Technology trends are continuously changing and improving the way we work and communicate with each other. Staying on top of these trends is essential in developing new strategies for attracting, engaging, and retaining volunteers. Join the founders of Kindness Connect, Jonathan Burns and Kevan Osmond, as they explore these changes and how you can best utilize new and affordable technology to maintain an effective and engaged volunteer program.

1. The Future of
Volunteer
Management

2. Jonathan Burns & Kevan Osmond
KindnessConnect.com
TODAY’S PRESENTERS

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5. 4

6. Jonathan Burns and Kevan Osmond
The Future of Volunteer Management

7. THANKSFOR BEING HERE!

8. Agenda
1 Who we are
Current state of volunteer management
Trends in technology and volunteerism
Strategies to maintain an engaged program
2
3
4

9. Who We Are

10. Jonand Kevan
Met while volunteering at the University of Waterloo.
A little bitabout us
We are avid volunteers with a strong grasp of the
ecosystem from a volunteer perspective.
Our passion for volunteerism led us to help improve
the ecosystem by answering one question: How can
we make volunteering easier?

11. We worked closely with community
organizations at a local and national level
Andfocused onthe followingquestions:
1 What is your workflow?
What are your goals and needs?
What could be improved?
What are your pain points?
2
3
4

12. Anexample
“Often the phone is ringing off the hook with
people who want to volunteer and I panic, not
knowing what to tell them. I don’t really have
the time to repeatedly go through all of the
details and requirements. I often feel like I’m
then serving the volunteer rather than the
organization and cause. It would be great if I
had a way to automate this and easily manage
my volunteers.”

13. Here’s What We Found
There are barriers from both the volunteer and
community organization perspective that directly
and negatively affect the volunteer ecosystem.
The way we work and engage has changed and
will continue to change.

14. Lookingforward, the future of volunteer
management must focus on the following:
1 Removing the barriers for both sides of the equation
Creating an engaged community
Making it easy
Keeping it accessible
2
3
4

15. Current State

16. The volunteer program workflow
Attract
• Promoting your organization and opportunities
• Selecting the channels to reach potential volunteers
• Reviewing applications and determining the right fit
Manage
•Tracking volunteer information and activities
• Organizing and executing opportunities for volunteers
• Developing volunteers through training
Retain
• Establishing volunteer recognition
• Engaging and communicating with volunteers
• Distilling analytics into actionable information
Attrac
t
ManageRetain

17. +
Thereare two sides to the equation
Community
Organizations
Volunteers

18. Community Organizations

19. Attract
• Difficult to present all of the necessary information up-front.
• A lengthy discovery and application process doesn’t always result in the right fit.
Manage
• Prohibitively priced and challenging systems lead to makeshift and outdated
solutions.
• Difficulty keeping track of current and accurate volunteer activity. Time is spent
“trying to keep up”.
• “Scheduling is a nightmare”.
OrganizationChallenges (1)
57% of community organizations report difficulty attracting volunteers
(National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations)

20. Retain
• Finding effective ways to communication with volunteers. Response rate
is low and can feel like a one way street.
• Over 80% of organizations indicate that they don’t have the time or
resources to maintain a recognition and engagement program.
(2013 Volunteer Recognition Study by Volunteer Canada)
• Crucial questions providing insight go unanswered: Why did a volunteer
leave? Did they enjoy their time? Would they recommend it?
OrganizationChallenges (2)
49% of community organizations report difficulty retaining volunteers
(National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations)

21. Volunteers

22. Volunteer Barriers (1)
Difficulty knowing where to get started
• 24% of non-volunteers don’t volunteer because they don’t know how to get started.
(Canadian Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating)
Perceived barriers associated with volunteering
• Lack of information from the beginning can make a big difference in whether an individual
volunteers or attempts to do so.
• Uncertainty with the time it takes to become a volunteer, financial costs associated with
volunteering such as transportation, etc.
Complicated and disconnected Application processes
• Call a phone number, fill out a form, visit a website, attend a session. Each time the
process is different and requires repeating the same information over and over again.
• The length and challenge of the application process from both sides can potentially
encourage long-term requirements.

23. Difficulty Finding a fit with their schedule
Non-volunteers
• 62% didn’t volunteer because they couldn’t make a long-term commitment.
• 68% didn’t volunteer because they didn’t feel like they had the time.
(Canadian Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating)
Current volunteers
• 52% didn’t volunteer more because they couldn’t make a long-term commitment.
• 75% didn’t volunteer more because they didn’t feel like they had the time.
(Canadian Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating)
10% of volunteers do 53% of the volunteer work
(Canadian Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating)
Volunteer Barriers (2)

24. Trends

25. 1 Demographic
Social
Technological
Desired volunteering
2
3
4
There are changing trends at play which affect
the entire volunteer ecosystem

26. The number of people retiring is growing faster than any other group in
Canada
• There are nearly 10 million baby boomers in or planning for
retirement.
• They are now in the position to contribute time and resources.
Millennials are eager to engage with the nonprofit world
• This group is keen on finding a good fit, contributing, and seeing
tangible results.
• They are working towards a professional career but are also
interested in connecting with a cause.
DemographicTrends1

27. Social networks are the communication channel of choice
• Today’s generations now have a great variety of apps and services to
communicate with each other.
We are connected to a wider and more diverse audience
• Our communities are no longer limited to the physical space around
us.
Engagement is changing
• Individuals want to connect, engage in conversation, and share a
story with an organization or cause.
SocialTrends2

28. Technologyis becomingmore accessible
• From a cost, quantity, and user experience perspective.
• Most applications run in the cloud, removing in-house hardware and
technical requirements.
Informationcan be sharedacross multiple sources
• Data can easily be shared among popular applications.
TechnologicalTrends (1)3

29. Automation& micro-personalization
• Mass messaging can now be
personalized.
• Personalized user experiences can
improve engagement.
Dataisbecoming more accessible and
important
• Organizations have the ability to collect
more data which, when analyzed, can help
intelligently answer important questions.
TechnologicalTrends (2)3

30. Trends in desired volunteering (1)4
Shortterm volunteer opportunitiesare increasingindemand
• Individuals are constrained by time, and often looking to volunteer
intermittently within their schedule constraints.
Corporationsare getting involvedas well
• It is slowly becoming the norm for corporations to recognize and encourage
volunteer work (even paid time off).

31. Trends in desired volunteering (2)4
Virtualvolunteerism (ormicro-volunteering)
• A large percentage of our time is spent in front of a screen (computer, laptop,
smartphone, etc), and a large amount of work can be accomplished online.
• Volunteers are now looking for ways to complete volunteer work off-site for
an organization.
• This is a great way to get access to skilled labour.

32. Strategies

33. The volunteer program workflow
With change comes new
challenges and reasons to adapt.
How can you best utilize new
strategies and affordable
technology to maintain and
effective an engaged volunteer
program?
Attrac
t
ManageRetain

34. Attract
ManageRetain

35. Trynew approaches to get volunteers in the door
• Leverage technology to help facilitate short term engagements so
volunteers can get their foot in the door before making a more
meaningful commitment.
• i.e. Doodle
Strategies > Attract (1)

36. Makeuse of your volunteer’s social networks
• Your volunteers are eager to share their stories of goodwill – help
give them an outlet to inspire their friends.
• Follow them and they will follow you!
• i.e. Twitter and Facebook are social, Hootsuite helps you manage
them all
Strategies > Attract (2)

37. Strategies > Attract (3)
• Can they get all the information
they need online?
• Use online tools to save you and
your volunteers time by
exchanging all the necessities up
front.
• i.e. Survey Monkey
Help improve the tedious application process

38. Strategies > Attract (4)
• This availability heuristic can help
potential volunteers identify with
your cause.
• Make sure your website is easy to
manage so that you can easily
include and update information.
• i.e. Virb, WordPress
Share and highlight volunteer stories and experiences

39. Attract
ManageRetain

40. Strategies > Manage (1)
• Integrate software to help keep your program organized and automate
timely reminders.
• i.e. Evernote, Evernote Hello, Insightly
Stayup-to-date on program information and important volunteer
milestones

41. Strategies > Manage (2)
Share calendars with your volunteers so they are reminded of
important events
• E-Calendars are a great way to raise awareness of upcoming events
at a macro level and useful for reminders at a micro level.
• i.e. Google Calendar
• Standardized protocols will integrate with any modern platform.

42. Strategies > Manage (3)
Standardize activity tracking to facilitate future reporting
• Get in the habit of proper book-keeping so that end of year reporting
can be achieved effectively.
• i.e. Microsoft Excel (caution)

43. Attract
ManageRetain

44. Strategies > Retain (1)
Keepup communication
• Make use of online forums and
groups where volunteers can
connect with each other and your
organization outside of ‘time-in-
office’.
• i.e. Facebook Groups, Internal Web
Forum
• Get feedback from your volunteers.
• i.e. Survey Monkey

45. Strategies > Retain (2)
Turn your volunteers into leaders
• Empower your volunteers to help share and recruit for your cause.
• They’ll be proud to share your story.
• Propagates across their own personal networks.
• i.e. TIFF Example

46. Strategies > Retain (3)
Ensure volunteers feel personally appreciated and valuable to your
cause
• 80% stated that they would like to be recognized or thanked by the
organization they volunteer for by hearing about how their work has
made a difference.
(2013 Volunteer Recognition Study – Volunteer Canada)
• Close to 70% stated they would like to be recognized by being thanked
on an ongoing, informal basis.
(2013 Volunteer Recognition Study – Volunteer Canada)
• Automate your personalized correspondence.
• i.e. MailChimp, GroupMail

47. For Consideration
As demonstrated, there are wealth of tools
available for ‘niche’ areas, however, the
disconnected processes can become a timely
and unorganized endeavor.
Certain industries have enterprise software to
aggregate all of the tools you need in one
central location, achieving ‘data economies-of-
scale’.

48. Solutions for the bigger picture
There are solutions available that can help manage
some of the explored areas including Volunteer2,
Volgistics, and Raiser’s Edge Volunteer Module.
Kindness Connect is the first platform of its kind,
merging volunteer management and recruitment in one
central location. Pay-What-You-Can pricing ensures it is
accessible for all organizations in need.
We recommend reviewing each individually to determine
the best fit for your needs.

49. Our goal is to provide the enterprise platform that automates and
facilitates volunteer and organization needs.
Organizations Pay-what-you-can
Volunteers
Find your match Fit your schedule Apply directly Track your impact1 2 3 4
Volunteer
Profiles
Simple
Scheduling
NotificationsMessaging AnalyticsApplication
Review

50. In Summary

51. In the current state of volunteerism there is much room for
improvement – you are the gatekeepers.
There are changing trends at play which affect the entire
volunteer ecosystem:
• Demographic
• Social
• Technological
• Desired Volunteering
Make use of new strategies to ensure you stay on top of these
trends and have an effective and engaged volunteer program.
Takeaways
1
2
3

52. Thank-you!
kevan@kindnessconnect.com
jon@kindnessconnect.com

53. More Charity
Training

54. MYCHARITYCONNECTS
Educational and training opportunities
through MyCharityConnects
www.mycharityconnects.org

55. UPCOMING WEBINARS
www.mycharityconnects.org/webinars
Top 5 Email Fundraising Tips
by guest speaker Taslim Somani
Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Time: 2:00-3:00PM Eastern Time
Google Analytics 101
by guest speaker Kathryn Snetsinger
Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Time: 2:00-3:00PM Eastern Time

56. STAY IN TOUCH
youtube.com/canadahelps
@canadahelps
facebook.com/canadahelps
communications@canadahelps.org
1-877-755-1595
KindnessConnect.com
Jonathan Burns
jon@kindnessconnect.com
Kevan Osmond
kevan@kindnessconnect.com
CanadaHelps.org