Virtual volunteering opportunities allow organizations to engage supporters who are unable to volunteer in-person for any number of reasons. Encouraging virtual volunteering can increase the frequency and impact of your volunteer events, and there are a ton of tools you can use to make each event a success. Here are a few things you’ll want to use to get started, or improve, your virtual volunteer experience.
Registration and booking should be easy for anyone who wants to participate in your virtual volunteer event. There are a lot of registration tools you can use with a variety of features and pricing plans. Regardless of what registration tool you use, you should make sure it suits your needs and gives your registrants the confirmation and information they need to join your event. Your registration tool is one of the first ways a virtual volunteer will interact with you, and a confusing or unhelpful system could make them reluctant to work with you.
The basics of volunteer communication, like confirmation, location, and other details, still need to be provided for online events. Once you are connected digitally, though, it may be beneficial for your volunteers to have a regular way of communicating with you. Setting up an inbox that gets checked daily for questions or even a Slack or other messaging channel where your team members and volunteers can communicate, share wins, and ask questions can really help your volunteers feel engaged with you. You can use these tools to update volunteers on new events, share exciting news, and provide information about your organization.
While a lot of virtual volunteer work is solo rather than collaborative, like phone or text banking, it is still important that your volunteers have a face they recognize. Starting off each event with a quick video call and training and then keeping a video call open for people to rejoin as needed throughout the event can help your volunteers feel supported throughout their virtual experience.
Virtual volunteer opportunities can be a fun way to encourage individuals to support your organization. With their ease of access, you are more likely to get regular volunteers, even on weeknights. Volunteers are essential to many organizations, so if you are new to virtual volunteering or would like to improve your current virtual volunteer opportunities make sure you have these essential tools and then ask your volunteer base what they want to see from you.