Do you want to help people in your organization get to know each other better?
A “Volunteer of the Month” feature can help to do that if you interview your volunteers (details below) and share their stories.
Do you wish your people interacted more in between meetings and events?
One of the big challenges within churches is that to create genuine community, people need to do more together than just show up once a week for a service. The same is true schools, nonprofits and even businesses that want to create a team culture. Getting people together in person can be difficult, so one way to foster more interaction is to do it online.
Do you wish your website, blog and/or Facebook page had more visitors and engagement?
A volunteer of the month feature is an easy to way to create foster more engagement online. I guarantee every volunteer of the month feature you publish will get lots of comments and likes as other people within your organization add their expressions of gratitude.
How to Create a “Volunteer of the Month” Website Feature
There are many different ways to feature a “volunteer of the month,” but I believe the two things that will help the most are to include a visual of the volunteer (picture or video) and to have the volunteer answer some questions.
The questions could be a part of an interview captured on video. Or you could email questions to a volunteer, and include their answers and a photo in a blog post or Facebook post.
Questions to ask your Volunteer of the Month
Here are some suggestions…
- When did you start volunteering?
- Tell us about what you do in your volunteer role?
- What do you like most about volunteering?
- Tell us about your most memorable moment as a volunteer. It could be funny, meaningful, heartwarming, or whatever.
- What would you say to someone who sees this and wants to learn more about volunteering in a similar role?
Where to publish the Volunteer of the Month announcement
The best place to publish your Volunteer of the Month announcements is on your website, more specifically on the blog of your website. This is because with blog articles you can…
- Enable comments – so people who are a part of your church or nonprofit can add their words of appreciation for the volunteer as well.
- Include social share buttons – so people can easily share the announcements on their social channels
- Organize and archive – Blog articles are automatically organized by date, and archived so people can view previous volunteers of the month
All of the custom designed websites our team creates for clients are built using WordPress, the #1 blogging platform on the planet. And our do-it-yourself WP-EZ Website Builder is also based on WordPress, so every website has blog functionality included.
Share your Volunteer of the Month
After you publish each Volunteer of the Month announcement, share it on your church or nonprofit’s social media accounts. For best results…
- @mention the the volunteer, so they’re tagged in the posts.
- Encourage others to like, comment and share.
- Also like, comment and share using your personal social media accounts.
This is why we agree with Jim Fargiano when he said…
Gratitude and love are always multiplied when you give freely. It is an infinite source of contentment and prosperous energy. –Jim Fargiano
More benefits to showing appreciate to a Volunteer of the Month
While the primary motives for doing a Volunteer of the Month feature should be to recognize volunteers and build community, a side benefit is that creating fresh, interesting, and engaging content will help your website’s search rankings. In other words, it’s good for SEO.
If you’re tired of struggling on your own with web design or Christian SEO for your church, school, ministry or business, complete the form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to request a free phone consultation so we can discuss your situation and help you to discover how you and your organization can better live out your mission online.
Comment and Discuss…
- Do you do some sort of a volunteer feature on your website, blog or Facebook page? If so, post a link.
- If not, what’s holding you back?
Continue reading… More ways to Communicate Gratitude around Thanksgiving
Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.