The Importance of Strategic Volunteers

In the United States, as soon as several inhabitants have taken an opinion or an idea they wish to promote in society, they seek each other out and unite together once they have made contact. From that moment, they are no longer isolated but have become a power seen from afar whose activities serve as an example and whose words are heeded. — Alexis de Tocqueville, in his seminal work, Democracy in America

In this single quote, de Tocqueville distilled what many of us who work in the nonprofit sector have come to know and understand by practice — namely, that the most effective way to accomplish significant community transformation is through the strategic engagement of volunteer leaders and supporters. 

Volunteerism is not unique to the U.S., but volunteerism does play a much larger role in the U.S. than it does in other developed nations. According to Stanford Social Innovation Review, “Americans are 15 percent more likely to volunteer their time than the Dutch, 21 percent more likely than the Swiss, and 32 percent more likely than Germans.”

Unfortunately, even though Americans are more likely to volunteer than individuals in other countries, the rate at which Americans are volunteering (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) has declined nearly 15% since 2005. During that same period, the number of nonprofits in the U.S. has increased by nearly 25%, resulting in more and more charities competing for an ever-shrinking pool of volunteers.

These trends should concern every Executive Director, Board Chair, and Chief Development Officer.

Why, you ask?

In 2009, Fidelity Charitable conducted a study that resulted in a finding that those who volunteered gave 10X more in charitable gifts than those who did not volunteer.

According to the 2018 Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy from U.S. Trust, 48% of high net worth individuals volunteer their time at charitable organizations they feel are important. They also give more to charities, generally, than those who don’t volunteer.

According to CCS Fundraising, people who volunteer their time are more likely to make a financial contribution than those who don’t volunteer. 79 percent of people who volunteer at an organization have also made a charitable contribution to that organization. Of significant importance is the finding (from CSS again) that 69 percent of high net worth individuals report that in addition to making a financial investment in an organization, the next most important way they seek to make an impact is by volunteering their time at that organization.

There’s another equally important reason to focus on strategic volunteers in your philanthropic efforts. And that has to do with high net worth donors and social proof. In a recent conversation I had with Lisa Wolf at Westfall Gold, she shared a staggering statistic. In their work with high net worth donors (they’ve raised over $1 Billion, exclusively from high net worth individuals over the last 15 years), they’ve found that more than 90% of high net worth individuals report that they would invest in a charity if it were recommended to them by someone they trusted.

The value of strategically engaging high-level volunteers is immense. Not only does it elevate direct revenue to your bottom line, but relationships with high-level volunteers helps you to open the door to other networks of high net worth individuals who may be willing to support your cause when their interest is validated by someone else they respect (i.e., another high net worth individual who already volunteers with you — like a board member or capital campaign committee member).

With all of this external validation, I’ve got to ask. What’s holding you and your organization back from strategically engaging high-level volunteers in your philanthropic efforts?