Top 7 Nonprofit Insights For TARGETING VOLUNTEERS IN 2015 2014 VOLUNTEER INSIGHTS 1
The Current State of Volunteering in the U.S.
Volunteering is at a 10-year low, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report released in 2014.
Between 2012 and 2013 only 25.4% of the United States population donated their time to a nonprofit or charitable organization, a 1.1% decrease over 2011-2012. In comparison, 26.8% of the U.S. population volunteered in 2009 and stayed within a 0.3-5 margin through 2011. To see a 1.1% drop in volunteerism in only one year is a wake-up call to many organizations that rely heavily on volunteers.2
In fact, 85% of all charities have no employees, relying completely on volunteers.
These troubling numbers provoke several questions we seek to answer in this nonprofit-industry guide to volunteers:
■■ Who is interested in volunteering? ■■ What do volunteers want from your organization? ■■ Why do volunteers choose to stop donating their time? ■■ How do potential supporters learn about volunteer opportunities?
In addition, using the latest nonprofit data, we will help your nonprofit or charity identify:
■■ ways to attract new volunteers, ■■ tactics to engage current volunteers, ■■ strategies for converting long-term volunteers into
ambassadors, in the U.S. Volunteers Number of ■■ and tips for converting some volunteers into donors. Year
Identifying & Attracting Potenital Volunteers
WHO is interested in volunteering? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics collected data on the 25.4% of the U.S. population that volunteered in 2013, identifying demographics with the greatest number of volunteers.
Gender In terms of gender, 6.2% more women volunteered than men last year, constituting 28.4% of the female population, as compared to 22.2% of the male population. Experts speculate that women tend to be more empathetic than men, 28.4% and therefore are more apt to volunteer their time to a cause. Other theories suggest that women who are mothers of females might be volunteering their time to organizations that their children are involved in, such as the Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, as women tend to be the more involved spouse when it comes to child rearing.
Age The primary age of most volunteers is between 35 and 44, otherwise known as Generation X. 30.6% of the Generation X population volunteered their time, standing out significantly from other generations. These individuals were born between 1965 and 1979, and are currently 35-49 years old, as of 2014. 30.6% This group is characterized by their independence, stability, and affluence towards the community they live in. As the aged 35-44 offspring of the Baby Boomer generation, who tended to be workaholics and fickle spenders due to growing up in times of heightened economic distress, Generation Xers are just the opposite, emphasizing a work/life balance and investing in the future. 2014 VOLUNTEER INSIGHTS 2
Race Out of all races, Caucasian ethnicities topped the charts for most volunteers with 27.1%. This higher percentage for 27.1% the white demographic is likely due to the current composition of the United States, with 77% of the U.S. population of Caucasian characterized as white, according to the 2013 United States Census QuickFacts. ethnicities Education Education attainment shows the most drastic, demonstrating an, almost, exponential increase in volunteerism for those who attained greater levels of education. Only 9% of those with less than a high school diploma volunteered their time; 16.7% of those who graduated high school but did not attend college volunteered their time; 27.7% of those with some college under their belt, or an Associates Degree volunteered their time; and a whopping 39.8% of those with at least a Bachelor’s Degree volunteered their time in 2013. 39.8% at least a People with a higher level of education are more likely to have a higher paying job, as opposed to those who do not Bachelors even have a high school diploma, and are more likely to have 2-3 jobs and less time to donate. Education also exposes Degree people to new experiences and increases awareness, making those with more education more likely to contribute to the community.
Employment Individuals employed part-time had the highest population percentage of volunteers, at 31.7%, followed by those who are employed full-time at 26.8%, indicating that people who have more free time, but also receive an income, are 31.7% more likely to volunteer that free time. employed part-time 5 PERSONALITY traits of a great volunteer: 1. Self-motivated – individuals who are able to push themselves forward and accomplish goals with ease, are more willing to take on new tasks, specifically tasks that are rewarding and continue to motivate the individual toward new goals and experiences.
2. Selfless – those who willingly offer help, advice, and their time or knowledge to help another living creature, without being asked, are an obvious candidate for volunteer opportunities. For these individuals, the satisfaction of helping someone is payment enough.
3. Happy – while happiness is a generic trait that can come and go, studies suggest that those who are happy the majority of the time will try to maintain their positive disposition by making other people feel happy.
4. Independent – people who tend to lead rather than follow will take initiative and seek out leadership opportunities. Leaders also value independence and will be more outgoing than those who only do things when their friends agree to do it with them.
5. Creative – thinking outside of the box is actually another leadership trait, allowing creative individuals to problem solve and come up with unique solutions to unique problems, which frequently arise, especially when working with nonprofits that might have limited resources. 2014 VOLUNTEER INSIGHTS 3
Creating a Mutually Beneficial Volunteer Experience
WHAT do volunteers want from your organization? The value of one volunteer hour in 2013 ranged from $18.93 to $38.69, depending on the state, and averaging an estimated value of $22.55 per hour nationwide.3 By foregoing payment, volunteering is often categorized as a selfless act, but is that a truly accurate assumption?
Whether a volunteer’s reason is as superficial as bragging rights, or as simplistic as trying to kill time, every volunteer has a reason for volunteering and choosing an organization to volunteer with. In fact, 67% of nonprofit Facebook page “Likes” are because users want to publically display their support for a nonprofit to their friends, according to a Waggener Edstrom Worldwide and Georgetown University report.
Some of the most common reasons for volunteering include:
1. To meet new people or try something new
2. To feel accomplished
3. To give back to the community
4. To do something fun with their free time
5. To travel or experience a new culture
6. To enhance their professional or social image
7. To do something that supports their beliefs or passions
8. To make a difference with time instead of money
By identifying why an individual volunteers, an organization can help the volunteer fulfill the volunteers’ goals while the volunteer is actively working with the organization.
The key here is to be proactive. If a volunteer is playing with their phone, checking the clock, or isn’t engaging with those around them, they are probably bored or disappointed with the experience. By being vigilant and identifying volunteers in the field who appear disassociated with the experience, volunteer coordinators can proactively manage the situation and turn it around so the organization does not lose a volunteer.
Revitalizing Wavering Volunteer Relationships
WHY do volunteers choose to stop donating their time? Volunteers not only have reasons, but also expectations. If a nonprofit is not fulfilling the volunteers’ reasons for donating time, the volunteer will likely stop signing up for opportunities or produce a lower quality of work.
Additionally, volunteers expect nonprofit staff or volunteer leaders to be considerate of their time, friendly, and easy to work with. Staff or volunteer leaders who spend time only associating with each other or are ungracious will actually cause an organization to lose volunteers.
But volunteers have other reasons for reducing the amount of time they donate or leaving an organization altogether, and it might not be the organization’s fault. Sometimes supporters just don’t have time to donate anymore, or gave it a try and aren’t interested in the cause.
While there is not much nonprofits can do if a volunteer finds they are not interested in the mission, they can try to change the nature of the nonprofit-volunteer relationship if the volunteer finds they have less time to contribute. 2014 VOLUNTEER INSIGHTS 4
DEVELOPING long-term volunteer relationships Out of 3,020 U.S. adults interviewed, 27% said they are more likely to become regulars if the nonprofit allows convenient scheduling. Of that, 37% identified short shifts or drop-in schedules to be the most convenient, 34% said signing up for opportunities early on was convenient, and 28% were interested in accessing volunteer resources online.1
24% of interviewees said they would return was if the organization shared the impact of their volunteers’ service, with 42% of those surveyed citing beneficiary testimonials as the most compelling form of volunteer impact.1 This is a method that Habitat for Humanity, World Vision, and Pencils of Promise (to name a few) successfully implemented to encourage recurring donations and volunteers.
Evolving Communication Trends
HOW do potential supporters learn about volunteer opportunities? While some direct mail and traditional media advertisement continue to compel charitable people to become physically involved with a nonprofit, more and more supporters are spending their time engaging with new media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snap Chat, Instagram, mobile applications, email and instant or text messaging.
Social media and mobile technology actually make it easier for nonprofits to market their mission or cause thanks to the “shareability” of Internet content and massive user-networks.
And the numbers don’t lie; 56% of those who follow a nonprofit on social media were compelled to do more after reading a story in their social feed that was posted by the nonprofit.5
YOU won’t believe this story until you read it Storytelling is one of the best ways to engage volunteers and turn them into social media ambassadors, who will willingly share your branded content without being asked or paid to do so.
The sharing of branded stories on social networks was coined “content Most Popular Media Types on Facebook marketing” in only the past few years, and marked uniquely by the low-cost nature of brand exposure, compelling titles, dynamic photos, and, “you won’t believe it till you read it,” captions. And as we mentioned earlier, sharing the impact volunteers have and stories about how donations benefited a cause, are important for long-term volunteer and donor retention.
But the most powerful piece of content is a photo.
Photos blow all other types of content out of the water, constituting 75% of all Facebook page posts, with all other types of content only attaining around 4% of page interactions, according to SocialBaker.com. In terms of interactions, photos win again, averaging over 2,000 interactions within a one month span.4 Many social sites such as Google+, Instagram, and Tumblr rely heavily on images, whereas other social sites, such as Twitter and LinkedIn rely heavily on captivating titles, excerpts, and captions.
For nonprofits and charities, it is important to identify what type of content perform well on each social site and ensuring that your organization has the resources (staff or volunteers) to produce and spread the content. Most nonprofits that do not find success with social media, usually do not have a social media strategy or the resources to maintain the social networks. 2014 VOLUNTEER INSIGHTS 5
Global Headquarters Tech Impact 417 N. 8th Street Suite 203 Philadelphia, PA. 19123
Toll Free: 1-888-798-1350 (In SEPA): (215) 557-1559 Fax: (215) 689-4949
Email: [email protected]
Delaware Office Tech Impact Community Services Building 100 W. 10th Street, Suite 1004 Wilmington, DE 19801
(302) 256-5015
Email: [email protected]
Reference 1 The Able Altruist, Software Advice, Survey: What Motivates People to Become Repeat Volunteers?, June 18, 2014 on the Internet at http://able-altruist.softwareadvice.com/what-motivates-people-to-become-repeat-volunteers-0614/.
2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Editor’s Desk, Volunteering rate at 25.4 percent for year ending September 2013 on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140228.htm.
3 Independent Sector’s Value of Volunteer Time, Independent Sector, National Value of Volunteer Time on the Internet at https://www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time.
4 Social Bakers, Photos Are Still King on Facebook, April 4, 2014 on the Internet at http://www.socialbakers.com/ blog/2149-photos-are-still-king-on-facebook.
5 Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, Georgetown University, Digital Persuasion: How Social Media Motivates Action and Drives Support For Causes, 2013 on the Internet at http://waggeneredstrom.com/what-we-do/social-innovation/report- digital-persuasion/.