VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT MASTERCLASS: APPLICATIONS

How to create a more effective 'Volunteer Application Funnel'

Invest more of your time with the people who add the most value. One of the most impactful initiatives you can introduce is improving your volunteer application conversion rate.

Featuring insights and strategies from leading volunteer programmes

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Webinar Date Oct 10
WEBINAR

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

Sept 10 @ 10:00 am (BST) - Duration 20 minutes

Join Sam Bennett, Sales Lead for Rosterfy, in this 20 minute webinar as he shares actionable advice and tactics we've picked up from working with some of the most engaging and successful volunteer programmes in the UK.

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Top 5 Places to Find Volunteers
Webinar Date Oct 15
LIVE WEBINAR

Empowering Volunteers with Technology: Introducing the Rosterfy Mobile App

Oct 15 @ 10:00 am (BST) - Duration 30 minutes

Introducing the Rosterfy Mobile App - Empowering your volunteer community to get involved in more opportunities and find more ways to support your mission.

Hosted by Martin O'Neill, Head of Marketing for Rosterfy. This live webinar will cover:

  • How a trend towards on-demand services has changed the behaviour of volunteers
  • An introduction to the Mobile App with Rosterfy Senior Technical Business Analyst -
    Jake Geddes
  • How to introduce the Rosterfy Mobile App to your community
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Martin and Jake
LESSON 2. APPLICATIONS

How to create a more effective 'Volunteer Application Funnel'

Only 15% of people who apply to volunteer go onto complete their application and support a cause or event.

That's the average for most organisations and it's why we developed the 'Volunteer Application Funnel' webinar which will help you improve your conversion rate and spend more time on people who will go onto support your cause.

In this lesson Rosterfy CEO, Bennett Merriman, walks us through what many of the worlds leading volunteer programmes consider when creating their role application process. 

Why improving your application conversion rate is important

Every hour you spend processing applications, emailing, messaging, updating reports for stakeholders, or sending additional information to potential supporters costs your organisation something - time or money.

Resources are better allocated to individuals who contribute significantly to your cause or event. Often, the time spent pursuing and following up on applications diverts funds directly from the cause.

By improving your volunteer application rate by 10-15% you can make a huge impact on your volunteer programme.

This lesson covers the following:

  • How to work out your current conversion rate
  • How to get more people from 'Interested' to 'Active'
  • Examples from organisations such as British Heart Foundation and Lifelife
  • Resource material and actionable advice throughout the lesson
MAKE YOUR EFFORTS GO FURTHER

Key learnings

Typically, volunteer programmes have a conversion rate ranging from 15% to 20%. This implies that organisations often invest time in approximately 80% of individuals who ultimately do not support their cause. This time could be better utilised in discovering innovative methods to assist communities, generate funds, and make a difference.

What stops people from completing their application to support your cause or event?

Often the reason someone doesn't complete their application to volunteer with your programme is due to a lack of visibility on where they are in the application process. This is why we developed our Volunteer Portal to include milestones. These markers show the person applying what's needed next before they can start their shift.

Journey progress app

Encourage a strategy of continued improvement

Enhancing your volunteer application conversion rate should be approached as a long-term strategy. This continuous effort necessitates concentrating on a select few metrics, which will ultimately influence the effectiveness of your volunteer recruitment.

What you need to measure:

  • Total number of applications
  • Total number of active volunteers
  • Stages that take the longest time to complete
  • Stage at which you lose applications
  • Average time from application to actively volunteering 

What improves volunteer application conversion?

There are numerous activities you can undertake to increase the number of volunteers actively supporting your cause or event.

The most successful volunteer programmes we collaborate with have these four elements finely tuned.

Here is what makes the difference:

  1. They communicate their 'mission' effectively
  2. They segment their communication by demographics
  3. They ensure their programme is inclusive to all
  4. They regularly review the effectiveness of their application process
The Literacy Pirates Session

Your mission

Gain long term commitment from volunteers by ensuring your goal is understood
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Targeted

By segmenting your audience by roles or demographics you can send targeted messages
Hospitals & healthcare

Accessibility

Reduce friction in your application process by making sure your programme is welcoming to all

Charity donations

Review and refine

Identify where in the application process you lose people
FROM THE ENGAGED VOLUNTEER PODCAST

Breakdown stereotypes to improve the effectiveness of your volunteer recruitment 

Whether you're hiring volunteers for golf events, charity fundraisers or skilled supporters you'll find being able to communicate effectively will benefit your programme.

Rosterfy spoke with Claudia Marazita, Head of Workforce Engagement at Golf Australia and you'll find her views on volunteering enlightening.
Five x volunteers
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What could you achieve with 5x more volunteers?

The results we've seen from organisations using Rosterfy to better automate and refine their application process have resulted in around 5x more volunteers completing the process.

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British Heart Foundation
CASE STUDY FROM THE LESSON

"When I spoke to somebody from our London Marathon Event they said that was the best volunteering experience they have ever had”

Linda Fenn, Head of Volunteering at British Heart Foundation

READ THE BHF CASE STUDY

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Successful Volunteer Recruitment: The Definitive Guide

Want to better understand how to future proof your volunteer recruitment?

Go beyond simply filling opportunities and build a robust volunteer program by engaging with the next generation of volunteers and ensuring diversity throughout your program. 

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Volunteer Management Masterclass Lessons

Masterclass Lesson 1
1. RECRUITMENT

How to create an attention grabbing volunteer programme

Covered in this lesson:

  • Understanding what motivates people to join your programme in particular
  • The reasons why people choose to volunteer
  • Creating a more effective process for volunteer role applications
  • Case Studies from successful volunteer programmes
Go to Lesson
Masterclass lesson 2
2. APPLICATIONS

How to create a more effective 'Volunteer Application Funnel'

Covered in this lesson:

  • How to calculate your volunteer applicant conversion rate
  • How to get more people from 'Interested' to 'Active'
  • Examples from organisations such as British Heart Foundation
  • Resource material and actionable advice throughout the lesson
Current Lesson
Masterclass Lesson 3
3. SCREENING

Volunteer Screening made Easy: How to Save Hours and Engage Effectively

Covered in this lesson:

  • How to simplify your screening process
  • How to reduce the admin screening creates
  • Best practices for evaluating volunteer applications
  • How technology can help you automate tasks
  • How to foster volunteer loyalty
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Masterclass 4
4. RETENTION

How to use storytelling to improve volunteer onboarding and retention

Covered in this lesson:

  • Fundamentals of storytelling and how they can be applied to volunteer onboarding
  • Practical strategies for crafting narratives
  • How to create a sense of belonging and purpose through shared stories
  • Real-life examples of storytelling to enhance volunteer engagement
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Masterclass Lesson 5
5. SCHEDULING

Smart Volunteer Scheduling: Grow your Programme. Not your Workload.

Covered in this lesson:

  • How to scale your programme not your workload
  • Proven methods to streamline volunteer scheduling
  • How technology helps you automate manual tasks
  • How London Youth Games has built a strong volunteer community
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Masterclass Lesson 6
6. RECOGNITION

Beyond a Thank you: How Recognition Drives Volunteer Retention

Covered in this lesson:

  • Why recognition is essential to building a thriving volunteer programme
  • Strategies for implementing reward and recognition initiatives
  • How recognition influences volunteer satisfaction, retention, and advocacy
  • Practical tips for scaling volunteer engagement efforts with limited resources
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