March 16, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Ken Goldstein, author of the Nonprofit Consultant Blog, points to a new survey by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans that shows that 64 percent of Americans volunteer.
Even so, Mr. Goldstein, president of a consulting firm that bears his name, says nonprofit organizations are not coming close to recruiting all the people who are available to volunteer.
The same survey found that 86 percent would have volunteers if opportunities had been available.
“This means that we, as a sector, are doing a rotten job of either providing the right opportunities, or of promoting and recruiting for those opportunities, or both,” Mr. Goldstein writes.
He suggests that nonprofit groups always include a phone number and contact person for volunteer opportunities on every mailing.
He also says charities should make it easier to volunteer through their Web sites.
What else should charities do to attract potential volunteers? What strategies work best? Click on the comment link just below this posting to offer your suggestions.
