Engaging and retaining your volunteers through COVID and beyond

Managing internal reductions in headcount is never a conversation that any of us want to have. A difficult business decision, it also has larger repercussions for the staff that remain in place who are left to juggle multiple roles simultaneously.

Combine this with an increased demand for volunteers to assist with the recovery efforts, and this has become a real challenge that many volunteer driven organizations around the world are now facing. So, how do you engage your volunteers with less staff in place? To put it simply, technology. 

There's no denying that technology is the way of the future. Coronavirus has made even the least tech savvy of us embrace technology, with lockdowns and teams working from home forced to become innovative and learn quickly to ensure that society continues to function amid the chaos. 

For us, this pandemic has highlighted (and strengthened) our resolve to connect communities to events and causes they're passionate about. While this might not be possible in the physical capacity currently, the time to harness the power of digital technologies to engage and retain our volunteers has never been more important. This extends to the new idea of virtual volunteering, providing communities with a platform to give back and aid with recovery.

One of the hardest hit industries remains charities and the events sector, who overnight lost their traditional means of revenue and fundraising. With a global recession imminent and coronavirus still a worldwide threat, the importance of saving costs has never been more relevant. 

The COVID Volunteer Handbook aims to highlight some key learnings from valued clients and networks, to help you streamline efficiencies and replace manual processes with digital technologies. Topics covered include:

• Recruiting your team. A closer look at recruiting now for the future, virtual volunteering and utilizing your volunteers as fundraisers.
• Engaging and empowering your volunteers. From reward and recognition programs, communication and embracing digital technologies to better understand and connect with your team. 
• Training and Inductions. The importance of properly training and inducting your volunteers especially in a landscape of social and operational restrictions. 
• Attendance Tracking. Embracing technology to fulfil the requirements of data collection and reporting. 
• Return on investment. Our clients share their stories about how they have used technology to streamline efficiencies. 

With so much negativity out there, it's time to focus on the positive and concentrate our efforts on what's within our control.

Disclaimer: This post has been written by a guest contributor. All views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author, and may not represent those of Blerter.