Free e-book shows charities how to manage volunteers via CRM

The charity sector would be nothing without its dedicated band of volunteers. According to the 2021 NCVO Almanac, half of UK adults volunteered their time to help others at least once in the previous year. It also revealed that 16.3m people in the UK volunteered ‘formally’ in 2020-21, working directly with a voluntary organisation of some kind. 

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However, that is not to say that charities don’t face challenges when it comes to looking after and managing their volunteers. According to the Non-profit Experience Index, around 73% of volunteers felt they received clear communication on what they needed to do before volunteering and 78% said that the experience of volunteering made them feel the organisation was well run.  That leaves more than a fifth of volunteers who felt otherwise. 

As m-hance points out in its e-book, How to Improve Efficiency and Manage your Charity’s Volunteers, volunteers often sit between traditional supporters and employees who are recorded on a HR system rather than the CRM system. What results from this liminal space is a fragmented volunteer management approach which focuses on one or the other – treating volunteers as supporters or as employees – and not both.  

Fortunately, that’s where your choice of CRM system can come in. CRM systems are great for boosting charity performance and charities are already well-versed in using their CRM systems to perfect the donor experience. But they can also be used to improve the volunteering experience too.  

The e-book from m-hance helpfully looks at different ways you can improve your volunteer management style using your CRM system, and how you can incorporate these tactics into your next fundraising campaigns, too. It offers tips on how to attract volunteers (spoiler: you can use your CRM for this), onboard new volunteers, and how to successfully manage all interactions.  

It also shares advice on how to motivate volunteers and retain them, which can save charities a lot of time and money on recruitment and ensures that they have regular support from a dedicated team who are happy and engaged with the cause.  

“Every charity needs to ensure they’re leveraging the strengths of their volunteers to find out what’s keeping them engaged and motivated,” advises the e-book. “Make sure the right volunteers are assigned to the right roles as your charity may have volunteers assigned to roles that are not making the most of their skills.  

“Make sure that volunteers are regularly reviewed so that their motivations and skills are highlighted, enabling your charity to identify potential opportunities. This will help your volunteers feel valued whilst you can collect data on their skills and qualifications in a structured way.” 

The e-book also features a handy case study from Christian Aid, who were able to use their CRM system to “communicate with [volunteers] clearly in a way that’s compliant with ever-changing regulations” and “work closely with them as we tackle both the causes and symptoms of poverty”. 

Just as with donors, managing volunteers is a process that covers a range of efforts and interactions that mean that charities can plan for the future, ensuring they have the resources they need to achieve their goals. By managing volunteers through a CRM, charities leave no stone unturned. Every interaction can be tailored so the volunteer experience is as seamless as it is for charity donors. 

You can learn more by downloading the full e-book from m-hance below.