by asking open-ended questions. Inquire about any suggestions for enhancement. Direct questions towards specific aspects of their volunteer experience, such as training, support, organizational culture, or the impact of their work.

Seeking feedback is crucial because what the organization seeks on paper might be different from what volunteers on the ground have seen. Perhaps, logistics was not efficient, or perhaps the outreach to the community had not been as successful as initially expected due to the location or circumstances. Volunteers provide the best insight into the execution of an event. Furthermore, integrating them into a review of the event gives them a sense of belonging and a stake in future events. Remember, volunteers are giving up their precious time to help an organization which aligns with their own beliefs and opinions. Catering to their concerns will show that their effort is appreciated and that will incentivize them to help again in the future.

In my experience working with volunteers, I have found it’s important to remember that they are looking for something that impacts them in a deeply personal way, something we cannot control completely. It’s important to understand that leaving isn’t always a jab at leadership, or the organization. We should allow their departure to be a positive thing, and ensure they know the door is always open for their return, should that be the case. I’ve seen many volunteers return in a better situation than their initial arrival, leading to a better environment for the organization, and the volunteer.

Volunteering may be a pathway to employment within your organization. Whether students or recent grads, mid-career professionals or individuals inspired by their volunteer experience, some of your best employees can be former volunteers. Getting to know volunteers, their strengths and interests, and keeping them in mind when jobs open is an excellent way to retain or bring them and their talents back into the organization. This is also one of many reasons doing outreach to communities that are underrepresented in your workforce is important when recruiting volunteers, as is building strong relationships with your HR team so you can make those connections when the time is right.

Volunteers are such an integral part of any non profit and understanding that most volunteers, if not all do not seek to be volunteers in one capacity for the rest of their lives. Hence, it's important to create an environment where volunteers can work in safety and when they leave (which they always will), they will be indirect ambassadors of your work because people always remember how you made them feel as opposed to what you said. Thus, when life comes full circle, that volunteer may interact with your work again in a whole different capacity that would make you glad that you created a safe environment for your volunteers to not just thrive but leave peacefully when their time is done.

The central point here, before the steps mentioned, comes from the root. Has the volunteer had a clear process for identifying learning outcomes? Can he/she measure the value of his/her contribution in the organisation? When there were difficulties, did he/she get support from the staff? Was his/her work recognised in an optimal way? Did he/she feel 100% part of the team? if the answer to these questions is yes, the post-volunteer relationship will be easy to manage because there will be trust, esteem and respect with the volunteer who left the organisation.

As a non-profit manager, maintaining positive relationships with former volunteers involves: 1. Thanking Them: Show appreciation for their contributions. 2. Staying in Touch: Use newsletters and social media to keep them updated. 3. Inviting to Events: Include them in special events or reunions. 4. Seeking Feedback: Ask for their insights on their volunteer experience. 5. Recognising Their Work: Publicly acknowledge their efforts and achievements. 6. Offering Networking Opportunities: Connect them with current staff and other volunteers. 7. Informing About Re-engagement Opportunities: Let them know about different ways they can contribute in the future. 8. Creating Alumni Networks: Establish a group for former volunteers to stay connected.