Millennials are busy. Family, jobs, and trying to lead us into the future cause them to not volunteer as much as Gen Z or younger. In fact, around 63% of Gen Z report enjoying some form of volunteer work, a significant improvement compared to other generations.
Why does this matter to your Australian NFP? You can get all the funding you need from government and private contributions, but you still need to hit operational goals with human assets to move you forward.
The best way to ensure that your nonprofit organisation is breathing new life into itself is to focus on a balanced mix of seasoned and younger volunteers.
Why Focus on Youthful Volunteers?
Having a crew of student-led volunteers isn’t just so your marketing materials appear more youthful. There is real value to those younger people willing to put down the screens for a while and offer a helping hand. In many ways, this demographic can provide substantial growth opportunities for your NFP.
Younger volunteers are not set in their ways by years of demanding work yet. True, that means they may require more training, but in return, you get:
- Unique perspectives on ideas that can introduce novel solutions to persistent funding, operational, and marketing challenges.
- Access to upcoming social trends and technologies you may have never heard of before that can streamline your operations and improve your NFP’s mission.
- A fount of new passion and energy that makes your entire organisation feel more alive with a diverse, dynamic environment exploding with enthusiasm.
Most importantly, there is a willingness to learn. These individuals want to help and have the energy and mental flexibility to get things done.
Where to Find Young Volunteers
The type of youthful volunteers you want depends on your NDIS-supported nonprofit. An animal shelter can offer skills, training, and work for everyone, from elementary school kids on a field trip to college graduates hoping to get into a veterinary field.
You want to align the target youth group with your current goals and operational needs. If you have too many, you’ll spend more time trying to keep them busy than experiencing the benefits your NFP needs.
Once you define your goals, seek out help from:
- High Schools and colleges eager to engage with the community for curriculum requirements, university applications, or simply to expand relationships.
- Local youth groups in religious and non-religious capacity. These tend to already have values around teamwork and community service.
- Government-funded programs in the same vein as GoEco, AAOOP, or Adopt a Life.
- Social media has plenty of access to younger volunteers, as long as your messaging and value propositions fit your target audience.
Over time, you’ll begin to see what does and doesn’t work. Even a single youthful volunteer can offer the insight you need to attract their peers, so don’t give up too quickly.
15 Top Ways to Attract Youthful Volunteers
#1 – Focus on Fun
Make volunteering with your NFP fun! Showcase the holiday parties and client celebrations that pull on the heartstrings of the people you wish to attract. Focus on the good and communicate how essential volunteers are to your mission.
#2 – Share Stories
If you have any younger volunteers, now is the best time to highlight their success. Share videos of their work on social media, include a “volunteer spotlight” in your email campaigns or even reach out to local media to do a cover story.
#3 – Craft a Targeted Recruitment Message
You want to “speak their language” when it comes to attracting youth. Not in a cringy way (like a 45-year-old without any musical skill trying to ‘rap’ a message). Test your messaging with the younger siblings and kids of your current employees, donors, and volunteers to see what sticks.
#4 – Form Meaningful Relationships
This should be true for all your volunteers, regardless of age, but foster a welcoming and supportive environment. The relationships you build with your current volunteers make it much easier to get more volunteers through word-of-mouth marketing.
#5 – Reward Achievements
Appreciation goes a long way to driving motivation. However, you can improve this motivation through local partnerships, award galas, and even university scholarships that directly appeal to younger volunteers.
#6 – Make Registration as Easy as Possible
The younger your volunteers, the more comfortable they will be with technology. Have a dedicated volunteer landing page that is mobile responsive and smooths out the entire process of signing up.
Our team at Web 105 can help with this initiative. We work directly with NDIS-supported NFPs, government organisations, and healthcare providers through innovative and modern website design and development. We can build a robust and streamlined volunteer page so your flow of youthful workers continues well into the future. Contact us today to get started!
#7 – Leverage Social Media
You must be on social media. Even something as simple as your adult daycare service trying TikTok trends can appeal to younger volunteers because you are engaging them where they live online and demonstrating your willingness to try new things.
#8 – Offer a Value Proposition
Communicate any tangible benefits of volunteering with your nonprofit organisation. Place emphasis on how working with your NFP provides experience on a CV, networking opportunities with donors and local businesses, and real-world skills crucial to the job market.
#9 – Point Out Pathways to Future Jobs
Volunteering with your NFP is a stepping stone to a future career. The niche area you serve with your mission may be directly related to healthcare, social services, education, and so many other sectors that young people want to experience when deciding what to do for a career.
#10 – Provide Advanced Training
Not every school has access to modern skills crucial in the job market. Everything from running your social media accounts to getting CPR certified can be available through volunteering opportunities.
#11 – Make Direct Appeals
Plenty of high schools and colleges have student governments and organisations that will directly align with your NFP’s mission. If you run an NFP focused on improving the health of waterways across Australia, there are likely programs in nearby schools with students eager to help.
#12 – Host a Booth
It may seem a bit retail, but having a booth at local fairs, educational events, and community get-togethers is a fantastic way to connect with younger volunteers. Something as timeless as a pie-eating contest or a dunk tank goes a long way to boosting word of mouth about your organization and what you offer.
#13 – Talk About the Good
Always appeal to the good side of your target audience. Not only in the good you do in your mission, but in the way you are improving the lives you touch. Idealism is the environment of the young for a reason. We could all do with more idealistic energy, so be sure to communicate how volunteering with your organisation makes people feel good, like they are making a difference in the world – even when so much unwelcome news is out there.
#14 – Offer Class Equivalent Credit
There may be ways to offer high school and college course credit for some of the tasks your volunteers complete. You’ll need to reach out to local schools to know if you qualify, but this could be an excellent relationship to cultivate with an almost guaranteed flow of younger volunteers for years to come.
#15 – Have a Success Plan
Develop roles inside of your volunteer programming that allow for progression. This should be both for “career-like” advancement as well as to help cultivate friends and family connections for more potential volunteers to bolster your ranks.
Final Thoughts
Attracting youthful volunteers requires a more strategic approach than you may have been used to in the past. You must find a way to appeal directly to their unique needs and concerns. When done correctly, you’ll find a wonderful breath of passion, technology, and new ideas in your NFP organisation.
The youth of Australia are not lost. They simply need some substantial opportunities with quality mentorship to fine-tune their skills. These are hardworking, bright young spirits that want to help, but may not know how. Your NFP could be the connective tissue to a brighter tomorrow outside of your core mission – simply by appealing to the youth of today.
Take your time to perfect your communication and work with our team at Web 105 for a streamlined online volunteer portal so when you do experience a surge in volunteers, you’ll be ready.
FAQs
How do you attract youth to volunteer?
Create engaging opportunities where you leverage technology and social media to offer tangible benefits that resonate well with your target youth groups.
How do you attract Gen Z volunteers?
This is the most willing generation already. You need to align your mission values with their goals and then communicate those shared goals through online platforms this generation visits the most.
Why are volunteers important to nonprofits?
Even with total funding, you still need human assets to perform the crucial duties of your NFP. Working with younger volunteers opens new doors to fantastic ideas, technologies, and passion you typically won’t find with other groups.