How to Attract More Volunteers
Is volunteerism down, or are we (humans in general) trying to spread our hours across more commitments? Has our culture changed, and are fewer people giving fewer hours to service? Or are we just doing so much more that each organization ends up with fewer hours?
I don’t know.
What I do know is that the concern about volunteerism is real. Scout troops don’t have enough parents helping out. Current marching band booster club officers worry there won’t be anyone to take their place when their kiddos graduate. And yes, professional member organizations are feeling the pinch, too.
The lack of volunteerism is an issue I’ve been thinking about a lot, and it resurfaced after a recent announcement I saw from one of the regional Burning Man events. Here are some snippets from the announcement:
“As the Constellation community has grown with annual ticket cap increases, the number of people volunteering in leadership positions has not grown to meet the increased workload.” So, the “event producers have made the difficult decision to not hold a public event in 2026.”
The hosts are right, this is a difficult decision. And many member organizations are facing difficult decisions like this.
As you bend and flex to this new reality, consider:
Are the volunteer roles meaningful for volunteers? Perhaps potential volunteers telling you (with their feet) that the duties of the roles, while important to the organization, are not meaningful to them. It could be that they don’t want to add administrative work to their already busy schedule. Are there more meaningful alternatives?
Do you have different member segments with different needs and volunteering thresholds? Perhaps some well-budgeted members do not want to volunteer, but will provide more money. While at the same time, some other members, such as industry partners, might welcome the opportunity to get even more involved. And new-ish members might view some volunteer roles as a way to make more contacts. Are you targeting the right groups with the right asks?
Is learning about volunteering part of your onboarding program? Do new members learn about the ethos of volunteering in your association?
Is volunteering a welcoming experience? Can a new volunteer easily meet people? Will they be thanked? Will they feel happy afterward?
Let’s loop back to the original question. Culturally, are fewer people volunteering less, or are those same hours spread across more organizations? I think there’s an argument for either.
At the end of the day, people won’t just volunteer their precious time for any old job just because it is the right thing to do; they have to feel good about it. As you rethink volunteerism in your organization, spend some time improving the volunteer experience to attract more of those precious volunteer hours.
