Securing dedicated and loyal volunteers has always been a concern for initiative leaders working with limited budgets. Organizations that serve large populations can overwhelm a team that is small, but funding is often not available to hire more staff. Because of this, leaders spend a considerable amount of time finding volunteers to help meet the organization’s goals.

The problem in relying on volunteers is that circumstances arrive that creates hurdles in their time consistency.  For example, if the volunteer base of a given organization is predominantly made up of college students, working around the university’s schedule for availability can be difficult.  After graduation, students depart from the areas where they serve, and finding replacements in a timely manner can leave organizations vulnerable. Other volunteers deal with outside issues such as work conflicts, family obligations, and mental burnout that can hinder the amount of time they donate to an organization.  Knowing this, non-profit leaders should develop strategies for marketing to find and secure not just volunteers, but actual talented individuals who are willing to do pro-bono work that is congruent with their skill set.

Who Defines Pro-bono Talent?

Pro-bono talent consists of professionals and interns who are willing to donate their expertise and skills in a particular area to an organization.  Non-profit organizations have a variety of needs open to be met in areas such as marketing, accounting, strategic planning, law, and business.  The vetting process of securing talent requires leaders to find volunteers in the same way they would search for new hires. By matching knowledgeable volunteers to do tasks within their expertise, time is donated to an organization in the most effective way.

Using Social Media to Find Talent

Leaders can find pro-bono talent online through social media sites like Linkedin.  According to research reported by the Taproot Foundation, 78% of Linkedin members have donated either their time and/or money to social service, while 76% members stated in the research survey that they would be open to volunteer opportunities that allows them to use their specific skills.  Non-profit organizations that mismatch volunteers to tasks  that are beyond their comfort or skill level may not have success in encouraging them to commit to a longer term of service.  Conducting profile and industry searches on sites such as Idealist and NPO.net is useful for scoping out talent online, in addition to connecting with trade associations, board members, and alumni clubs from local schools.

Recruitment, Appointment, and Evaluation

Screening applicants to fulfill organizational needs should be taken as seriously as hiring paid individuals.  Therefore leaders must review what they are willing to exchange for pro-bono work since monetary compensation is not an option.  Here are actionable items to get started:

1. The best bet is to find talent who are already passionate about the cause the organization stands for. If a volunteer believes in the mission, he/she will benefit from seeing the organization fulfill it’s goals and will want to be apart of that dynamic.  
2. Hone in on talent by concisely defining the role, qualifications, responsibilities, and time commitment of the work that needs to be done before recruitment.  
3. Develop a list of perspectives who have express adamant interest in the organization and instead of “interviewing” them, have an open house to welcome and host the potential talent in discussing the work in a more casual manner.  Pay attention to what gifts they can offer the organization and assign tasks according to what volunteers are good at.
4. When appointing tasks, follow up with volunteers to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their experience working with the organization.  Evaluating volunteer work allows leaders to be open to new and better ideas that recruited talent are able to offer.
   

Volunteers who are prepared and supported by leaders are more likely to continue their work with the organization.  Because people seek out opportunities to give their time as a form of personal development, securing pro-bono talent starts and ends with the kind of relationship leaders foster between staff, volunteers, and the community they all serve.