How can you use volunteer recognition to attract qualified applicants?

1 Why volunteer recognition matters

Volunteer recognition is more than just saying thank you. It is also a way to communicate your mission, vision, and goals, and to demonstrate how volunteers contribute to your nonprofit's success. By recognizing volunteers, you can create a positive and supportive work environment, foster a sense of belonging and community, and increase volunteer satisfaction and retention. Additionally, you can use volunteer recognition to highlight the skills, achievements, and potential of your volunteers, and to encourage them to pursue professional development and career opportunities within your nonprofit.

2 How to recognize volunteers effectively

When it comes to recognizing volunteers, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. However, you should always tailor your recognition to the preferences and motivations of your volunteers, and be specific and sincere in your feedback and praise. To show your appreciation, consider sending personalized thank-you notes or cards, featuring volunteers in newsletters or on social media, organizing appreciation events or awarding certificates. You may also want to provide training, mentoring, or coaching opportunities, give feedback or recommendations, invite volunteers to join committees or boards, or provide perks such as discounts or vouchers.

3 How to showcase your organizational culture through volunteer recognition

One of the benefits of volunteer recognition is that it can help you showcase your organizational culture to potential applicants. Your organizational culture is the set of values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape how you work and interact as a nonprofit. By recognizing volunteers, you can convey your culture through the tone, style, and frequency of your communication, the type and level of recognition you offer, and the opportunities and challenges you present. For example, if your culture is collaborative, you can recognize volunteers for their teamwork and cooperation, and invite them to participate in decision-making and problem-solving processes. If your culture is innovative, you can recognize volunteers for their creativity and initiative, and encourage them to share their ideas and feedback.

4 How to leverage volunteer recognition to create a talent pipeline

Volunteer recognition can help you create a talent pipeline for your staff positions, which is a pool of qualified and interested candidates who are ready to fill your current or future hiring needs. By recognizing volunteers, you can identify and nurture those with the skills, experience, and passion that match your nonprofit's goals and values. Additionally, you can use volunteer recognition to promote your staff positions by showcasing the success stories and testimonials of former volunteers who became staff members, sharing the benefits and expectations of working for your nonprofit, providing information and guidance on how to apply and prepare for interviews, and following up with volunteers who applied to provide feedback and encouragement.

5 How to measure the impact of volunteer recognition on your hiring

Finally, to ensure your volunteer recognition strategy is effective and aligned with your hiring goals, you need to measure its impact on your volunteer and applicant pool. To do this, you can use various tools and methods to collect and analyze data on the quality, quantity, and diversity of your volunteers and applicants, as well as their relation to your recognition practices. Metrics and indicators such as volunteer satisfaction, engagement, retention rates, volunteer referrals, testimonials, reviews, skills, achievements, performance, number, source and quality of applicants as well as applicant satisfaction, engagement and conversion rates can help you evaluate the effectiveness of your strategy. This way you can identify strengths and weaknesses of your practices and make adjustments or improvements as needed.

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?