During a recent conversation online with a leader of volunteers, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer Dave Thomas was inspired to consider one of the biggest changes in volunteering since Covid-19.
In a more detailed follow-up to his 2021 blog, Dave writes:
Leaders of volunteers have always sought to use the most effective ways to support and communicate with their volunteers. This almost always used to mean face-to-face chats. One of the most significant changes in volunteering post-Covid has been the widespread adoption of online and remote volunteering. So if leaders of volunteers rarely meet their team members in person, we must use the available tools as effectively as possible to support remote and virtual volunteers.
Online and virtual volunteering is now probably more popular than ever, allowing individuals to contribute their skills and time without needing to turn up at a physical location. However, keeping these remote volunteers engaged and motivated requires thoughtful communication and interaction from leaders of volunteers.
Social media and messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and LinkedIn provide excellent opportunities to build a sense of shared purpose, distribute updates, and ensure volunteers feel valued.
In this blog, we explore how to use these platforms effectively, along with additional tools that can help organisations reach and engage younger audiences.
WhatsApp: A direct and personal approach
WhatsApp is an easy and effective tool for maintaining direct contact with volunteers. Its real-time messaging feature makes communication quick and informal, helping to create a strong sense of connection.
Ways to use WhatsApp for virtual volunteers:
- WhatsApp Groups
- Create groups for specific volunteer teams or projects to keep discussions relevant.
- Establish clear guidelines to prevent spam and ensure conversations remain purposeful.
- Appoint a group admin to moderate discussions and ensure timely responses.
- One-to-one messaging for volunteer support
- Some volunteers may prefer to reach out privately. Make sure they know they can message a designated contact if they need assistance or have questions.
- Some volunteers may prefer to reach out privately. Make sure they know they can message a designated contact if they need assistance or have questions.
- Engagement through multimedia
- Use voice notes for quick updates or thank-you messages.
- Share short videos or images to showcase the impact of volunteer work.
- Send reminders in a visual format (e.g., infographics) for important deadlines.
- Live updates and urgent calls for help
- If a campaign or project needs urgent action, WhatsApp is a great way to get a quick response.
- Use it to recruit last-minute volunteers or send emergency alerts.
- Recognition and appreciation
- Give shout-outs to volunteers for their hard work.
- Send personalised messages to acknowledge individual contributions.
Facebook: A space for community and storytelling
Facebook is an excellent platform for keeping volunteers informed and engaged through storytelling, updates, and discussion forums. It works well for organisations that want to provide a more structured and interactive experience.
Ways to use Facebook for virtual volunteering:
- Facebook Groups for volunteers
- Create private or public groups where volunteers can interact, share ideas, and ask questions.
- Use polls to gather opinions or decide on team activities.
- Pin important posts such as guidelines, FAQs, and upcoming events.
- Sharing success stories and volunteer spotlights
- Regularly post success stories to highlight the impact of volunteers' work.
- Feature individual volunteers in posts to boost morale and engagement.
- Encourage volunteers to share their own experiences in the group.
- Live Q&A and training sessions
- Host live video sessions to answer volunteer questions in real time.
- Provide training workshops via Facebook Live or recorded videos.
- Encourage interaction through comments and reactions.
- Events and challenges
- Use the Events feature to schedule online meetups, brainstorming sessions, or webinars.
- Create engagement challenges (e.g., 'Share your favourite volunteering moment' or 'Complete this task and post about it').
LinkedIn: Professional engagement for skilled volunteers
For organisations that rely on skilled volunteers—such as those offering mentoring, career coaching, or digital support—LinkedIn is a powerful platform for recruitment and engagement.
Ways to use LinkedIn for virtual volunteering:
- Professional networking and skills-based volunteering
- Use LinkedIn to connect with professionals willing to offer their expertise remotely.
- Encourage volunteers to list their roles on their profiles, giving visibility to your organisation.
- Creating a LinkedIn Group
- Start a LinkedIn group focused on professional development, skill-sharing, or industry-related volunteering.
- Share thought leadership articles and encourage discussions around relevant topics.
- Recognising volunteer contributions
- Post updates highlighting the achievements of volunteers in their respective fields.
- Share testimonials from beneficiaries to showcase impact.
- Recruiting new volunteers
- Use LinkedIn’s job posting feature to attract volunteers with specialised skills.
- Partner with businesses that encourage employee volunteering.
Reaching younger volunteers: other tools to consider
While WhatsApp, Facebook, and LinkedIn work well for many audiences, younger volunteers (especially those under 25) often engage more with platforms that prioritise short-form content, gamification, and real-time interaction.
A report issued in March 2023 by Ofcom notes the most popular social media apps used by 16 to 17-year-olds are Instagram and TikTok.
These findings are broadly in line with a 2024 American study reported on Social Media Today.
The tools
- Instagram and TikTok
- Perfect for sharing visual content, behind-the-scenes footage, and volunteer testimonials.
- Use Instagram Stories or TikTok videos to highlight volunteer opportunities in a dynamic way.
- Create interactive content like Q&A stickers, polls, and challenge-based volunteering campaigns.
- Discord
- Originally popular with gaming communities, Discord is now widely used for team communication.
- Great for volunteers working on long-term projects, as it allows structured discussions in different channels.
- Offers voice channels for casual meetups and brainstorming sessions.
- Twitch and YouTube Live
- Useful for hosting fundraising streams, online workshops, or live discussions with experts.
- Volunteers can help by moderating chats, creating content, or promoting events.
- Snapchat
- Some organisations use Snapchat for quick, informal updates and volunteer takeovers.
- Short, engaging content (like ‘a day in the life of a volunteer’) can be shared in real time.
- BeReal
- Although still a niche platform, BeReal’s spontaneous nature can help humanise an organisation by sharing authentic, unfiltered moments of volunteering in action.
Final thoughts
Effective engagement of virtual volunteers requires more than just providing tasks—it’s about building a strong community, keeping communication clear, and making people feel connected to the cause. Different platforms serve different purposes, so organisations should choose the right tools based on their audience.
- WhatsApp is great for real-time coordination and direct messaging.
- Facebook excels at storytelling, group discussions, and live events.
- LinkedIn is ideal for professional networking and skill-based volunteering.
- Younger volunteers may engage better with Instagram, TikTok, Discord, and Twitch.
By using the right mix of platforms, organisations can ensure their online volunteers stay informed, inspired, and motivated to continue making a difference.
Let’s also never forget that a phone call can also be an effective way to keep in touch.
Additional resources
The world authority on virtual volunteering is an American consultant and writer, Jayne Cravens. She has been championing online volunteering since the 1990s. I thoroughly recommend losing yourself for an afternoon in her excellent website.
Over to you
What platforms have worked best for your online volunteer engagement? I’d love to hear about your experiences, get in touch at davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk.
