How to engage volunteers on Giving Tuesday 2023

Giving Tuesday is an annual opportunity for the world to celebrate the hard work of charities and give a supportive hand to the diversity of causes they champion. It can be an opportunity to ignite fundraising activities, raise awareness of your services and impact, or celebrate all the people who support your cause.

Calling on supporters to donate their time can offer them a rewarding way to make a difference and can be a way to mobilise some of the most passionate champions of your cause. So how do we engage with those who are currently missing out on the magic of volunteering?

In this article, we explore how to engage volunteers on Giving Tuesday and beyond.

Be inclusive

Engaging diverse volunteers benefits charities by increasing the number of different skills and experiences at hand to achieve their goals, while also creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone. In 2023, the proportion of volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds has reportedly dropped.

As East Sussex Volunteer Centre notes, people can be prevented from volunteering for a range of different reasons, such as believeing it might leave them financially worse off, not feeling they will be welcomed, or not feeling they will “fit in”.

Making it clear that the charity will reimburse expenses could ease financial concerns involved in the process.

You can also directly tell your audience that the charity welcomes volunteers from a diversity of backgrounds and encourage people to get in touch with any questions about getting involved. This can help you get more people involved straight away by easing their concerns, as well as shaping your future recruitment campaigns by revealing blind spots in your messaging.

Finally, think about how your recruitment materials and culture could be more inclusive. Our on-demand webinar, ‘How to make language more inclusive’ is a great place to start.

Launch remote opportunities

In 2023, nearly a third of volunteers donate their time online or over the phone, and 18% volunteer only in a remote capacity. The NCVO ‘Time Well Spent’ Report found that people are equally as satisfied volunteering remotely and in person – so why not offer more remote opportunities?

Remote volunteering is also more common among people who have disabilities than those who don’t, suggesting that is also a more accessible option for some.

Showcase the flexibility of your roles

Flexibility has been revealed as highly valued among non-volunteers. In particular, people who do not currently volunteer are interested in roles that are flexible both about the amount of time committed and about the way people give their unpaid time.

Demonstrate to your audiences how your volunteering opportunities are flexible and can work around their existing commitments.

Consider your channels

Think about who you would like to support your mission and where you are most likely to find them. For example, while many will easily engage with volunteering opportunities on social media, some will be excluded by a digital-only approach.

Consider using analogue formats such as posters and flyers, as well as reaching out to organisations with similar missions to your own with volunteering opportunities. Community and religious groups could, for example, reach out to their communities with calls to volunteer for your worthy cause.

Corporate volunteering can be a way for charities to utilise specific skillsets while helping companies fulfil their corporate social responsibility.

Use word of mouth

Did you know that 15% of non-volunteers say they would be encouraged to participate if someone asked them directly to get involved?

Ask your current network and audience to spread the word about your volunteering opportunities. Existing volunteers can in particular pass on glowing reviews to their communities, creating an opportunity for friends and families to impact a great cause together.

Highlight success stories

If you already have volunteers, talk to them about why they volunteer and what they have got out of the experience. For example, what skills did they use? What have they learnt? What has been most rewarding about their experience?

Highlighting success stories to new potential volunteers can help them imagine how volunteering for your charity could fit into their lives, as well as understand the potential difference they could make.

Celebrate volunteers

Taking the time to reflect on the all the support your cause has already had can go a long way, and Giving Tuesday is the perfect opportunity to take stock. Shouting about the impact of volunteers can help show existing volunteers your gratitude, foster pride among your community, and encourage new volunteers to get involved.

This could involve sharing photographs of volunteers at work behind the scenes, videos of your team extending a heartfelt “thank you”, or writing a blog post celebrating the impact volunteers have had on working towards your mission.