Do you have any tips for how I can improve my volunteer listing?
We want your volunteer listing to shine so that it can attract the best volunteers to help support your organization. A clear, welcoming listing helps potential volunteers understand what you need, how they can help, and why their time matters.
We have a few simple steps that can help you make a listing that encourages people to get involved.
Step 1: Enhance Your Title
Your title is the first thing people will see. It gives a snapshot of what the potential volunteer will be doing. We recommend that the title be friendly and welcoming. Try to describe the opportunity in just a few words so people can quickly see if it interests them. The right words in your title can be helpful for volunteers who are searching by keywords.
For example:
- Help Us Keep Our Community Park Clean!
- Volunteer at Our Local Food Bank
- Become a Mentor and Make a Difference
Step 2: Share a bit about your Organization
As you know, individuals volunteer because they want to do some good in their community. Take some time to talk about your organization. Share the goals your organization has and mention why you're looking for volunteers.
Keep it warm and conversational. You don't need to write a long history — just enough to help people connect with your mission.
Step 3: Get detailed about the Volunteer Role
When it is time to describe what the volunteer will be doing, be specific about what tasks are involved so that people know exactly what to expect. This will make it easier for the potential volunteer to decide if this is the opportunity for them.
Here are some items to consider including:
- The main activities volunteers will help with
- Any relevant skills or experience that are needed
- Time Commitment
- Location
Remember, your opportunity is important and needed, so the more details you can provide, the better.
Step 4: Review Before Publishing
After you have entered all the information, make sure you review it to make sure that everything is included.
Here are some items we recommend you check before publishing:
- Review the title to make sure it looks right and is properly formatted.
- Look over the listing to make sure that there are no font or spelling errors.
- Check the How to Apply section
- If you used an external link for the prospective volunteer to apply, make sure that it pulls up and loads successfully.
- If you are using the applicant tracking feature, make sure that you selected all the documents or questions you want to ask of the prospective volunteer.
- If the prospective volunteer should email you, double-check that the email address is correct.
- Check to make sure that your notifications and contacts are properly set up. “How do I post a volunteer opportunity?” article is a great resource to use when checking.
- Ensure the date, time, and location are included.
- If you have volunteers on your team, have them review the listing. Since they are active volunteers, they can tell you if anything needs to be included to grab the most attention.
If everything looks good, you are all ready to publish your volunteer listing.
Step 5: Resources
We completely understand that finding a volunteer can be a little hard sometimes. That is why we have created multiple resources for you to help during the duration of your volunteer listings.
- Volunteer Engagement Resources
- This is an expert guide on everything you need to lead volunteers, including resources for recruiting, retaining, and recognizing volunteers who support your mission. We recommend checking out the Volunteer Recruitment Workshop Series. It is a 5-webinar series with tips on Volunteer recruitment.
- Renewing your listing
- Our "Renew" feature allows you to update the posted date, push it back to the top of search results and recirculate your listing through email alerts. Organizations that have an Idealist Annual Membership have the option to renew their listings every 7 days. Organizations without an annual membership have the option to renew their listings every 45 days.
- Utilize your Social Media
- We encourage you to share your listing with as many people as possible to help spread the word and increase visibility. The more eyes, the better. Once your listing is published, a unique link is created. We encourage you to share this link on your social media platforms.
