Fundraising Volunteers 

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The Battle for  Stewardship of Fundraising Volunteers: Income Generation vs. Volunteering

Raising money through your own steam, whether running a marathon or organising a bake sale involves the giving of considerable time to a cause. So, is this an income generation or a volunteering activity? In this blog I will discuss the various arguments. 

Fundraising volunteers are essential to the success of many charities. They help to raise money, promote awareness, and build community support. However, there is some debate about where the stewardship of fundraising volunteers should be housed within an organisation: within the income generation team or within the volunteering function.

Traditionally, fundraising volunteer stewardship has been housed within the income generation team. This makes sense in several ways, as the income generation team is responsible for all aspects of fundraising, including encouraging community donations. However, there are also some challenges to this approach.

One challenge is that the income generation team may be so focused on meeting fundraising goals that they neglect the overall well-being and development of their volunteers. This can lead to burnout and high turnover rates, and limit long-term involvement whilst pursuing short term gain.

Another challenge is that the income generation team may not have the expertise to effectively steward volunteers. Volunteer stewardship requires a deep understanding of volunteer motivations and needs. It also requires the ability to build relationships and create a sense of community among volunteers. 

These volunteers will often do more than fundraise. So, having one staff member supporting them for fundraising and another for other volunteering activity my be clunky.

The volunteering function, on the other hand, has the expertise and experience to effectively steward volunteers. Volunteering professionals are trained to understand and meet the needs of volunteers. They are also skilled at building relationships and creating a sense of community.

There is a growing argument to house fundraising volunteer stewardship within the volunteering function. This approach is based on the belief that volunteers are more likely to stay involved with an organisation if they are managed by a team that is focused on their overall well-being and development, rather than by a team that is focused solely on their fundraising potential.

There are some challenges to housing fundraising volunteer stewardship within the volunteering function. One challenge is that the volunteering function may not be as focused on meeting fundraising goals as the income generation team. This could lead to a decrease in fundraising revenue. Furthermore, volunteering teams may lack fundraising skills to advise.

Another challenge is that the volunteering function and the income generation team may not be well-coordinated. This could lead to duplication of effort and confusion among volunteers. It could also mean potential donors who also volunteer receive mixed messaging.

Arguments in Favour of Housing Fundraising Volunteer Stewardship Within the Volunteering Function

• Volunteering teams are experts in supporting volunteers and building relationships with them.

• Volunteering Teams are experts on building communities and long term commitments.

• Volunteer fundraisers are likely to be involved in other volunteering activity and want one point of contact.

• Volunteering teams are likely to have a more holistic view of the volunteer experience, including their fundraising efforts.

• Volunteering teams are less likely to be focused solely on income generation, which can lead to a more sustainable approach to volunteer management.

Arguments in Favour of Housing Fundraising Volunteer Stewardship Within the Income Generation Team

• Income generation teams are accountable for the overall success of the organisation's fundraising efforts.

• They are responsible for encouraging community donations, often from the same people who are volunteer fundraisers.

• Income generation teams have the expertise to develop and implement effective fundraising strategies.

• Income generation teams are more likely to have the resources to support fundraising volunteers, such as providing them with training and development opportunities.

Challenges of Coordinating Between Income Generation Teams and Volunteering Teams.

Regardless of where the stewardship of fundraising volunteers is housed, there are some challenges to overcome in coordinating between income generation teams and volunteering teams. One challenge is ensuring that both teams have a shared understanding of the volunteer experience and the organisation's fundraising goals. Another challenge is avoiding duplication of effort and ensuring that volunteers are not bombarded with conflicting messages from the two teams. Both teams will need access to data and you may need to make practical decisions on who and what has primacy.

Recommendations

The best place to house the stewardship of fundraising volunteers will vary depending on the specific needs of the organisation. However, there are a few things that organisations can do to ensure that fundraising volunteers are well-stewarded, regardless of where they are housed:

• Ensure that there is regular communication and collaboration between the income generation team and the volunteering team.

• Decide which communications have primacy.

• Develop a shared understanding of the volunteer experience and the organisation's fundraising goals.

• Avoid duplication of effort and ensure that volunteers are not bombarded with conflicting messages.

• Provide fundraising volunteers with the support and resources they need to be successful.

If organisations are considering making volunteering teams take on more responsibility for supporting fundraising volunteers they should additionally consider the following:

• Establish clear goals and expectations for the volunteering function. Make sure that the volunteering team understands that fundraising is a priority, but that it is not the only priority.

• Provide the volunteering team with the resources they need to effectively steward fundraising volunteers. This includes training on fundraising best practices.

There are some questions that organisations should regularly ask themselves:

• Are we maximising life time engagement with cause? 

• Are we building a community of supporters rather than a community of fundraisers or volunteers?

• Are we stewarding fundraising supporters such that communications are consistent, not duplicated and complimentary?

• Are we developing supporter journeys that build commitment and belonging, such that the volunteer feels they want to stay involved? Let’s not build supporter journeys that are linear, disempowering to the volunteer, or focussed solely on income generation as prime.

• Is there regular and efficient collaboration and communication between income generation and volunteering teams?

• Are we building our processes with coproduction from volunteer fundraisers so we can continually improve?

• Are we recognising that donors, volunteers, fundraisers are very often the same people, and one activity often prompts the other? 

• Are we ensuring that communication with these supporters is open to volunteering, campaigning, membership and other teams rather than just income generation (subject to data protection rules of course)?

• Ultimately are we maximising the impact of our supporters?

Conclusion

The stewardship of fundraising volunteers is an important issue for charities to consider. By carefully weighing the arguments for and against housing fundraising volunteer stewardship within the income generation team or the volunteering function, organisations can choose the approach that is best for them.

Chris Wade, 10th November 2023

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