Engage, Inspire, and Support: Timeless Tips for Volunteer Management

Volunteers are the backbone of every successful grassroots campaign, and while a lot has changed about the way we organize since the COVID-19 pandemic, my tips for effective volunteer recruitment (and retention) remain the same at their core.

I am a Democratic political consultant with a background in field organizing, so I understand intimately the critical role that dedicated and passionate volunteers play in driving a campaign’s success. Since many small to medium-sized campaigns have partially or fully transitioned their volunteer operations online, I have seen a significant decrease in recruitment, engagement, and retention. Today, I will share some tips with you about building and maintaining a strong volunteer base.

1) Build genuine connections with your volunteers. Whether you are the campaign manager or the field organizer, if you are tasked with recruitment, you should always make the effort to get to know your volunteers, learn their stories, their “why’s,” and meet them where they are in terms of skills, interests, and availability. Remember, if you want to have a strong volunteer team that comes back shift after shift, they need to feel ownership and excitement about the work they are doing. Do everything you can to make them feel valued and heard.

2) Create a positive and energetic environment, even if it’s virtual. Volunteers don’t want to show up for their shifts and immediately feel drained by the work environment. Play some music, incorporate games and challenges into their activities, celebrate wins, and, when you can, pay for food!

3) Numbers really do make a difference. Don’t feel discouraged by all the nos. Just like sales, volunteer recruitment is a numbers game and field plans regularly consist of hundreds of calls, texts, and emails to volunteers every week. And of course, whenever you can, get out your clipboard and make the connections in person. Nothing beats showing up in person to classrooms, club meetings, and community events.

4) Follow up on your follow up. I get a lot of resistance on this one, but you should be confirming your volunteers not once, but twice! After the initial contact and schedule, call or text the details of the shift 24–48 hours before the shift and again about 8 hours before to confirm they are good to go. And when someone asks to reschedule, cancel, or just straight up flakes, follow up! Do not wait for them to come to you. Be proactive, and just a tiny bit pushy. In a nice way!

5) Provide proper training and support. It can be so discouraging to show up for a volunteer shift and not be given instructions. Whether or not you have repeat volunteers at the activity, always walk through the instructions so everyone is familiar and comfortable with their role and your expectations. This will increase your volunteers’ confidence and success rates, and will keep them coming back! (Need help training your team? Check out Speak Out and Run Academy for Operatives. We may be a little biased, but we think it’s pretty great.)

For more on volunteer management and field best practices, schedule a free one-on-one with Evinco today: Book a call today.

Written by Mari Latibashvili at Evinco Strategies.