As discussed in our previous blog, setting volunteering objectives helps to motivate your volunteers. Clarifying the volunteering purpose and approach can aid your opportunity creation process and eliminate any uncertainties that cause barriers to volunteering. If you want a quick-fire method for pinning down your volunteering objectives, read on!

For your volunteers

Volunteering objectives depend on the volunteering opportunity. Some objectives are more easy to define than others. However, the danger of a seemingly simple volunteering objective is that it is not communicated to the volunteer. Do not assume that simple objectives are obvious to someone who is not directly involved with your organisation. 

Outline your volunteering objectives within your opportunity description. Volunteers can then evaluate how well the opportunity aligns with their lifestyle, interests and intentions. Objectives also help give the prospective volunteer a sense of who you are as an organisation. 

For your organisation

Setting volunteering objectives is also a useful exercise for clarifying the purpose of an opportunity for you and your organisation. If you implement objective setting in your opportunity creation process, your objectives are more likely to be successful. It is more effective to have fewer attractive, well-organised volunteering opportunities than many undefined, therefore unattractive, opportunities. 

The Method

You may be familiar with using the SMART method in professional or academic settings. For the reasons outlined above, it is also beneficial to create specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound volunteering objectives.

Combine the following 5 elements and you will have a SMART objective. For example, ‘To distribute 5000kg of food donations to households in Manchester by 1st January 2025, helping improve the wellbeing of the community’.

Specific – The objective is focused and clearly defined.

Upon applying or joining an opportunity, volunteers will be certain about what the volunteering opportunity entails. 

Measurable – Volunteering efforts can be quantified. 

This does not have to be numerical but it is useful for there to be a method for determining the success of your volunteering opportunity.

Attainable – The objective may be aspirational, but it is realistic. 

An achievable goal is essential for motivating volunteers and clarifying what success means for your organisation.

Relevant – This objective is consistent with the purpose of your organisation.

Volunteers will be able to make the connection between volunteering and making a contribution to the broader goals of your organisation.

Timely – There is a time frame given to achieve the objective.

This can be a rolling or set deadline. It is important for volunteers to be aware of the level and length of commitment that is expected.

Be SMART!

For the benefit of you and your volunteers, set SMART objectives. Help to streamline your volunteering opportunity creation and recruitment process. The opportunity description is the perfect place to inform your volunteers and make sure they understand the opportunity objective or objectives!

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