Design Tips for Digital Volunteer Recruitment

Have you ever gotten an email asking you to donate time or money, but when you click the link, the design is so overwhelming that it turns you off immediately? Volunteers want to be associated with organizations that really have it together – if signup is a hassle, users might assume that volunteering with you will be a hassle, too. There are many resources you can use to improve your company’s UX/UI design (usability and aesthetic), and VolunteerLocal is here to offer additional creative solutions.  

 

Start with a moodboard. This is a good way to hone in on how you want your content to look and feel. Pinterest is the place to begin – you can grab any image that speaks to you and visualize it next to other elements. For example, if your company’s colors are red and orange and the event you are promoting is a hike, you can search for forest images and color swatches and arrange them until the moodboard speaks to you.

 

Streamline the onboarding process. You want your volunteer to know the date, time, and requirements before you get their commitment – it doesn’t do you any good to have contact info for people who aren’t available or qualified for a job. You also want to ensure you don’t overwhelm potential volunteers by offering or requesting all the information at once. You can provide clarity by asking one or two questions per page, by arranging information in an easily digestible manner, and more.

 

Ensure your content and your brand are cohesive. If your volunteer signup page includes your company’s logo, colors, and general aesthetic, potential volunteers will feel confident about the event’s sponsorship and legitimacy. Conversely, a signup page that is just black text on a white background might have your volunteers asking – is this real? Am I giving my personal information to a third party? This is where VolunteerLocal comes in handy – our professional software can be modified to fit your organization’s look and feel.

 

Do user testing. This is key! The larger the group you can test, the better, but even just asking your friends or family will give you insight into how your content is received. There are many ways you can test usability – from just getting a feel for how others interact with your design to producing concrete survey results, usability testing will help you get more volunteers.

 

Your volunteers’ altruism has brought them far enough to be interested in your work – make sure you use the vast resources available to make their signup and volunteering experiences as straightforward and pleasant as possible!

 

 

 

 

Jordan Maze

Jordan Maze is a staff writer for VolunteerLocal. She enjoys going on walks with her dog, reading, and biking.