Over 5 million dedicated Australians donated time as volunteers to charitable and not-for-profit organisations. That is about a quarter of the total population over the age of 15. These incredible resources add a sense of community and commitment to your NFP’s cause, which is crucial to success.
One of the best strategies for boosting donor funds to your nonprofit is to transform already committed volunteers into long-term donors. Finding a way to infuse a greater sense of dedication or leveraging those retiring in such a way that their contributions continue long after they hang up their volunteer badge.
At Web105, we help Australian government organisations, healthcare providers, and NFPs build responsive, mobile websites that are easy to navigate. We often build out volunteer and donor pages and frequently hear about how valuable those volunteers are in the long run because they usually want to remain a part of the organisation after they are done volunteering.
Here are some essential tips to help you transform volunteers into donors for your Australian NFP.
1 – Streamline Your Recruitment Process
Yes, you want to get those much-needed donor funds, but a surprising way to ensure this happens is by optimising your volunteer recruitment process. When potential volunteers witness firsthand how efficient and mission-oriented your recruitment process is, they have more faith and trust in your ability to achieve goals.
Even better, you can use a streamlined recruitment process to follow up with news, information, and donor opportunities. For example, having an intake form that captures email and address information allows you to segment your previous, current, and future volunteers into categories you can target with fundraising campaigns.
2 – Emphasise Volunteer Appreciation
The number one way to improve volunteer relations begins and ends with appreciation. While your nonprofit organisation should be client-centric, your ability to achieve goals should consistently be recognised through the lens of volunteer efforts.
That appreciation will bleed into other relationships. You never know when the older volunteer donating time to your cat rescue nonprofit is also a wealthy potential donor simply waiting for the chance to offer more contributions. A little appreciation goes a long way to making people feel heard and seen for their efforts.
3 – Personalise Everything
When the time comes to finally “make the ask” about fundraising to your volunteers, make it a personalised interaction. Start with a thank you note that points out all the hard work and detailed dedication that person has provided in the past.
When you’re ready, communicate the specific needs of the future and demonstrate how their contribution and volunteer hours impact your overall success. Show them they are crucial to your operations, and they will feel obliged and grateful for the opportunity to continue contributing in new ways.
4 – Turn Them into Fundraisers
There is a good chance your volunteers talk about your Australian nonprofit to friends, family, coworkers, and other community organisations. In many cases, these relationships include lucrative donors and partnerships you may have never considered before.
Make it easy for your volunteers to invite their networks of connections to join and contribute to your NFP. Have a donor page that streamlines the process, and be sure to CC volunteers about upcoming events, fundraisers, and other news that includes impact statements about your organisation.
5 – Cultivate a Culture of Stewardship
Philanthropy among your volunteers is not far from what they already provide. You are creating a culture where your team and volunteers share the values, vision, and mission of your NFP. These passionate players feel a need to maintain such a culture as stewards to ensure its future.
That stewardship is a powerful motivator. You can leverage such a feeling by demonstrating how their role as donors ensures the future of your organisation so the mission can continue providing essential services to your target demographic.
6 – Track Volunteer Engagement
Just like you would track all your donor activity, you also want to make note of volunteer engagement. Knowing the critical metrics behind those contributing the most allows you to identify trends and relationships worth further exploring.
A trick that helps with this tracking is generation jumping. Being able to understand what demographics contribute the most time and then designating metrics like service hours, event attendings, social media interactions, one-on-one phone calls, and more so you know which volunteers are likely to make the leap to long-term donors.
7 – Don’t Forget Corporate & Entity Donors
How many times have you met someone only to find out they are the niece, son, daughter, or mother of some high-level CEO or celebrity? The connections you make with your volunteers unearth all kinds of information that can lead to significant boosts in your donor funds intake levels.
Corporate and other entities want to donate to NFPs. There are tax incentives and reputation marketing that can boost sales figures when they have powerful relationships with NFPs just like you. Whenever you learn about these connections, be sure to make notes so you can cultivate such relationships for future growth.
Wrapping Up
Bringing volunteers and donors together under one umbrella that benefits your Australian NFP is much easier when you have a few tools readily available. Start with a fantastic and beautiful website design from our team at Web 105. This way, you have a streamlined and mobile-responsive method for donors to give money and volunteers to sign up for hours.
Next, find a CRM and VMS that allows your organisation to weed through data points so you can leverage those volunteers you know will happily make the leap. You never know when providing a simple opportunity to give a little cash will turn into a solid relationship you can count on for years to come.
FAQs
How many volunteers become donors?
There is research supporting everything from 35% to 85% of volunteers eventually donating money to a not-for-profit. The trick is finding the best-fit volunteers to boost your statistics more than a general shot across the bow that doesn’t target personalised relationships.
How to ask volunteers for donations?
Start by making it easy to donate through a streamlined and mobile-responsive website. Next, tell your personal stories about your mission and how it impacts the greater good of society. Finally, encourage volunteers to spread that message to friends, family, coworkers, and the greater community.
How do I ask for donations without begging?
Show instead of telling. Use campaigns and marketing to demonstrate how your NFP helps those in need and provides opportunities for others to share in that assistance. You’ll be surprised at the caring and passionate support you solicit simply by asking in a professional and non-pushy way.