I Want You to Volunteer with Us. Why?

THE USAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR AN NGO LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteering has been a very popular topic lately, especially among young people who love to travel, follow their passion, learning/gaining a new experience in different countries, or continents by experiencing another culture and way of living. However, it is not that easy to decide where to go, which organization to work with, which project to be involved in, etc. That’s exactly the point where social media matters to answer the questions about what kind of environment awaits for you. There are few fundamental topics that an NGO should focus on to clear a potential volunteer’s mind. We hear you asking ‘TELL ME WHAT THOSE STEPS ARE?’ Do not worry, we will give you new tips you can apply easily 🙂

The first rule: BE ACTIVE on the channel! Being active gives the impression of aliveness and dynamism. What do you want as an NGO? To have a volunteer who would love to be active, right? Then, give the same impression to them; you are an alive and dynamic group!

Congrats, you passed the first step! What’s next? What should an NGO do on social media to be more attractive?

1. TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE: Do not forget that your name may mean nothing to people but a little description of your organization such as your mission, vision and/or a little history of the institution would be a perfect guide for a potential volunteer to see whether the organization and the volunteering program are good match or not.
2. WHAT DO YOU DO? Once you capture the attention of the potential volunteer, now you are ready to explain what you do. In other words, tell your profile to others so they can see the main subjects the organization focuses on, the actions you take, what is important for the organization and so on.
3. WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU INVOLVED IN? So, you told them who you are and what you do in general sense. You have given some right messages to your audience for sure BUT it is not enough. Why not? You have to give some concrete examples to demonstrate how your profile and your actions go hand in hand. DO NOT FORGET, it is maybe the most convincing way of showing people what you exactly do. HOW? Check the next step.
4. POSTS ON PREVIOUS/ONGOING PROJECTS: Imagine a person’s profile on social media… All of us stalk people from time to time (some of us all the time). Why do you keep stalking this person’s profile? YOU FOUND SOMETHING CATCHING! Do the same, catch the attention. Post little videos, funny/interesting/catchy photos which would be interesting for people. Check the most popular NGO posts, other NGO posts in the same field and try to understand the strategy behind and apply the same strategy.
5. HOW IS VOLUNTEERING WITH US/ WHAT TO EXPECT? You have done perfect so far, amazing! People know who you are, what you do with the real examples. There are only few steps I would recommend to complete your profile; tell your audience what volunteering with you looks like and what they should expect to prepare them for the new adventure they want to go for. I could give you few tips: you can interview your ex-volunteers to define their experiences or simply take a video of their most interesting experiences by not missing the possible problems. Do not forget, showing both sides make things more believable as nothing is too perfect in life.

In a nutshell, as an NGO, try to give a complete profile to your audience, so they can reach the detailed information about your institution which would make you more trustworthy and credible in the long-term.