Building Community Among Volunteers

Building community amongst our volunteers is crucial to encourage engagement and connections for all of them...especially the ones we don't see very often.

There can often be challenges to building that sense of community, particularly when we are often faced with short-term and one-off event volunteers. It is still important to let these volunteers know that they're thought of and that you're around if needed, and it is especially important to make sure these volunteers still feel like part of the team! But how do we do this?

Share your impact! This can help build excitement about your organisation and increase interest and engagement in what you do.

Share stories! Particularly from long-time volunteers, these stories and experiences should include quotes and photos of volunteer activity.

Ask questions! Find out what motivates the volunteers and use that to encourage connections and community over shared goals.

Need some more ideas?

During Open Hours:

• Shared mealtimes, including potlucks
• Invite volunteers to staff
• Lunchtime information sessions
• Photo-wall
• Previous volunteers providing support, connections, and mentoring
• Encouraging communication (could use a whiteboard, binder, post-it notes, etc.)
• Shadowing opportunities

Online:

• Social media groups for volunteers
• Chats using Google Hangouts or social media options
• Sharing hashtags on social media
• Sharing volunteer stories on Facebook and Instagram
• Blog highlighting volunteers and their achievements

Outside Open Hours:

• Sending volunteers to events (discounts, tickets, etc.)
• Formal & informal training
• Community events together as a group
• Appreciation events
• Opportunities to bring family/friends to events