# Are you making best use of fundraising volunteers?

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/02/26/are-you-making-best-use-fundraising-volunteers/
- Published: 2010-02-26T14:45:31+00:00
- Author: Simon George

With volunteer centres reporting an increase in enquiries, an obvious question to
ask is whether your charity is making best use of this free resource.

Most charities use volunteers in some capacity, but not all recognise how they can
support fundraising. So what are the benefits of volunteer fundraisers and how can
they best be used?

The availability of new volunteers may be the silver lining in the recession and
they can offer numerous benefits.

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Firstly, volunteers offer additional capacity, so you can do more than you otherwise
would. They may need some training and basic expenses, but beyond this, they are
a profit centre for your fundraising.

Secondly, volunteers have access to people and networks which you may not, so use
them to reach out beyond your existing support base.

Thirdly, they often have skills and experience which are not available in your organisation,
so use them!

So how can volunteers support your fundraising efforts?

Events – use volunteers to plan and run events for you. This greatly reduces the
cost and thereby increases the profit margin;

Public collections- if staffed by volunteers, public collections (e.g. street collections
or door to door) are a great way to raise extra cash at very low cost;

Major gifts – using volunteers to network and solicit larger donations is very cost
effective. They will need some training, but the return on investment is excellent;

Legacies – with some basic training, you can use volunteers as legacy ambassadors,
asking people one-to-one to remember your charity in their will (probably the most
effective form of legacy fundraising);

Office support – volunteers can be invaluable in the fundraising office, carrying
out research, updating records and even learning the skills of grant applications;

E-bay shop – use a volunteer to run an E-bay site for your charity, selling donated
goods online. They will achieve better prices than through a charity shop!

When times are tough, it pays to get the best out of volunteers, so why not contact
your local volunteer centre, to see who is waiting to raise funds for your charity?
Alternatively, you can advertise for them through your newsletter or website. Clearly,
there are issues about motivation and management of volunteers, but if you get it
right, volunteers can be a valuable addition to your fundraising team.

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