Good communication with volunteers is essential for ensuring that they are engaged with their work and that they have the necessary information and resources to carry out their tasks effectively. 

With clear and consistent communication, your volunteers will have a better understanding of their role, be more motivated to carry out their duties, and be more likely to stay with your organization for the long term.

Here's how you can prioritize clear and consistent communication.

Establish communication channels

Establishing effective communication channels is essential when working with volunteers. Knowing the preferred communication methods of volunteers is key to establishing a successful relationship. Whether it's email, phone, or social media, having a centralized communication platform can make it easier to stay in touch with volunteers.

Setting expectations for response times and availability will also help ensure that everyone is on the same page. Generally speaking, people expect a return phone call or email within 24 hours of contact.

However, text and social media messaging tend to have same-day expectations. For example, Facebook labels a page as Very Responsive when 90% of their returned messages take place within 15 minutes. 

In any case, it's always a good practice to clearly state on your website, in your voicemail, and wherever your contact information is shown, how quickly people can expect a response.

Typical communication channels include:

• Phone (voice and text)
• Email
• Social media
• Bulletin boards (physical and electronic)
• Newsletters

Craft clear and concise messages

Oftentimes, volunteers aren't as heavily involved in the industry as you are. It's best to use plain language and avoid jargon or technical terms. Break down complex information into digestible segments by using headers, lists, etc.

Include all necessary details while keeping messages concise. This will help volunteers understand what is expected of them and help them get the results you want.

Additionally, streamline communication as much as possible, so volunteers don't have to sift through a lot of unnecessary information. Pop-out important dates and addresses with formatting such as bolded text and highlights. But don't overdo it; that can be a distraction as well.

Grammarly is a great tool for achieving concision in your messaging. Not only does it catch grammatical errors in your text, but with a premium subscription, you'll receive suggestions on how to change the tone, consolidate details, and more. It will also offer synonyms to replace words and phrases, so you can make sure your message is clear and concise.

Regularly update volunteers

Keeping volunteers informed is a key part of successful volunteer management. The best way to do this is to provide timely updates on organizational news, events, and projects. This will help volunteers feel involved and valued in the organization.

We recommend sending 3 updates of upcoming events 1, 3, and 7 days before it starts. This gives people the chance to plan around it and limits the chances of volunteers forgetting. It is also important to keep in mind that not everyone has the same schedule, so it is important to send updates at different times of the day and try to reach as many people as possible. You can also use social media to help spread the word about upcoming events.

Sharing success stories and the impact of volunteer contributions is equally significant. Tell your volunteers how their many hours and donations are making positive change in the community. Make sure they know all their work wasn't forgotten.

It's also important to communicate any changes in policies, procedures, or schedules. This type of information should be shared with the relevant volunteers right away. This way, everyone can stay up to date with the latest information.

Personalize communication

Sometimes being a volunteer can feel like being a number among many. Personalize your messaging by using your volunteers' names.

A few other steps can go a long way in making volunteers feel valued and appreciated. If you're using the Civic Champs platform, recognizing individual achievements and contributions is a breeze. Tailoring messages to specific volunteer interests and preferences are the small gestures that will have a big effect on creating a positive working environment.

Tell Brent how the 5 hours of work he completed in the garden made it possible for your nonprofit to feed 20 additional families that week. And because you overheard he liked jazz, you're giving him 2 free tickets to the jazz festival as a thank you. That's how you help people feel seen and appreciated.

Be responsive and approachable

Being responsive and approachable is a key trait of a successful leader. As such, it's important to respond to volunteer inquiries and feedback promptly. We mentioned above how different channels of communication may come with a different definitions for "timely manner."

Encouraging open communication and creating a safe space for volunteers to share their thoughts is also essential. Invite volunteers to share feedback via surveys, email, or by simply walking up to you and having a conversation.

Remember, it's vital to provide opportunities for volunteers to ask questions and seek clarification. Doing so allows them to understand their roles better and further explore the organization's goals. Before moving on to a different topic, ask if anyone has questions and give everyone a way to reach you if a concern arises later.

By creating an environment where volunteers feel safe to communicate their thoughts and feelings, you can ensure that your volunteer program is running smoothly and efficiently. This will also create a more positive experience for everyone involved.

Use visuals and multimedia

Visuals and multimedia can be a great way to enhance communication, especially when working with volunteers. Incorporate visuals such as images or infographics to make the message clearer and easier to understand.

Multimedia, such as videos or podcasts, can be a great way to engage volunteers and give them a more comfortable way to learn about the organization, event, or role. This can be especially helpful when introducing new concepts or explaining the organization’s mission and goals.

Utilizing multimedia also allows volunteers to access information in their own time, which can make it easier for them to work with your non-profit on their schedule. You can also use video messages or tutorials to explain complex instructions and demonstrate tasks. Additionally, storytelling techniques can help to engage volunteers emotionally and create a stronger connection between them and the project. 

Visuals can help create a sense of community among volunteers. By creating content that is interesting and entertaining, volunteers are more likely to feel connected to each other and the organization. This can help build morale and keep volunteers engaged.

Provide consistent updates and reminders

Keeping your team and volunteers on track is key to success. To do this, provide consistent updates and reminders such as establishing a regular communication schedule (weekly or monthly newsletters), sending reminders for upcoming events, deadlines, or volunteer shifts, and using automated reminders or calendar invites for convenience.

Doing this will help ensure that everyone is aware of what is expected of them and help keep things running smoothly.

Seek feedback and evaluate communication effectiveness

Regularly collecting feedback from volunteers is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of communication methods. You can do this by conducting surveys or holding focus groups to gather input on communication effectiveness.

Surveys can be distributed via email or text, or posted on social media. It's important to make sure the questions are specific and relevant to what is being evaluated. Multiple-choice questions are great to minimize the amount of thinking people have to do. But try to include at least 1 open-ended question so volunteers can give specific feedback. 

Focus groups can be held with a small group of volunteers who are willing to discuss their experiences with communication methods. This can provide more in-depth feedback that can be used to inform decisions on how to improve communication. 

By collecting feedback from volunteers, non-profits can better understand what works well and what needs improvement when it comes to communication. This can help ensure that volunteers feel heard and valued and that organizations are providing the best possible experience for them.

It's also important to analyze metrics such as open rates and engagement levels to better evaluate the impact of your communication strategies. By doing so, you can ensure that your messages are reaching their intended audience. You will also know exactly which communication channels are the most effective so you can focus more of your energy there.

Civic Champs Enables You to Be an Effective Communicator

Communication is an essential part of successful volunteer engagement and organizational success. A clear and consistent approach to communication can help organizations prioritize the needs of their volunteers and create a positive impact.

At Civic Champs, we understand this, which is why we have built-in communication features to make it easier for organizations to communicate with their volunteers. This allows you to create a more meaningful and successful volunteer program. Get in touch to book a demo and see how our platform harnesses the power of clear communication.

As CEO of Civic Champs, I lead our team of passionate change leaders to create technology solutions to create a seamless and rewarding volunteering experience for both volunteers and service organizations.