Talking about the many benefits of volunteering can be part of a powerful volunteer recruitment strategy. Compelling research suggests that volunteerism improves health, enhances quality of life and builds valuable career skills. Get this information out to potential volunteer recruits, as well as your current volunteers. Knowing the facts on the benefits of volunteering may empower volunteers to be more successful recruiters for your mission.
Make your website and blog a rich source of information about the benefits of volunteering. Use social media and targeted e-mail campaigns to share this information with current volunteers and to encourage them to share the information with their friends and loved ones. A powerful way you can accomplish this is to illustrate the data with stories from real people who are volunteering for your organization. Ask your volunteers how volunteering has benefitted them personally and share their answers. Here are some facts and sources you can use to get good information about the benefits of volunteering:
Health Benefits of Volunteering
There are countless health benefits of volunteering. Volunteers report improvements in mental, emotional and physical health. A survey conducted by United Health Group in 2013 showed that a whopping 94% of respondents who volunteered during the past year feel that volunteering has elevated their mood. And 76% say that volunteering has made them feel physically healthier. There is even evidence that suggests that volunteers live longer than non-volunteers.
Research reported by The Corporation for National and Community Service suggests that adults over the age of 60 get even greater benefits than younger volunteers, including improved physical health, lower rates of depression, and an increased sense of satisfaction with life. By sharing this information with potential volunteer recruits, you are encouraging people not only to serve their communities; you are encouraging them to help themselves in remarkable ways.
Professional Benefits of Volunteering
Aside from the astonishing health benefits of volunteering, there are numerous ways that volunteerism can help individuals advance professionally. Volunteers make personal connections in their communities that can help them in their careers, and they also learn new skills that can help them achieve more. Another benefit of volunteerism is that volunteering builds or strengthens resumes. One or several of these factors combine to improve employment opportunities for workers across the spectrum.
According to another report from the Corporation for National and Community Service even unemployed volunteers are much more likely to gain employment than non-volunteers. The key facts are:
* In general, volunteers have a 27% greater chance of getting a job overall, than non-volunteers.
* Among those who lack a high school diploma, volunteers are 51% more likely to secure a job than those who don’t volunteer.
* Volunteers who live in rural areas see the greatest gains, with a 55% higher likelihood of getting a job than non-volunteers.
Galaxy Digital’s Get Connected can help your organization get these and other facts about the benefits of volunteering out to the people who make your mission possible. To learn more consider scheduling a live demo today!