1. Flexibility is critical now.
Here’s the big one: When asked how they want to engage with organizations most, 66% of volunteers in our study said:
Flexible, self-scheduled opportunities.
Flexibility was even more valuable to them than one-time or drop-in volunteer opportunities. This could mean volunteers may be willing to commit to longer-term engagements if they can shape their own schedules.
I get it. This can be hard for some organizations. Sometimes you just need volunteers when you need volunteers. But volunteering is a two-way street; if nobody is available when we need them, how can we meet folks where they are?
So here’s how I’d approach thinking about this as an organization. Audit your volunteer opportunities and contemplate where flexibility could fit in, even in small ways:
- Could someone volunteer once a month instead of every week?
- Could they self-schedule and select the shifts that work best for them within your needed dates and times?
- Could certain tasks be done remotely with a little training?
- Could you integrate a few easy flexible opportunities as a way to bring more people into the mission and let them try it before they buy in to deeper commitments?
2. People don’t volunteer where they don’t feel they belong.
The data we saw on this one wasn’t entirely surprising, but it put something I think we intuitively feel into words: People don’t volunteer where they don’t feel like they belong.
44% of respondents in our study said they chose not to sign up to volunteer somewhere if they didn’t think they’d belong there.
And 43% said they quit volunteering somewhere if they felt they didn’t belong.
Service is often a very personal, relational activity. These data points resonated with me.
So what do we do to help volunteers believe and feel they belong?
Sometimes it comes down to the little things:
- What do potential volunteers see when they go to explore your website? Make sure your website and volunteer sign up pages appear friendly visually - smiling faces, welcoming images. This one’s simple.
- When people show up, how do you greet them? Making sure people know what to do and who to talk to for questions or support is huge.
- How do people connect with each other and your cause? Sometimes, just providing opportunities for volunteers to meet and talk to each other in a low-pressure setting can make all the difference.
3. Show How Learning Is Part Of The Process
For many, volunteering isn’t just about what someone gives. It’s also about how they grow as people.
In one study, we saw that nearly 80% of Gen Z said that building skills for future careers is a motivation for volunteering.
Hear me when I say: That doesn’t mean it’s your job as an organization to help volunteers build their resume or become a training ground. (Your job is to serve your community!)
So this one isn’t about adding skill-building or training opportunities that don’t make sense for your mission and needs – but rather, leaning into – and highlighting – how volunteering already builds skills, confidence, leadership, and expands viewpoints.
In practice, this can be as simple as talking about what’s already happening in your messaging: Pointing out how leading a small group builds communication skills, or how helping with events offers hands-on experience coordinating logistics behind the scenes.
The key is to make those takeaways visible, so people understand the full value of the opportunity.
Try it this week 🚀
Take a few minutes this week to revisit one of your volunteer roles.
Look at it through a fresh lens and think about what could feel clearer, more human, or more valuable to someone stepping in. Write down one small update you can make and test it out.
By the way – Curious about this project and all the research?
Learn more here.
