Written by Jordan Galerkin

How to Improve Volunteer Recruitment and Onboarding

Managing a nonprofit volunteer program often feels like a high-wire balancing act. On one side, you’re constantly searching for passionate individuals to support your mission. On the other side, you’re drowning in the administrative paperwork required to get them cleared and ready to work.

Inefficient onboarding processes are one of the leading causes of volunteer drop-off and coordinator burnout. When prospective volunteers face confusing sign-ups, delayed background checks, or disorganized training schedules, they lose enthusiasm.

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way. The most efficient solutions for recruiting and onboarding volunteers involve a mix of creative recruiting events, clear communication, varied volunteer opportunities, and centralized tracking software to manage training, requirements, events, and hours. Let's explore how you can streamline every step of the volunteer journey.

Creative Solutions for Recruiting Volunteers

Before you can onboard a great volunteer, you have to attract them. Relying solely on local bulletin boards or sporadic social media posts is no longer enough. Here are some creative ways to boost recruitment and bring the right people to your organization.

Leverage your Networks in New Ways

Word-of-mouth remains one of the most powerful recruitment tools. Empower your current, highly engaged volunteers to recruit on your behalf by hosting a "Bring-a-Friend" day. This provides a low-pressure environment for prospective volunteers to experience your organization alongside someone they trust. 

You can also collaborate with other nearby nonprofits to host a Volunteer Exchange day, where organizations swap volunteers to educate new audiences about different local missions. Adding a social element to volunteering allows people to come together and experience your organization in a fun and rewarding way.

Pro Tip: If you use a volunteer management and communication platform like Track it Forward, you can easily pull a list of your most active volunteers and send a mass email or text inviting them to lead these recruitment events.

Utilize a Digital Event Calendar

If your sign-up process requires volunteers to email you, wait for a response, and negotiate shift times, you’re most likely losing people. Move away from messy email threads and make it easy for people to volunteer with an online event calendar.

Implementing a digital event calendar allows prospective volunteers to view upcoming needs and RSVP instantly from their phone or computer. A centralized calendar creates a frictionless sign-up process, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for new recruits. 

Pro Tip: If you use a platform like Track it Forward, you can categorize volunteer events so that only eligible volunteers see certain opportunities. For example, if new volunteers must complete an orientation first, they will only see orientation events on the calendar.

“Track it Forward is very intuitive and easy to use. It really helps me stay on track with the events in my non-profit volunteering. I'm even reminded to log my hours after an event. I rely on it to keep me organized.” –Lori, Volunteer at Bright Eyes Dog Rescue

Offer a Variety of Opportunities Catered to Volunteer Skills and Interests

Volunteers are more likely to commit when they feel their specific talents are being utilized. During the recruitment phase, actively survey new volunteers for specialized skills, such as marketing and communications, graphic design, construction, etc.

With a platform like Track it Forward, you can easily add custom fields to the volunteer profile. As new volunteers register, they can select their skills and interests from a dropdown list, allowing coordinators to quickly filter and recruit the right people for targeted, meaningful roles.

Efficient Solutions for Onboarding and Training Volunteers

Once a volunteer signs up, how do you get them ready to work without spending hours on manual data entry? The volunteer onboarding process must be standardized and, whenever possible, automated.

Track Waivers and Background Check Status

It’s time to move away from physical binders and filing cabinets. Use digital forms to collect necessary waiver consent, emergency contact information, and background check clearance status. By digitizing this process, you ensure that no paperwork is lost and that you have a clear, timestamped record of every volunteer’s clearance before their first shift.

Pro Tip: Add custom fields to the volunteer profile in Track it Forward to track status like background check clearance. Then easily filter volunteers by this status to send communications and restrict access to certain shifts on the event calendar.

Standardize the Orientation Process

Confusion is the enemy of retention. Create a clear, recurring onboarding checklist that every volunteer must follow. Whether your onboarding process requires watching a training video series, reading a handbook, or attending a live orientation, make the steps crystal clear and easy to access from day one.

Track Training and Requirements with Software

Many nonprofits, particularly those working with vulnerable populations, have strict compliance requirements. A volunteer might need to complete 5 hours of specialized training, sign a confidentiality waiver, and pass a background check before they are allowed to sign up for certain volunteer shifts. Tracking this manually on a spreadsheet is a recipe for compliance failures.

This is where Track it Forward comes in. Coordinators can set up custom requirements for new recruits. Volunteers can log their specific "Training Hours" or sign up for training events on the calendar. Administrators can then review and approve these submissions in one centralized dashboard.

“Track it Forward has proved an easy tool for recording my education and volunteer hours. I can get on the app and my account seamlessly and log hours in a jiffy. No fuss!” –Linda, Volunteer at McCall Heartland Idaho Master Naturalists

The Role of Volunteer Tracking Software in Efficient Onboarding

Software is the ultimate solution that bridges the gap between initial recruitment, smooth onboarding, and long-term retention. An affordable solution like Track it Forward offers everything you need to keep track of volunteers.

Centralize Your Volunteer Data

Spreadsheets fail as volunteer programs grow. They cause data silos, version control issues, and administrative headaches. A dedicated volunteer tracking platform keeps contact information, skills, availability, and onboarding progress in one secure, easily accessible place.

Empower Volunteers with a Mobile App

Shift the administrative burden away from your desk and into the hands of your volunteers. By using the Track it Forward mobile app, volunteers can view orientation schedules, log their training hours on the go, and check their progress toward their specific onboarding requirements. When volunteers are empowered to manage their own onboarding journey, coordinators save hours of administrative time.

“This was my first experience volunteering with Cross Roads at Big Creek, and I was very surprised to learn that there was even an app to track volunteer hours. Track it Forward is so straight-forward and simple to use. I really liked getting an email to remind me to track my hours.” –Volunteer at Cross Roads at Big Creek Nature Preserve

Track Onboarding Progress and Manage Event Access

When managing complex requirements, you need a fail-safe to ensure untrained volunteers aren't signing up for restricted shifts. Using Track it Forward’s custom profile fields, you can track exactly who has completed their training, background checks, and waiver consents. In addition, you can filter your event calendar by these categories, ensuring that only eligible, fully onboarded volunteers can RSVP for specific events.

Smooth Onboarding Leads to Higher Volunteer Retention

Efficient onboarding isn't just about saving time for the coordinator; it's about keeping volunteers happy and engaged. First impressions matter. If a volunteer’s onboarding experience is smooth, professional, and organized, they will view your entire organization that way.

When volunteers can log into their Track it Forward app and instantly see their past hours and completed requirements, they feel an immediate sense of accomplishment. Furthermore, coordinators can use custom reports to easily identify and celebrate volunteers who have successfully hit their onboarding milestones, fostering a culture of appreciation from day one.

An All-in-One Volunteer Management Solution You Can Rely On

Efficient recruitment and onboarding means removing barriers for your volunteers and automating administrative tasks for your staff. By leveraging digital calendars, clear checklists, and smart software, you can transform your onboarding process from a bottleneck into a seamless pipeline.

Stop manually tracking orientation hours and chasing down physical paperwork. Discover how Track it Forward can streamline your nonprofit's onboarding process with an app volunteers actually like using! Learn more about our features and plans to get started.