For nonprofits: how to use skilled volunteers

While many volunteer needs can be filled by general volunteers, VOLY.org also provides an outstanding way for you to find volunteers with the skills and experience to address specific needs within your organization.  When posting each volunteer opportunity you have the ability to select the skills that are the best match for that opportunity. Volunteers can easily search by skill to identify meaningful ways to use their experience to make a positive impact.

To find the right volunteers for your agency please be sure the skills you are requesting are the right match for the specific opportunity you are posting. One recent opportunity posting for a manual labor opportunity was seeking a Spanish-speaking attorney/electrician who could write grants, and give manicures!  Imagine how confusing that is to the perspective volunteer.

While it may seem expedient to lump all of your needs into one posting, agencies are finding they get the best responses from quality volunteers when they post multiple opportunities that are clear about the specific duties, responsibilities, and skills needed for each specific position. Anytime you find yourself checking more than 2-3 specific skill requirements for an opportunity, you probably need more than one opportunity posting to better target your needs.

Start posting now for volunteers with specific skill sets!