Engaging Virtual Volunteers During the Coronavirus Crisis

May 2020 – Lauriane Lebrun, Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Social distancing has led many nonprofits to change or suspend their regular volunteer activities. But while your volunteers may be stuck at home, that doesn’t mean they’re any less interested in donating time to your cause. In fact, they might have more free time than usual, and now is your chance to help them get involved!

Consider these ideas if you’re looking for ways to engage volunteers from a distance:

Grant Finding / Grant Writing – Ask volunteers to search online for grant opportunities for which your organization would be eligible to apply. Volunteers with grant writing experience can also help draft your applications.

Content Creation – Volunteers can help you build your marketing content library by submitting personal stories, videos, and art about their experiences with your organization. You can also ask for help creating content for upcoming marketing campaigns. Volunteers with skills in areas such as blog writing, photography, graphic design, and video editing can all do great work to help your organization without ever leaving the safety of their homes.

Social Media Updates – There are plenty of ways for social media savvy volunteers to help your organization’s social channels thrive even in these challenging times. Let a volunteer take over your Instagram for a day, moderate a Twitter chat, or take a leading role in answering supporters’ questions via Facebook Live.

Presenters – If your volunteers have knowledge to share that is relevant to your industry or mission, consider letting them take center stage in a webinar or livestreamed presentation.

Advocacy – From signing and sharing online petitions, to calling senators and writing to legislators, there are plenty of ways for volunteers to advocate for your mission/industry from the comfort of home.

Donor Outreach – According to Bloomerang, now “is a critical time to take inventory of your most valuable supporters (can’t lose people) and reach out contextually.” Recruit volunteers to make calls on your organization’s behalf to check in on donors, give them an update on how your nonprofit is handling the crisis, and remind them how much their support is appreciated, especially in times like these.

No matter how you decide to approach volunteer engagement during this time, make sure to keep this advice from Brad Cecil & Associates in mind: “Check-in with [volunteers] to find out how they and their families are doing. This gives you an opportunity to remind them of how important they are to your organization, share the latest updates on what your organization is doing in response to the crisis and how much you are looking forward to seeing them again when they are able to return.”