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Keeping Volunteers Invested Over Time
Dana Montgomery, Grassroots Solutions
We often think of volunteer mobilization - the time when we need to ask our supporters to take action on an organizational imperative - as the most important part of our advocacy work. While it’s true that asking our supporters to contact their elected officials is vital to obtaining decision-maker support, too many organizations focus solely on mobilizing volunteers, and not enough on engaging them. A lack of time and capacity is generally one reason why organizations don’t focus enough on engagement, but there is another reason too. Because we care so deeply about the principles our organization stands for, we often mistakenly assume that supporters are spending as much time thinking about these issues as we are. Clearly, supporters value our organizational imperatives, hence their initial involvement; however, there are many issues and life circumstances competing for their attention. If we don’t continuously show our supporters that we value and depend on their participation, they are likely to disappear at best, or become disgruntled at worst. Think of it this way, if a friend came to you only when they needed something, how long would you stick around?
In essence, volunteer engagement is really about finding on-going ways to keep your supporters invested in your organization over time, and shifting the focus from “What can they do for me,” to “What can we do for each other?” Volunteers are like gold – and like any relationship, the volunteer-organization relationship needs nurturing. As a wise-person once said: You don’t get something for nothing. So then, what can we do to better engage supporters?
The challenge is this does take time, no matter which way you slice it. The good news is that when you focus on engagement, it will help increase the level of action your supports take on your behalf. That in itself is reason enough to carve out some dedicated time each month for engagement activities. The other piece of good news is that engagement is totally scalable. Just because you can’t do everything, doesn’t mean you can’t do some things. While there is no secret to effective engagement, there are some basic characteristics:
Supporters are kept abreast of upcoming issues or campaign work
Supporters are connected with intentionally, and with purpose
Supporters are given opportunities to engage with your organization and other like-minded supporters.
It’s also okay to give your supporters a break from your work (i.e., it’s okay to leave them alone for a while). One way to incorporate these aspects into your work is to create an engagement plan based upon your capacity and overarching organizational goals. Too many groups address engagement in a silo. Think about why you want to engage your volunteers. Are you doing a GOTV drive in the fall? Are you advocating for a policy during the next legislative session? Answering those questions will help you figure out which engagement tactics or activities will keep your supporters invested, and prepare them and gear up for what’s next. Lastly, while there is no one right way to plan, there are ways to approach the planning process that are manageable. For example, if your organization’s advocacy work revolves around what’s happening at the legislature, you might consider breaking your plan out into smaller chunks, such as:
- Post-session activities (re-cap, supporter thank-you)
Pre-session activities (session pre-view, supporter education and training), and
Session activities
The planning process doesn’t have to be lengthy or formal, nor does it have to be perfect. The important thing is that you set aside dedicated time to think strategically about how your organization can best value its volunteers year-round. |