Skip to main content

33 posts tagged with "Volunteer"

Articles about volunteer management

View All Tags

Mobile-First Volunteer Management: Why Your Phone is Your Best Tool

· 7 min read
Giang (Jen) Tran
Operations & Account Manager

Last week, I watched a volunteer coordinator manage an entire 300-person event from her phone. She checked in volunteers, reassigned shifts when two people called out sick, answered questions via text, and pulled real-time attendance reports—all while walking the event floor. Ten years ago, she would have been trapped behind a registration table with a laptop and a stack of paper. That transformation tells you everything about where volunteer management is heading.

TL;DR
  • 51% of nonprofits plan to invest more in mobile technology; organizations not mobile-first are actively losing volunteers
  • Volunteers expect: mobile registration, self-service shift selection, text reminders, mobile check-in, and instant hour logging
  • Coordinators gain freedom: manage from the field, respond in real-time, text teams directly—no desk required
  • Start with an audit: try registering as a volunteer from your phone and honestly assess where it breaks
  • Prioritize high-impact changes: registration → check-in → shift selection → hour logging

Year-Round Engagement: Beyond the Annual Event

· 7 min read
Giang (Jen) Tran
Operations & Account Manager
TL;DR
  • Event-only engagement costs you: recruitment overhead, lost institutional knowledge, broken relationships, reduced event quality
  • Build a year-round rhythm: monthly touchpoints (newsletters, spotlights), quarterly deeper engagement (appreciation events, training)
  • Create ongoing opportunities: administrative support, committee roles, mentorship programs between major events
  • Treat volunteers like alumni: stay connected even when inactive, make returning frictionless ("Welcome back!")
  • Retention benchmarks: below 50% signals problems; strong programs achieve 70-80% year-over-year retention

Showing Leadership the Money: Measuring Volunteer Impact in 2026

· 7 min read
Giang (Jen) Tran
Operations & Account Manager
TL;DR
  • Basic formula: Total volunteer hours × $33.49/hour (national average) = labor value contributed
  • Skill-based valuation: Specialized volunteers (lawyers, accountants, IT pros) contribute at professional rates, not generic ones
  • Track meaningful metrics: retention rate, shift completion, hours per volunteer, cost per volunteer hour, clients served
  • Report for your audience: boards want high-level value; funders want program-specific outcomes; volunteers want collective impact stories
  • Good data requires good systems—accurate hour tracking is foundational to everything else

Gamification Done Right: Engaging Volunteers Without Being Gimmicky

· 7 min read
Giang (Jen) Tran
Operations & Account Manager
TL;DR
  • Gamification taps into psychology: recognition, progress tracking, and community connection—not manipulation
  • Avoid common pitfalls: competition that creates stress, trivializing work, recognition without substance, ignoring intrinsic motivation
  • Design authentic recognition: celebrate real accomplishments, make progress visible, create opt-in elements, keep it simple
  • Practical milestones work: hour-based tiers (25/50/100/250/500), tenure badges, event-specific recognition, team achievements
  • Recognition should honor service, not cheapen it—the 500-hour volunteer deserves acknowledgment

Micro-Volunteering: Making a Big Impact in Small Time Slots

· 8 min read
Giang (Jen) Tran
Operations & Account Manager

"I'd love to volunteer, but I just don't have the time." I hear this constantly from potential volunteers—and increasingly, I think they're right. Not that they're making excuses, but that traditional volunteer programs ask for commitments that don't fit modern lives. The four-hour Saturday shift. The weekly commitment for six months. The mandatory training before you can do anything. For many people, that's simply not possible. Micro-volunteering offers a different path.

TL;DR
  • Micro-volunteering = short, task-based activities (minutes to hours) that fit into busy lives: envelope stuffing, phone calls, data entry, social media posts
  • 46% of volunteers cite flexibility as essential—gig economy mindset, competing demands, and remote options drive this trend
  • Design meaningful micro-tasks: connect every task to impact, provide crystal-clear instructions, enable self-service
  • Create flexible structures: variable shift lengths, on-demand availability, drop-in windows, remote options
  • Micro-volunteers become long-term contributors—the 30-minute volunteer today could be your shift leader in a year