Using Volunteer Data to Make Your Grant Application Stand Out from the Crowd
Grant writing for financial and in-kind support is vital for nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits have to rely on donations and grants to help fulfill their mission, and oftentimes, several organizations are competing for the same funding. That is why it is important to make your grant applications stand out by providing the best data. Volunteers show community involvement and support, elevating your organization and telling a compelling story. All this data can be shown empirically and concretely. In this post, we will share how you can use your volunteer data to make your grant application stand out.
1. Focus on the Impact
Start by focusing on what your volunteers are doing for your organization. This tangible impact is vital for telling your story and demonstrating community participation. Ask yourself what are your volunteers doing or getting done? Take time to list the volunteer positions and include measurables that display your program’s impact (e.g. meals served, food collected, students mentored, events hosted, parks cleaned).
2. Include the Details
As you focus on the impact of your volunteers, make sure to bring in the empirical data. Grant readers love seeing the numbers behind the impact you are sharing. Some important ones to include are:
Number of Volunteers
Number of Hours Served
Direct Measurable Impact (like clients served)
Monetary Value of Volunteer Hours
Are you unsure of how to include the monetary value of your volunteer hours? As of April 19, 2023, the volunteer hour is estimated to be valued at $31.80. This can vary depending on the requirements for the volunteer position as well as the state you reside in, but it is a good base to start your calculations. For the most updated numbers and state statistics, click here. This is a great way to visualize the impact your volunteers are having on your financial bottom line.
3. Consider Profiling a Volunteer or Two
Volunteer quotes and experiences go a long way. They bring a personal touch to the data and statistics. While not every volunteer may want to be interviewed, typically a volunteer who graciously and generously gives of their time will be more than happy to answer some questions for you - especially if they know it is to help the organization financially. Some questions to ask:
How long have you been a volunteer?
Why do you volunteer here?
What does this organization mean to you?
Do you have a favorite story from your time volunteering?
4. Highlight Your Volunteer Coordinator/Team
Volunteers are vital, but someone is managing and coordinating all of that work. Include a quick profile of the Volunteer Coordinator/Team that is making all of this happen. Make sure you focus on the efficiency of your staff by showing what tools and practices are in place to help make volunteer management run smoothly.
5. Leverage a Volunteer Management Tool
The best way to accurately track and report your volunteer data is to use a Volunteer Management Software. Things to look for in regards to providing relevant data:
Activity Tracking
By Program/Funding Source
By Individual Volunteer
By Group/Corporation
By Location/Department
Online Volunteer Registration
Volunteer Check-in Kiosk
Mobile Sign-in/Sign-out
Segmented & Fully Customizable Reporting
On-Demand Access to Your Data
Safe, Secure, & Encrypted Data
At CERVIS, we offer all of this and more, giving you the ability to track, analyze, and report your volunteer data easily. Reports can be run over any date range on individual volunteers, groups of volunteers, new volunteers, specific events, interests, or custom fields. You can also create and save custom report templates using any previously run search for a specific set of volunteers, events, groups, or reservations. The options are endless! Most importantly, since you as an organization have full ownership of your volunteer data, data exports via Excel or CSV files can be done on-demand and are fully customizable. A quality Volunteer Management Software like CERVIS makes your Volunteer Coordinator even more efficient, and our competitive & fair pricing is good for your budget and your fiscal reporting.
As you start your next grant application, keep in mind the power of your volunteers and the story they can help you tell.
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