Emily Rasmussen, CEO and Founder of Grapevine, and Gaby Leith, Community Manager at Grapevine, joined a Civic Champs webinar to discuss the importance of building belonging and community for volunteers.

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Here are some of the key insights from the discussion.

Why Building Community is More Important Now Than Ever

• 1 in 2 adult Americans suffer from loneliness and feelings of social isolation.
• 79% of donors choose to volunteer for charitable organizations to provide more than just financial support.
• Connecting with others who care about the same cause is a big driver for why people volunteer.

A Framework for Building Community Belonging: The 7 P's

• Purpose: Align your community-building efforts with your organization's mission and objectives.
• People: Focus on the people you're gathering and their values.
• Place: Create a safe and inspiring space for your community to gather, whether online or offline.
• Participation: Offer different ways for members to participate and remove barriers.
• Policy: Establish clear values, behaviors, and actions you want to encourage.
• Promotion: Make it easy for people to discover your community and invite others.
• Performance: Measure the effectiveness of your content, member engagement, and overall goals.

4 Scalable Approaches to Building Community

Peer Learning Cohorts: Create a supportive network for leaders to learn and grow together.

Mentor & 1:1 Programs: Connect leaders one-on-one to learn from each other.

Member Mixers: Host regular events to connect members, focusing on breakout rooms and rituals.

Start a Giving Circle: Create a community of recurring donors to grow your donor and volunteer base, raise more money, and engage new types of donors.

How to Leverage These Approaches with Volunteers

• Use peer learning cohorts to reinforce learning for experienced volunteers and establish norms for new volunteers.
• Implement mentorship programs where experienced volunteers train new volunteers.
• Organize member mixers with icebreakers and raffles to help volunteers connect with each other.
• Encourage volunteers to organize their own mixers, like coffee meetups, to build community.

Takeaways

Building belonging and community is essential for engaging and retaining volunteers. By understanding the importance of community, using the 7 P's framework, and implementing scalable approaches, you can create a thriving volunteer community that supports your organization's mission.

‍You can watch the full webinar recording below and access the slides here.

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.