Written by Kasey Murphy

Volunteer Coordinator Resource Community Recap 4/19-4/26

Great job, Volunteer Coordinators! You survived National Volunteer Week. Great job for all your hard work in supporting and showcasing your appreciation towards your volunteers! 

This week, we had some posts from Volunteer Coordinators that fell into three categories. One being digitalizing your volunteer program, and helping automate volunteer management processes. Next, exit interviews for volunteers who are leaving. The last topic is finding interactive and small things to do with and for your volunteers. 

Let’s dive in! 

Digitalizing Your Volunteer Program 

Let’s start with this post! There were 11 different comments on different volunteer software programs that provide volunteer sign-in from a tablet. 

Allowing volunteers to sign into events or meetings on a tablet is beneficial for attendance to be collected easily and for the potential option to track volunteer hours. 

We can’t speak for all the software programs that were in the comments, but we offer two different digital sign-in opportunities for volunteers! 

Track It Forward can do digital event sign-in sheets, which are connected to our event calendar and volunteer RSVPs, or there is a check in kiosk that allows volunteers to check in and out on a kiosk whenever they volunteer! 

Both these options fulfill the ease of volunteers signing in and out, tracking time, and recording attendance. When using Track It Forward, the check in and out the process on both methods will automatically record volunteer time and save it! 

Resources about Volunteer Digital Sign In Sheets and Check In Kiosks 

• The Best Volunteer Check In System for Your Organization - The Mobile Check In Kiosk!

• Combine Volunteer Scheduling and Volunteer Time Tracking By Using Track It Forward As A Volunteer Scheduling Tool

• Digital Event Sign In Sheet With Track It Forward 

• Check In Kiosk With Track It Forward 

Volunteer Exit Interviews 

Next, as volunteer programs revolutionize, it is important to understand volunteer feedback. Exit interviews are a great way to gather feedback from volunteers who choose to no longer volunteer with your organization. 

A common misconception about volunteer interviews is that it has to be negative or is going to be solely about that one person’s experience. But, a volunteer exit interview could be a great way to understand flaws or missteps in your volunteer program from a volunteer or outsider’s perspective. 

Here’s some advice from the comments: 

• “Exit interviews work best in person if you can get the volunteer to agree. But if a volunteer is leaving because of a move or life change, they are usually very busy and you're lucky to get them to respond to a phone call or a survey. i've only found exit interviews to be moderately helpful. “

• “Questions include length of service, what they enjoyed, their interactions with staff, was volunteer services staff helpful and supportive, their reason for leaving, their least favorite parts of the volunteer program, how staff can improve their inclusion of volunteers, how can the vol coordinator improve, did they need more or less supervision, would you recommend us to others?”

• “We do an exit survey and give the volunteer the option of whether or not they want to state their name.”

• I do an exit survey using survey monkey so they can leave their feedback anonymously

Resources To Consider 

• Volunteer Management Best Practices - How To Evaluate What You Can Work On To Be The Best Volunteer Manager or Coordinator

• Sample Volunteer Exit Interview 

Minimal Effort Volunteer Engagement 

We had two posts from volunteer coordinators trying to think of fun quirky ways to engage and interact with volunteers. 

Ideas From The Comments 

• “I just made stickers for my volunteers with our logo and it says “volunteer”. I’m hoping they will stick them on their cars so not only do they feel belonging but also recruiting new volunteers. I had the stickers made and donated by a local sign company for free. Just an idea!”

• “We gave away wildflower seeds at a drive through event recently and I was surprised by the reaction of those that received them. Overwhelmingly positive. You can include a note that says "thanks for helping us grow" The seed packets were super cheap.”

• “I've made personalized masks with a Cricut and our logo, so the volunteers can wear them on site if we ever reopen”

• “I like to drop hand written cards and post cards in the mail..”

Zoom is getting harder and harder to be interactive, but these Volunteer Coordinators in the comments seem to have it down! Check out these ideas: 

• “Scavenger hunt! We've done this twice in breakout rooms of 3-5 people. Themed based on the event. Groups search for a list of items in their home. We learned the longer the list, the better to avoid ties. Include some obscure items.”

• “We are having Pictionary for our event on Friday, hopefully, it's fun! We are a very small organization, so we are creating a virtual cup for the winning team!”

• “We also did Kahoot with about 12 people. Our volunteer recognition was Great Gatsby themed so it was all 20's Trivia, and the winner got a $25 gift card. It was a huge hit. Those volunteers were mostly seniors so took a bit of navigating and encouragement to get them connected, but once they were "in" they had a blast.”

Check out these Resources On Volunteer Engagement! 

• Volunteer Incentives and Engagement Ideas That Won’t Cost Your Organization A Dime

• Different Ways To Show Volunteer Appreciation During The Pandemic