Connect with Your Community
Are you inviting your community to volunteer for your United Way? Do you make it easy for your community members to find information on volunteer opportunities of interest to them?
United Way of Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is helping their community members find volunteer opportunities that fit their interests, skills, and schedule. They have a “Get Involved” tab at the top of their Web site, which brings you to a Web page with information on volunteering. On their Volunteers Web page, they have a chart that outlines volunteer opportunities by category (such as emergency needs or financial stability) and type of project (such as a one-time project or an ongoing project). This is helpful to community members who are interested in volunteering and would like to select a volunteer opportunity that fits their availability and preference.
United Way of Broward County invites their community to volunteer by becoming a mentor, committee volunteer, ReadingPal, or to select another volunteering opportunity on their Hands On Broward volunteering Web site.
United Way of Broward County is doing an excellent job of communicating with their community and inviting them to volunteer on their ReadingPals Web page. At the top of the Web page, they include a picture of kids holding a sign saying thanks for helping them learn to read, followed by information on the importance of the issue of children reading at grade level by the end of third grade and information on the ReadingPals initiative. You can click on a button to apply as a ReadingPal and you can view a video about ReadingPals. Toward the bottom of the Web page, they include information on the participating schools/sites, contact information, and an infographic with information about results that have been achieved through the ReadingPals initiative.
United Way of Broward County’s ReadingPals Web page and infographic include what we call “IAR,” which stands for issue, action, and results. They are communicating the importance of the issue, the actions that are being achieved to address the issue/how people can get involved, and results about what United Way of Broward County has accomplished in the community.
In our research, we have found that donors and community members want to know about IAR when choosing to contribute their time or money to an organization. Your community wants to know how they can get involved (action) to make a difference (results) on an important issue in the community (issue). United Way of Broward County’s Web page and infographic are great examples of communicating IAR and inviting people to get involved with United Way of Broward County.
When you are asking people to volunteer for your United Way, make sure to communicate IAR and provide them with an opportunity to connect with your United Way.
