Just because a business is a non-profit group, it does not mean that traditional business principles can be discarded. A volunteer organization interested in recruiting new members must pay attention to how they interact with interested parties. A potential volunteer that has to wait weeks to hear back from a charitable organization will quickly lose interest. When a person is ready to volunteer their time, staff members from that non-profit should respond to questions or comments right away and make the individual feel welcome. This positive impression will make the potential new volunteer more likely to want to commit to the group.

"In today's society, instant responses are expected. When a person is ready to volunteer their time, they want to feel appreciated and valued. A non-profit that waits weeks to get back to someone will probably find that this individual is no longer interested by the time they respond. For this reason, quick and warm responses are a must," notes Deborah Peeples.

Many people look for volunteer opportunities as a way to meet people or spend time with family while doing something good for their community. Non-profit organizations that make it easy to interact with others or spend time with loved ones often have the most success when it comes to recruiting new volunteers. People spend all day alone while focusing on work, and many individuals do not want to spend their free time feeling isolated as well.

Regardless of the type of opportunity, volunteering should be an enjoyable experience for those involved. These people are donating their time without getting paid, so they have to enjoy what they are doing in order to continue doing it in the future.

When volunteers enjoy their experience and feel appreciated, they are more likely to return and may even bring others along with them. A person has to take care of unpleasant tasks at work and will not want to experience stress or frustration as they complete volunteer work. The members of that non-profit organization should make it a point to ensure that everyone enjoys their time and knows that their efforts are valued and appreciated.

"For busy people, volunteering is often a source of stress relief as they feel good about doing something positive for those in need. While some rules will be necessary in order to keep the organization running smoothly, a volunteer should not feel as if they are being scrutinized like they might be at work. The experience should be overwhelmingly positive," explains Deborah Peeples.

ABOUT:

Deborah Peeples is fully committed to doing charity work in her community. She has committed herself to helping organizations and foundations through her own experience speaking, leading and fundraising. She has served as the director for a number of non-profit groups, and has had many positive interactions with business professionals, educators and religious leaders.