Nonprofits struggle to recruit volunteers as demand soars

Before the pandemic, 70 volunteers at the Des Moines Art Center provided education programming, museum tours and event support. That number dropped to 20 at the beginning of this year, forcing the modern and contemporary art museum to cut back on free guided tours of the center and at the Pappajohn Sculpture Park down the street.

At Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity, a lack of volunteer labor has slowed the pace of affordable housing construction projects and impacted operations as its home improvement ReStore, where volunteers assist customers, process and receive donations, stock store shelves and sort materials. Proceeds from the sale of new or gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, building materials and more support the nonprofit’s work to provide affordable housing in Linn and Benton counties.

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“The other day we only had about four volunteers,” said Kelly Murphy, program manager at Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity. “When you need to set trusses or set walls, you need to do that with more than four people. That has slowed down our construction process.”

Volunteering has been declining for decades, but the pandemic and economic struggles have exacerbated the trend at a time when demand for nonprofit services continues to increase as government COVID-19 aid programs end and inflation rises, paid staff shortages persist and donor support drops, Iowa nonprofit leaders said.

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Formal volunteering dropped nearly 7 percentage points, from 30 percent in 2019 to 23.2 percent in 2021 at the height of the pandemic, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps survey.

It’s reached the point where the lack of volunteers strains the safety net that nonprofits provide to many of society’s most vulnerable, said Angelica Vannatta, senior manager of community outreach and engagement at United Way of East Central Iowa.

“Volunteers are very important to the livelihood of nonprofit organizations,” Vannatta said. “They can help us build capacity … and really help the organization improve its outcomes and be more efficient in meeting mission objectives.”

In many cases, the shrinking pool of volunteers leaves even fewer volunteers available to engage with ancillary activities such as fundraising, she said. That compounds the challenge faced by 28.7 percent of nonprofits that University of Maryland researchers found are operating with less funding today than before the pandemic.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has played a role, as closures and fears about getting sick led some people to break their volunteering habit. Some did not return, instead putting their attention on their families or on their own needs for help with food, rent, utilities and health care, said Vannatta and Mia Buch, museum educator at the Des Moines Art Center.

Younger generations today also are much more likely to work several jobs, presenting barriers to getting involved with nonprofit boards and commissions, Vannatta said.

Potential volunteers, too, simply aren't aware of the depth and breadth of volunteer needs that exist in our community, she said.

To that end, United Way of East Central Iowa has compiled a list of volunteer needs among area nonprofits and created an online volunteer matching site that provides a one-stop shop to find opportunities. Nonprofits post openings and recruit volunteers for one-day or ongoing opportunities, while companies engage their employees in volunteerism.

“Volunteers are also looking for opportunities that fit into their busy lives of caring for family, second jobs, other personal interests,” Vannatta said. “Projects that can be done in a day tend to be more popular because it’s a one-time commitment.”

Iowans who are apt to volunteer, she said, are looking for projects that make it easy to sign up, show up and be put to work. Potential volunteers as well are seeking organizations whose mission and values align with their own.

“They want to be purposeful, useful and needed,” Vannatta said.

Recognizing that, United Way recruits volunteer teams from businesses, schools and organization of all sizes to take on half- or full-day projects throughout Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Jones and Linn counties every year in May through its “Day of Caring” to help address critical community needs of nonprofit agencies.

More than 1,200 volunteers from 56 employers completed more than 6,900 volunteer hours during “Day of Caring” this year, a 35 percent increase from the previous year, Vannatta said.

Angela Weekley is community inclusion manager at Veridian Credit Union in Waterloo who routinely gets invited to serve on numerous boards and commissions.

While having stepped down from some volunteer roles, Weekley continues to volunteer with the United Way, Salvation Army, Inclusive ICR, the Waterloo Community Development Board, Lutheran Services of Iowa and the Waterloo Community School District's Equity Committee.

Her advice is to seek volunteers from within the communities that nonprofits are serving, make the onboarding process as efficient as possible, meet volunteers when and where they are and share impacts and outcomes of what the organization does and has achieved that make serving on the board worth the time.

Weekley said organizations also should clearly outline the commitment and skills needed in volunteer postings, build relationships with new volunteers, offer appreciation for their work and reach out to collegiate institutions to tap the help of students who are aspiring to work in the nonprofit sector.

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