Rosterfy UK Webinar Series: Better Volunteer Management

As 2024 winds down, Rosterfy wrapped up an engaging webinar series led by Sam Bennett, Sales Lead - UK & Europe. This series was designed to foster shared learning, provide innovative ideas, and help tackle common challenges in volunteer management.

Featuring thought-leaders and customers from the Rosterfy community, the webinars explored key areas of recruitment, screening, onboarding, scheduling, and recognition. Each session provided fresh insights, real-world success stories, and actionable strategies to help organisations elevate their volunteer programmes.

Read on for a snapshot of the key takeaways from each webinar. To learn more, watch the webinar recordings. 

Key learnings from the webinar series

1. Going from Interested to Active: How to create an attention grabbing volunteer programme

To attract and retain volunteers, it's essential to understand their motivations and deliver messaging that resonates.

• Survey your current volunteers to identify what drives them.
• Use personalised outreach across channels like social media, email, and your website.
• Provide clear role descriptions and set expectations to ensure mutual alignment.
• Review your application conversion rate to optimise the recruitment process.
  
  

"Different demographics have different reasons for wanting to volunteer. If you're looking to get more sign ups from your recruitment campaigns, it's very important to think about which demographics you are looking to target. Who are your volunteers? What motivates them? Which demographics do they come from? Where can you reach them? A big part of this is down to understanding your database."

Sam Bennett, Sales Lead - UK & Europe at Rosterfy

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2. Volunteer Screening Made Easy: How to Save Hours and Engage Effectively

Effective volunteer screening is critical for safeguarding your programme and building trust, but it doesn't have to be complex or time-consuming.

• Automate administrative tasks like reference and background checks to save hours of work.
• Ensure transparency in the process to boost volunteer satisfaction and retention.
• Case Study: Pregnancy Sickness Support (PSS) uses Rosterfy to automate screening, training, and onboarding, freeing up time to focus on more meaningful volunteer engagement.
  
  

"Rosterfy has been an absolute game-changer for me. It was taking up so much of my time emailing back and forth, chasing people for references, whereas Rosterfy takes care of everything. I save at least 15 hours a week. Not only that, it’s very clear. I can see exactly what’s happening, which is amazing.”

Tuesday McEwan, Volunteer Manager at Pregnancy Sickness Support

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3. How to use storytelling to improve volunteer onboarding and retention

Storytelling connects volunteers to your mission and fosters long-term loyalty.

• Share compelling stories during volunteer onboarding to build emotional connections.
• Use storytelling in ongoing communication to reinforce the impact of volunteer contributions.
• Recognise volunteers with stories highlighting their achievements and their role in advancing your mission.
  
  

"Storytelling is not just a marketing tactic. It's a key part of the human experience. Stories help us make sense of the world, to form connections, to understand values, and they inspire us to take action. In the context of volunteering, storytelling is a tool that can be used to connect with volunteers. By telling your organisation's story it helps people feel aligned to your mission and inspires long-term commitment." 

Claudia Godfrey, Marketing Manager at Rosterfy

Did you know? Research shows that narratives increase oxytocin production in the brain, enhancing empathy and trust - two qualities that are essential in volunteer engagement and retention.

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4. Smart Volunteer Scheduling: Grow Your Programme, Not Your Workload

Growing your volunteer programme and retaining volunteers often comes down to understanding your database. 

• It’s important to understand the needs of your volunteers and offer roles that align with their skills, interests, and availability.
• Leverage technology to match volunteers to suitable opportunities and streamline scheduling.
• Case Study: London Youth Games (LYG) increased their volunteer force by 23% in 2024 by creating a meaningful and rewarding experience for all volunteers. This includes 82 unique volunteers with a disability. 

"It's super important to us to have a representative and diverse workforce across all of our events. A big part of that is engaging people with disabilities for volunteering and making sure we have accessible and inclusive opportunities for them. A key part of that is understanding people as individuals, how their disability affects them, what their requirements are, and how we can give them a specific role that suits them."

Ellie Reid, Head of Workforce Development at London Youth Games

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5. Beyond a Thank You: How Recognition Drives Volunteer Retention

Recognition strengthens retention by showing volunteers they are valued.

• Celebrate milestones and individual contributions through personalised certificates, tailored messaging, or public acknowledgement.
• Create a culture of appreciation that motivates continued participation.
• Case Study: The Literacy Pirates ask their volunteers to commit to attending 12 sessions, typically across 12 months. Every time a volunteer logs into the portal they can see exactly where they are in their journey in terms of how many sessions they have completed. Key milestones are celebrated by awarding volunteers with digital and physical badges.
  
  

"It’s a special shout-out for our volunteers to say we’re really grateful for all the work you are doing with us and all the time you’re spending supporting the Young Pirates. Volunteers really appreciate that. It’s a little something that really means a lot to the volunteers.”

Angele Tilly, Volunteer Manager at The Literacy Pirates

Did you know? Volunteers who receive tailored recognition are 67% more likely to remain engaged compared to generic acknowledgements.

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Learn more

Each webinar is packed with actionable advice, engaging discussions, and inspiring success stories from the Rosterfy community that can transform your volunteer programme.

Ready to dive in? Access the full recordings of past webinars and start implementing these insights today!

About Rosterfy

Rosterfy’s volunteer management software is used by nonprofits, charities, sporting federations, local governments, and more to better manage their volunteer programmes by improving how they can recruit, screen, train, and retain volunteers. Our market leading technology is an end-to-end solution designed to help you provide a world-class experience for your volunteers.

Book a demo to discover how Rosterfy can help you enhance your volunteer programme and accomplish your goals.