This document outlines a webinar presented by Jennifer Bennett on best practices for online volunteer recruiting. The webinar agenda includes an introduction to online recruiting, best practices for listings, examples of good and poor listings, and resources for using VolunteerMatch. The webinar teaches that online listings should have a catchy title, be brief, use simple language, include photos, and view the listing from a volunteer's perspective. Attendees are encouraged to keep referrals on VolunteerMatch so information reaches interested volunteers.

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To hear the presentation by phone call:
(702) 489-0009
Access Code: 305-052-265
Jennifer Bennett @JenBennettCVA
CVA, Senior Manager, Education & Training
Matt Wallace @ItsMattWallace
Senior Associate, Nonprofit Relations
Follow this webinar on Twitter to
join the conversation! Hash tag:
#VMlearn
Jennifer Bennett, CVA
Senior Manager, Education & Training
VolunteerMatch
jbennett@volunteermatch.org
@JenBennettCVA

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Agenda
• Introduction
• Making the Case for Online Volunteer Recruiting
• Best Practices for Recruiting Online
• Review Real Opportunities Using Best Practices
• Making the Most of VolunteerMatch
• Things to Remember
• Q&A

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Recruiting Volunteers Online
• Another Tool to Recruit Volunteers
– VolunteerMatch User Survey
• VolunteerMatch Research
– 100 High Referring Listings
– 100 Listings with no referrals
• Best Practices
– Applicable for any online recruiting site

4. 4
8 Easy Steps for Recruiting Online
• Make the Title Work for You
– Catchy, Fun, Interesting
• Keep it Brief
– One Opportunity, 100 words
• Word it Simply and Make it Easy to Understand
– No Jargon, no acronyms
• Make an Impact
– Include a Strong Call to Action

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8 Easy Steps for Recruiting Online
• Provide Direction and Support
– Time Commitment, Training, Restrictions, Skills,
Experience
• Make it Visually Appealing
– Include Pictures, Graphics. Make use of White Space.
• Remember to Edit
– Grammar, Spelling
• View your Listing as a Volunteer
– Use a Critical Eye.

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Best Practices for VolunteerMatch
• Title Stands Out
– Call to Action
• Make Good Use of First Sentence
– Visible to prospective volunteers
• Use the Skills Menu
– Listings with skills automatically cross-post to LinkedIn
• Brainstorm and Use Keywords
– What kinds of volunteers do you want to find you
• Keep Referrals on VolunteerMatch
– Information is only useful if volunteers click ‘I Want to
Help!’

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Make Your Title Work For You

8. 8
Review Real Opportunities
Let’s take a look at some examples of good descriptions
and those that could use some work.

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Using Best
Practices

10. 10
A Listing that
Needs Work

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Remember…
Your VolunteerMatch listing may be the first time a
volunteer learns about your organization:
• Use language that is welcoming
• Clearly state needs and impacts
• Outline any potential ‘deal breakers’
• Craft opportunities that will attract the
volunteers you need

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Resources
Learning Center
Find upcoming webinar dates, how-to videos and more
http://learn.volunteermatch.org
VolunteerMatch Community
Ask and answer questions after the webinar – use keywords Recruiting Online
http://community.volunteermatch.org/volunteer
Related Webinar Topics:
VolunteerMatch: Getting Started
Writing Accurate and Useful Position Descriptions
The New Volunteer Manager’s Toolkit

13. Thanks for attending!
Join us online:
VolunteerMatch’s Learning Center:
learn.volunteermatch.org
Visit Engaging Volunteers, our nonprofit blog:
blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/
Find the slides and resources:
6 months of premium tools:
Coupon Code: VolunteersRock
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14. Questions?
For any questions contact:
Jennifer Bennett
@JenBennettCVA
jbennett@volunteermatch.org
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