Strategies for Recruiting Volunteers in the Nonprofit Sector

Many nonprofit organizations (NPO) leaders lack formal strategies to recruit volunteers. Nonprofit leaders without effective volunteer recruitment strategies may lack the workforce necessary to achieve the organization’s mission to support organization beneficiaries. Grounded in the strategic human resource management theory, the purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to explore strategies 3 leaders of a nonprofit organization located in the U.S. state of Colorado use to recruit volunteers. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, organizational documents, public and government data, and the organization’s website. The data were analyzed using Yin’s five-step thematic analysis process and the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program criteria. Key themes identified include enhancing and implementing recruiting strategies and developing volunteer workgroups. A key recommendation for NPO leaders is to develop and implement a formal recruiting strategy to attract and select volunteers with the right skill set needed to ensure continued success. An effective recruiting strategy could result in a productive volunteer workforce that is motivated, committed, and productive, thus resulting in an NPO that is successful in making a positive social change within the community