Recruiting
and Training
Fundraising Volunteers
Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
President/CEO CAPITALVENTURE SM
Over the years, I’ve been
involved with numerous capital campaigns and
annual fundraising campaigns for nonprofit organizations.
One thing my fifteen years of consulting has
taught me is that the most successful campaigns
are those that involve great volunteer leadership.
It all comes down to Recruiting
and Training Fundraising Volunteers.
Here are some tips from my book of the same
title, published by Wiley & Sons in 2005.
There are many ways to use volunteers in fundraising
besides making the 'ask.' Among these are: seeking
volunteer advice on your case for support, forming
a planned giving committee of estate planning
and financial professionals, and asking key
community volunteers to host cultivation events
for prospective donors.
You first need to decide how you will use
volunteers and how many volunteers you need
for each task.
Every volunteer fundraiser needs a position
description outlining what they will be doing
for the organization.
Matching the right volunteer to the right
job is critical.
There are many places to find good volunteers-asking
your board and staff for suggestions are just
two ways to find volunteers.
Volunteer orientation is vital, especially
if the volunteers are not familiar with your
organization; bring them in for an open house,
and an opportunity to see your work up close
and personal. This will instill the necessary
passion in them that will be needed in their
volunteer fundraising role.
Board members are volunteers and their role
in fundraising is critical-"give, get or get
off" is an old adage, but the importance of
board giving is crucial to any successful fundraising
campaign.
Board members should not be asked to all contribute
at the same level; a formal board annual appeal
should use the same careful screening and evaluation
process that would be used in any major donor
appeal.
Volunteer training is important. Even if these
volunteers have worked on other campaigns, there
may be new techniques they will be using in
YOUR campaign and they must be able to articulate
your case for support.
Volunteers need staff support. They will easily
get frustrated if it isn't there and will not
come back for a second experience with your
organization.
