If you’ve planned a nonprofit event before, you know how large of an undertaking it can be to ensure these fundraisers run smoothly. While investing in the right event technology can help your team modernize its registration and logistical processes, having a reliable team of volunteers on the ground remains a critical component of your overall success. 

However, recruiting and coordinating volunteers can feel overwhelming, especially for nonprofit leaders organizing their first events. To ease that burden and ensure your operations run smoothly, let’s walk through a few tips to help your nonprofit effectively manage volunteers for its upcoming events.

1. Recruit volunteers well in advance of your event

To secure your volunteer workforce, you’ll need to launch recruiting campaigns well in advance of the big day. Reaching out early helps you fill all of your vital volunteer roles before your supporters' personal schedules inevitably fill up. And that’s more likely to happen than you think; studies show that 49% of individuals report that they often can’t volunteer because of other obligations. 

To build a robust team ahead of time, consider the following early recruitment strategies:

• Tap into existing networks. Reach out directly to past supporters who have previous volunteering experience with your organization, since they’ve demonstrated that they care about your mission and may want to support you again.
• Set clear expectations. Be upfront in your role descriptions about the specific responsibilities, required skills, and expected time commitments to attract the right fit for each position.
• Spread the word. Utilize multi-channel marketing to notify your supporter base about open volunteer opportunities. Effective strategies include promoting the event on your website and social media channels, running digital ads, and printing physical flyers to target a local audience.

Beyond simply filling slots, you should match your volunteers’ unique strengths to their assigned roles for a much more efficient workflow. For example, you might assign highly outgoing individuals to guest-facing tasks like registration and check-in while directing detail-oriented volunteers to behind-the-scenes support roles. 

2. Ensure training is tailored and flexible

Comprehensive volunteer training is essential before events, but making everyone attend a single, synchronous meeting often leads to scheduling conflicts and drop-offs. Instead, it’s helpful to provide asynchronous resources that team members can review on their own schedule before they arrive at the venue. 

To optimize your preparation process, you should: 

• Focus your volunteer training materials strictly on event-specific tasks to avoid overwhelming your volunteers with broader organizational information that they don’t actively need. 
• Break down complex logistical processes into short, easy-to-digest formats like quick training videos or accessible tip sheets.
• If your upcoming event features a high volume of new volunteers, intentionally schedule experienced volunteers to work alongside newcomers. Experienced volunteers can serve as a guide or an immediate point of contact for questions or concerns. 

Better Impact also recommends diversifying your training materials as much as possible. Some volunteers may prefer to work through guided courses, while others learn better when reading through documents or watching videos at their own pace. Additionally, consider how you’ll onboard virtual volunteers, whether your event is also fully virtual or you have some preparatory positions for in-person or hybrid events that could be done remotely. 

3. Use dedicated volunteer management software

Coordinating dozens of people requires precision, and utilizing the right technology is the best way to achieve it. That’s why you should consider investing in volunteer management software. Transitioning to a dedicated system solves several administrative errors that are common with manual tracking, like scheduling conflicts and double-booking. Plus, this solution lets you keep all of your waivers, schedules, and contact information in one secure place, so you can always access data and resources when you need them. 

Leveraging a volunteer management platform provides a seamless digital experience for your volunteers as well. When they can easily log into an intuitive portal to sign up for event roles or update their contact preferences, they feel a greater sense of autonomy over their work and respect from your organization.

4. Establish clear communication channels 

Clear, two-way communication between your team and your volunteers is vital for a smooth event experience. Here are a few ways you can ensure everyone stays informed:

• Proactively remind volunteers about logistical information prior to their shift. This can include parking directions, dress codes, and on-site arrival times.
• Establish a definitive chain of command on the day of the event. This way, the team knows exactly who to approach if they encounter an issue. 
• Ask for your volunteers’ feedback promptly. While the experience is still fresh in their minds, they’re better equipped to provide constructive feedback that you can use to improve your event experiences. 

To keep communication open during events, create one text thread for all event volunteers and staff. Additionally, you may want to set up distinct chat channels for different volunteer groups so that event managers can broadcast real-time updates only to the volunteers who really need to see them. 

5. Show your appreciation to your volunteers post-event

The conclusion of your event doesn’t mark the end of your work with your volunteers. In order to retain their support long-term, you need to demonstrate that you value them. One way you can achieve this is by showing your appreciation to your volunteers promptly after the event. 

Fortunately, there are various ways you can thank your volunteers for their hard work. Here are some of our favorites:

• Send personalized eCards or thank-you letters. Add the volunteers’ preferred names and mention specific ways they helped your organization during the event to show you paid attention to their unique contributions. 
• Record a brief video message featuring a board member or organizational leader thanking the volunteers personally. When your supporters see that your leadership carved out some time to make this video, they will feel honored. 
• Shout them out on social media. Highlight volunteers’ impact publicly to your broader digital audience and supporters’ networks. Just make sure to obtain each volunteer’s permission to share their name and photo before you do so. 
• Offer gifts. Physical tokens of gratitude provide a tangible reminder of your event. Your nonprofit’s branded merchandise (e.g., mugs, notebooks, pens, or clothing) is a popular gift idea, but you could also provide high-quality snacks or discount cards from your event sponsors. 
• Provide recognition awards. For event volunteers who went above and beyond, certificates or plaques can show that you noticed their achievements. If you host regular volunteer appreciation events, you could present their awards then for an extra special experience. 

Take note of how your volunteers respond to your appreciation strategies. This helps you decide which tactics to repeat in future events and which you may need to adjust. 

Events remain one of a nonprofit’s greatest tools, and to ensure they are a success, you need to recruit passionate volunteers ASAP and provide them with the proper training materials. We urge you to take time this week to audit your existing volunteer training strategy. When you identify and resolve just one bottleneck in your scheduling or training process today, you will prevent major logistical headaches on event day.