What's the best way to plan volunteer events?

2 Choose your activities

Once you have your goals, you can choose the activities that best suit your event. Depending on your objectives, you might want to organize a service project, a fundraising campaign, a training session, a social gathering, or a combination of these. Think about what skills, interests, and needs your volunteers have, and what challenges and opportunities your community faces. Choose activities that are relevant, engaging, and achievable for your volunteers and your cause.

3 Recruit and train your volunteers

The next step is to recruit and train your volunteers for your event. You want to attract volunteers who are passionate, committed, and diverse. You can use various channels to promote your event, such as social media, newsletters, flyers, word-of-mouth, or partnerships with other organizations. You can also use online platforms or tools to register, screen, and manage your volunteers. Once you have your volunteers, you need to train them on the goals, expectations, and logistics of your event. You can provide them with orientation materials, manuals, videos, or webinars. You can also assign them roles, tasks, and responsibilities, and pair them with mentors or leaders.

4 Prepare your resources

Another important step is to prepare your resources for your event. You need to consider what materials, equipment, and facilities you need to run your activities. You also need to budget for any costs, such as transportation, food, insurance, or permits. You can seek donations, sponsorships, or grants to support your event, or ask your volunteers to contribute or fundraise. You also need to plan for any contingencies, such as bad weather, emergencies, or cancellations.

5 Execute your event

The day of your event is when you put your plan into action. You need to coordinate and supervise your volunteers, ensure their safety and well-being, and troubleshoot any issues that arise. You also need to document and celebrate your event, by taking photos, videos, testimonials, or feedback. You can use social media, blogs, or newsletters to share your stories, achievements, and gratitude. You can also recognize and reward your volunteers, by giving them certificates, gifts, or invitations to future events.

6 Follow up and evaluate your event

The last step is to follow up and evaluate your event. You need to thank your volunteers, donors, partners, and stakeholders for their support and participation. You can send them emails, cards, or surveys to express your appreciation and ask for their feedback. You also need to analyze and report on your event, by collecting and reviewing data, metrics, or stories. You can use tools or methods to measure your outputs, outcomes, and impacts. You can also identify what worked well and what can be improved for your next event.

7 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?