This guide will cover top volunteer apps, features to look out for, and best practices for using your app effectively. Here’s what to expect:

• Features to look for in a volunteer management app
• Best volunteer apps for 2024
• How to make the most of your volunteer app

Whether you’re looking to manage volunteers for an event or start an employee volunteer program, a volunteer app can help you keep your program on track and reduce stress for all involved.

Wrapping up

Your volunteer management app should make your life easier by keeping volunteer schedules, communications, and calendars organized in one convenient place. Now that you’ve read about what features to look out for in a volunteer app, the potential options to consider, and how you can make the most of your app, it’s time to let your volunteer management app do the hard work!

For more information about effective volunteer management strategies, check out these additional resources:

• How to Create a Volunteer Recruitment Plan: 5 Strategies. Learn how to recruit more volunteers with the help of your volunteer app and other resources and strategies.
• Volunteer Engagement | Strategies for Smart Organizations. Engaging volunteers helps retain them for the long term. Use these tips to keep volunteers invested in your mission.
• 15+ Volunteer Appreciation Ideas to Build Relationships. This guide outlines volunteer appreciation ideas to foster positive, long-lasting supporter relationships.

The post The 9 Best Volunteer Apps for Better Engagement in 2024 appeared first on Bloomerang.

We’re excited to announce the first phase of our new recurring shifts functionality, designed to simplify and streamline the creation process for volunteer managers. Whether you’re a current Bloomerang Volunteer user or looking for efficient volunteer management solutions, read on to discover how this enhancement can transform your scheduling workflow.

Creating individual shifts can be tedious and time-consuming for managers overseeing volunteer programs. Imagine needing to schedule a volunteer shift every Wednesday for a year. That’s 52 clicks and a lot of room for error! Our new recurring shifts feature eliminates this hassle by making it easy for managers to copy shifts over a specified frequency in a single action. You can even streamline your creation workflow by copying an individual shift across a recurring frequency and creating up to 1,000 shifts in a single action!

In this initial phase, managers can set up recurring shifts similar to how you’d create recurring meetings in Google Calendar. They can choose to repeat these shifts daily, weekly, or monthly based on your organization’s specific needs.

Advantages of Using Recurring Shifts

Save time with automation

Your volunteer managers can significantly reduce the time spent on administrative tasks by automating the repetitive aspects of shift creation. This frees up more time to focus on what really matters—engaging with your volunteers and ensuring the success of your programs.

Reduce errors from manual entry

Manual input is prone to errors, leading to scheduling conflicts and disruptions. Our recurring shifts feature minimizes these risks by ensuring accurate and consistent scheduling.

Here’s a glimpse into what you’ll see when setting up recurring shifts

Phase 2 will be even easier! You’ll be able to change shifts in one easy action.

Stay tuned for updates as we expand this feature, making volunteer management even more seamless and effective.

Ready to try it?

Check out recurring shifts for yourself. Log in to Bloomerang Volunteer today and start simplifying your scheduling process. If you’re not a current user, now’s the perfect time to see how our innovative features can enhance your volunteer management.
Log in to your account!

Get started with Bloomerang Volunteer

Thank you for being part of the Bloomerang community. We’re excited to help you make the most of your volunteer management efforts!
Happy Scheduling!

P.S. Do you have Bloomerang Volunteer product ideas you’d like to share? Please add them here.

We’d love to hear from you!

The post Introducing Recurring Shifts for Bloomerang Volunteer appeared first on Bloomerang.

 
Volunteers are powerhouses for many nonprofit organizations. However, finding, engaging, and providing recognition to those valuable volunteers can prove to be a challenge.

Join us to explore how Bloomerang Volunteer can provide you with a comprehensive platform that will delight not only your staff but also your volunteers! See how using this system provides the volunteer experiences you need to find and retain volunteers while saving you time (which saves you money!).

View this session’s slides here.

The post Finding, Engaging and Recognizing Your Volunteers appeared first on Bloomerang.

Maximize the volunteer experience

First and foremost, you need to make 100% sure that you are giving your volunteers an excellent volunteer experience before you ask them to give. They need to feel appreciated and valued to be motivated to give.

Here are a few ways to ensure you’re delivering stellar volunteer experiences:

• Treat them just like donors by learning about their interests and sharing their impact.
• Brag about them to their peers, boss, or family members.
• Have fun with them.
• Give them special privileges or incentives.
• Share regular feedback, rewards, and recognition.
• Create a stewardship and retention plan showing how their support makes a difference.

Make the ask

Here are five different strategies and six examples of making the ask to a volunteer.

1. Personalize the appeal to them as volunteers. Thank them for volunteering before making the ask.

Example:

“Thank you for so selflessly [describe volunteer work they did]. You’re an essential part of our team. Today, I’m asking if you can also support us financially. Your donation will help us continue the work you care so deeply about.”

2. Invite them to share why they volunteer at your clinic and tell them why it matters and how it can help.

Example:

“We’d love to hear why you volunteer at our clinic. Share your story with us and consider making a donation to help us continue our mission. Your story and support can inspire others to join our cause.”

3. Make sure your offer [what the donor’s gift will accomplish] is clear and tangible.

Example:

“Every $20 you donate will provide a health check-up for someone in need. It’s a simple yet powerful way to make a real difference in our community.”

4. Reflect on what a compassionate, generous person they are to volunteer.

Example:

“Your dedication as a volunteer shows how much you care about our community’s health. By making a donation, you can further extend your compassion and ensure we continue to provide free, quality healthcare to those who need it most.”

Example:

“As a dedicated volunteer, you already make a huge impact. By donating, you can double your contribution to our mission, ensuring that even more people receive the care they need.”

5. Update them on how their volunteering is making an impact and tie in your ask with the work they did during their volunteer shift, as Feed My Starving Children does in their 3-part volunteer email series, below:

Cultivate and retain “super supporters” for nonprofit success

Bloomerang has coined a term for volunteers who donate (and donors who volunteer!)—”super supporters.” If you’d like to dive deeper into how to cultivate and keep these champions, check out some additional content on the topic:

• Turn Your Dedicated Volunteers into Repeat Donors
• Super Supporters: The Volunteer Who Gave $10,000
• From Volunteer to Donor: The Super Supporter

These articles are loaded with practical tips to help nurture these vital relationships. By tapping into these resources you’ll be ready to build a tribe of super supporters at your organization.

A pep talk to get started

In a survey of close to 2,000 volunteers done by Fidelity Charitable, only 8% didn’t also donate to the nonprofit where they volunteer.

Your volunteers are already deeply invested in your mission, making them ideal candidates for donor engagement. You only need to ask. If you don’t ask, they won’t know you need help.

Just remember to always show appreciation, highlight their contributions, and let them know how their donations are making a difference.

Using these strategies, you’ll not only grow your donor base but also strengthen the community of supporters who believe in your cause as passionately as you do.

So go ahead, make the ask, and watch how your volunteers transform into your most dedicated donors!

For more inspiration, check out this webinar, Turn Your Free Clinics Volunteers into Donors.

The post Engaging Volunteers As Donors At Your Free Clinic appeared first on Bloomerang.

ShowerUp: Building connection with hot Showers and open hearts

In urban environments where the needs of the homeless are often overshadowed by the daily hustle, ShowerUp steps in to provide not just cleanliness but dignity as well. Led by Paul Schmitz and Taylor Reed, this initiative mobilizes fleets of mobile showers to offer hygiene, hope, and dignity.

Their expansion highlighted the typical growing pains of scaling operations—especially with volunteer coordination across cities and managing a growing donor base.

Bloomerang Volunteer helped to transform ShowerUp’s operations by streamlining the volunteer recruitment and management processes. “The user-friendly signup experience has been revolutionary,” said Schmitz. ”Since we’ve been using Bloomerang, we’ve seen 60% growth in volunteer signups and are saving 2 – 3 hours each day,” added Reed. “Volunteers are happy; they know how to sign up, and they continue to sign up to volunteer.”

This operational efficiency is critical not just for service delivery but for strengthening the foundation of volunteer-driven community support.

Compassion Delivered: Nourishing souls, delivering hope

In Northeast Ohio, Compassion Delivered has become synonymous with love served on a plate by offering a lifeline—free, high-quality meals to those with serious illnesses. Bloomerang Volunteer helped co-founder Amanda Anschutz quantify the financial value of volunteer contributions. “[Before using Bloomerang] we didn’t realize the impact our volunteers were having on our organization from a financial standpoint,” Anschutz stated. “If we had to pay our volunteers, the cost to us as an organization would be astronomical.” This deeper understanding has not only enhanced the organization’s appreciation for its volunteers, but reinforced the idea that volunteer management is more than just a way to staff activities—it’s a critical financial strategy to support nonprofit sustainability and growth.

The power of transformative volunteer management

The experiences of ShowerUp and Compassion Delivered highlight the importance of using the right technology solutions to redefine the volunteer experience, and by extension, magnify the impact of nonprofit missions. Bloomerang Volunteer is more than a tool; it’s a strategic ally, transforming the way these nonprofits attract, engage, and retain their core volunteers.

It’s beyond streamlining processes; it’s about kindling passions and enhancing the human experience within these organizations.

ShowerUp has effectively adjusted to its geographic diversity, providing a user-friendly interface that empowers volunteers to ‘self-serve’ their schedules, enhancing engagement and operational transparency.

Compassion Delivered has strengthened its approach to volunteer management by understanding the significant financial value that volunteers bring. This understanding shapes the way the organization values and supports its volunteers, fostering a community united by a profound sense of purpose and shared commitment.

Organizations like ShowerUp and Compassion Delivered not only survive but thrive by embracing state-of-the-art tools that align closely with the demands of their missions. This strategic alignment between technology and mission is what today’s nonprofit leaders need to not just stay afloat but advance confidently toward a future where every stakeholder contribution is maximized for greater communal good. These insights and tools are redefining the essence of volunteerism—ushering in a new era of efficiency and empathy in the nonprofit sector.

The post Spotlight on Impact: ShowerUp and Compassion Delivered’s Journeys with Bloomerang Volunteer appeared first on Bloomerang.

Did you know that volunteers who believe in an organization’s mission are 80% more likely to donate? Not only that, but they are also more likely to contribute 10 times more money to charities than non-volunteers. It’s clear that volunteers and donors go hand-in-hand, and every nonprofit needs both to thrive.

Join us for an insightful session where we’ll delve into the art of turning your passionate volunteers into loyal and engaged donors.

Learning Objectives

• Understand why Donors and Volunteers Lapse
• Master Segmentation Strategies
• Activate the Power of Empathy and Emotional Connection

View this session’s slides on this page.

The post Turn Your Free Clinics Volunteers Into Donors appeared first on Bloomerang.

This webinar focused on the importance of recognizing and appreciating nonprofit volunteers for their invaluable contributions to organizations. Key takeaways from the presentation emphasized the significance of implementing structured volunteer appreciation programs, creating personalized recognition initiatives, and fostering a culture of gratitude within the organization. Attendees learned practical strategies for acknowledging volunteers’ efforts and dedication, ultimately leading to increased retention rates and a more engaged volunteer base.

View this session’s slides on this page.

The post Celebrating Contributions: Rewarding and Appreciating Nonprofit Volunteers appeared first on Bloomerang.

For starters, it can help you raise money.

How? By showing your donors and funders not just how immensely resourceful you are, but how deeply invested the community is in your program.

It also helps you deepen your relationships with your volunteers, who are ten times more likely to give to you than a non-volunteer.

Would you believe almost half of nonprofits don’t do anything to measure their volunteer programs?

But not you. You’re smarter than that!

This quick quiz will help you get your volunteer program in tip-top shape

1. How regularly does your organization survey your volunteers on their satisfaction?

1. A. After every volunteer shift
2. B. Once a month
3. C. Once a quarter
4. D. Rarely or never

2. Do you track the number of volunteers engaged with your organization?

1. A. Yes, consistently
2. B. Occasionally
3. C. No, we do not track this
4. D. Unsure

3. Do you track the number of hours volunteers work for you?

1. A. Yes, consistently
2. B. Occasionally
3. C. No, we do not track this
4. D. Unsure

4. Do you track the monetary value of the number of hours volunteers work for you?

1. A. Yes, consistently
2. B. Occasionally
3. C. No, we do not track this
4. D. Unsure

5. Do you share the number of volunteer hours and their monetary value with donors and funders?

1. A. Yes, consistently
2. B. Occasionally
3. C. No, we do not do this
4. D. Unsure

6. Do you track the number of actions your volunteers took (like the number of meals served) or the number of stakeholders/clients/beneficiaries they reached (like the number of hungry people served)?

1. A. Yes, consistently
2. B. Occasionally
3. C. No, we do not track this
4. D. Unsure

7. How do you measure volunteer retention in your organization?

1. A. Analyze volunteer turnover rates
2. B. Track volunteer hours over time
3. C. A little of both
4. D. We don’t measure volunteer retention

8. How often do you assess the effectiveness of training you give to volunteers?

1. A. After every training session
2. B. Once a quarter
3. C. Annually
4. D. We don’t have a formal training assessment process

9. Do you use wealth screening tools to identify high-net-worth volunteers?

1. A. Yes, regularly
2. B. Occasionally
3. C. Unsure
4. D. No, we don’t use wealth screening

10. Do you invite volunteers to donate to your organization?

1. A. Yes, consistently
2. B. Occasionally
3. C. Unsure
4. D. No, we do not invite volunteers to donate

11. Do you track the giving behavior of volunteers?

1. A. Yes, consistently
2. B. Occasionally
3. C. Unsure
4. D. No, we don’t track this

12. If you track volunteer giving behavior, what percentage of your volunteers also donate?

1. A. Between 81-100%
2. B. Between 71% and 80%
3. C. Between 61% and 70%
4. D. Between 50% and 60%
5. E. Less than 49%

13. How often do you review and adjust your volunteer program based on feedback and data?

1. A. Regularly, at least once a month
2. B. Occasionally, once every few months
3. C. Infrequently, once or twice a year
4. D. We don’t review or adjust our volunteer program

14. How often do you praise, celebrate, recognize, or reward your volunteers?

1. A. Regularly, at least once a month
2. B. Occasionally, once every few months
3. C. Infrequently, once or twice a year
4. D. We don’t regularly praise, celebrate, recognize, or reward volunteers

Extra Credit Question:

Where do you get your most loyal and dedicated volunteers?

Scoring: 

For each time you answered A, give yourself 3 points.
For each time you answered B, give yourself 2 points.
For each time you answered C, give yourself 1 point.
For each time you answered D, give yourself 0 points.

If you answered the extra credit question, congrats on knowing where you get your best volunteers. That’s the first step to recruiting more!

How’d I do?

Mostly A’s: Congratulations, superstar! Your volunteer program is soaring higher than a rocket-powered unicorn! You’re making waves, turning heads, and leaving glitter trails of impact everywhere you go. Keep shining bright like a diamond because you’re doing an A-mazing job!

Mostly B’s: Hey there, go-getter! You’re doing pretty darn well, but there’s room for a sprinkle of stardust to take things up a notch. You’re like a superhero in training; with a bit more practice, you’ll be saving the world in style. Just boosting your volunteer actions from “occasionally” to “on the regular” will turn you into the volunteer superstar you’re meant to be!

Mostly C’s: Alright, let’s get down to business, champ! It’s time to roll up those sleeves and dive headfirst into the magic potion of improvement. You’ve got potential brewing like a cauldron of creativity, but it needs a little stirring. Fear not—with a dash of determination and a pinch of perseverance, you can turn your volunteer program into the success it’s destined for!

Mostly D’s: You may be missing out on a great opportunity! Your volunteer program might be taking a nap, but don’t worry. We’re here to give it a gentle prod. Dust off those cobwebs, summon your inner dynamo, and let’s turn those “we don’t do that” answers into “oh yes, we do!” victories! Remember, every journey begins with a single step. You’ve got this!

Check out these additional volunteer management resources

• The Smart Nonprofit’s Guide to Volunteer Management
• [Template] The Buyer’s Playbook to Volunteer Management Software
• Super Supporters: The Volunteer Who Gave $10,000
• Crafting Memorable Volunteer Journeys: Tips For Success
• Turn Your Dedicated Volunteers Into Repeat Donors

The post Volun-Telligence Test: How Effective Is Your Volunteer Program? appeared first on Bloomerang.

Our latest email automation update helps you re-engage inactive, or dormant, volunteers, all within the same platform, and:

• Keep your volunteer levels steady by encouraging volunteers to come back
• Remind volunteers of available opportunities by promoting them within your communication
• Maintain clean records by enabling volunteers to withdraw from the organization if they’re no longer interested.

Research suggests that re-engaging existing volunteers can be more efficient and cost-effective than recruiting new ones because you’re able to:

• Maintain existing relationships: Re-engaging volunteers often means tapping into existing relationships and networks. Volunteers who’ve previously contributed to your organization are already familiar with your mission, values, and operations, making it easier to re-engage them.
• Leverage familiarity and commitment: Returning volunteers have already demonstrated a commitment to your organization’s cause. They’re more likely to understand the work and require less training or orientation compared to new volunteers.
• Foster stability: Retaining volunteers can contribute to a more stable and engaged volunteer base over time. By prioritizing volunteer retention, your organization will gain increased productivity, improved morale, and stronger community connections.

To get started, you simply enable the automation you want, choose your audience, set the timing, edit the email to fit the needs of your organizations, and you’re ready to go.

Look for more new features throughout 2024! If you have Bloomerang Volunteer product ideas you’d like to share, please add them here.

We’d love to hear from you!

The post Volunteer Re-Engagement Automation appeared first on Bloomerang.

Our latest updates help you recognize your volunteers in more formal ways to keep them engaged, happy, and coming back.

See who your top contributors are at a glance with a leaderboard. Customize your leaderboard based on the timeframe you want: week, month, year, or customize it to your needs. Showcase on your public events page to foster competition and spark more engagement.

Send an email that acknowledges volunteer impact and milestones. Base it on hours contributed or their anniversary date—all automated to save you time.

Recognizing your volunteers is proven to improve engagement:

According to Deloitte, recognition correlates highly with improving employee engagement, which in turn improves job performance. In fact, employee engagement, productivity, and performance are 14% higher in organizations with recognition programs than those without.

The new recognition capabilities in Bloomerang Volunteer are an easy way to keep your volunteers engaged, retained, and even driving referrals.

Look for more new features throughout 2024! If you have Bloomerang Volunteer product ideas you’d like to share, please add them here. We’d love to hear from you!

The post Enhancements to Bloomerang Volunteer: February 2024 appeared first on Bloomerang.

 
Volunteers are the lifeblood of so many nonprofits.
 
They can also be some of your most reliable and consistent donors. Research shows that volunteers are 80% more likely to donate and make larger gifts. (And donors who volunteer? Their retention rate is through the roof!)
 
In this session, you’ll see how you can turn your volunteers into loyal and engaged donors. You’ll learn how to pinpoint what motivates your volunteers and donors, tips for segmenting your volunteers (so you tell them the right story!) and how to double down on your storytelling to volunteers.
 
So if you’re one of the many nonprofits who are reluctant to ask their volunteers to become donors and their donors to become volunteers – come to this session and stop leaving money on the table.
 
Learning Objectives:
 
• Why donors and volunteers lapse

• Donor segmentation strategies you can use to reach your target audience and engage them with your mission

• How to use empathy and emotions to connect to your audience

• The importance of segmenting your communications and employing the personal touch
 

The post Transform Relationships at Your Hunger Relief Nonprofit: How to Turn Volunteers and Donors Into Super Supporters appeared first on Bloomerang.