04/05/2017

To Deepen Engagement, Redefine Volunteering

Strengthen engagement by creating opportunities that match your members’ volunteering preferences

Offering volunteer opportunities can be one of the most effective ways to bring members closer to your association. But the work they do needs to benefit the volunteer as well as the organization. One way to deepen member engagement is create enough different opportunities to match your members’ volunteering preferences.

If you’re a frequent social media user, you probably follow those hashtags that pop up in your Twitter or Facebook feed. And if you’re an association executive, you probably follow #AssnChator #MembershipHack, which can often lead you to tips for recruiting, retaining, and engaging members. Well, turns out there’s another hashtag to follow: #VolunteerLove is how some associations and other nonprofits are sharing and recognizing different types of volunteerism.

Often volunteering is one of the “stickiest bonds” that an association can have with its members, says Peggy Hoffman, CAE, president of Mariner Management and Marketing. Last week, she led an ASAE webinar explaining the meaning of #VolunteerLove. In essence, it’s about creating mutually beneficial relationships for associations and volunteers. Usually, that means matching the right volunteer to the right job.

Please click here to read the complete article from Associations Now.