Recruiting can be hard. Especially if you’re trying to do it all yourself! If you entice current volunteers into helping you, though, you can reach a huge number of people with a lot less effort. How do you get them to help? Gamify it! Gamifying volunteer recruitment can make a “chore” seem a lot more fun.
I know of an organisation that was having trouble finding enough volunteers to assemble its holiday hampers. The coordinator, tired of doing everything herself, decided to make a game of it. She created a friendly competition among the current volunteers: whoever brought in the most new helpers would win a homemade pie (she was a good baker!). It wasn’t a fancy prize, but you’d have thought it was a gold medal! The volunteers jumped in, calling friends, sharing posts, and inviting neighbours. Within two weeks, every shift was filled – and so were the hampers! That’s the power of gamification.
Gamification simply means using game-like elements – points, challenges, rewards – to make an activity more fun. It turns existing volunteers into enthusiastic ambassadors who help you grow your team.
Here’s how to use gamification to boost volunteer recruitment.
- Create friendly challenges.
Start simple. You might invite volunteers to see who can bring in the most new recruits over a certain period. Display progress on a leaderboard in your office or in your newsletter. Offer lighthearted prizes. I’ve listed some challenge ideas at the end of the article. - Offer meaningful, not elaborate, rewards.
Prizes don’t have to be expensive. Symbolic rewards often mean more. A reserved parking space for a month, a mention at your annual appreciation event, or the chance to name a rescued puppy can be motivating. If the prizes are too fancy, it can backfire on you. - Encourage team play.
Not everyone is comfortable recruiting on their own. If you have a large enough base, let volunteers work in teams toward the common goal. A weekly update showing progress can build camaraderie and keep the energy going. - Make sharing easy.
Give volunteers ready-made tools to help spread the word. That might be social media graphics, short messages they can post, or referral links to your sign-up page. The easier you make it, the more likely they’ll join in. You could even add points each time a post is shared or a referral link is used.
Gamification can go sideways. Here are some pitfalls to avoid.
- Making it too competitive.
If someone gets too focused on “winning” it can spoil the fun for everyone else. And people who are focused more on getting a lot of recruits may not be as careful in choosing them, so their new recruits may be less likely to stay or may not have the same values. - Overdoing the prizes.
As mentioned above, if the rewards become the main reason people recruit the process may backfire. It may encourage people to become too competitive and the mission can get lost. Keep the tone friendly and celebratory. You want volunteers to bring others because they see the value to the cause, not because they’re chasing prizes. - Ignoring sustainability.
Gamifying volunteer recruitment can create a burst of energy and bring in lots of new people, but you’ll need to have the systems in place to onboard those new volunteers effectively and keep them engaged so that they stay longer or return for other events.
Here are some ideas to try:
- Give everyone a bingo card with squares like “Invite a friend,” “Share a post about volunteering,” “Tell a stranger about the program,” or “Put up a recruitment poster.” Completing each row earns a small reward. It’s flexible, fun, and inclusive (not everyone has a huge network!)
- Encourage teams to pass the “recruitment baton.” Once one team brings in a set number of new volunteers, they nominate another team to match or beat their total. It keeps momentum moving and builds camaraderie.
- Create a “Recruitment Passport” where each successful referral earns a new stamp. Volunteers can collect stamps for different achievements, like recruiting a youth volunteer, a corporate group, or someone from a new neighbourhood.
- Display a large map in your office or on your website. Each time a volunteer brings in a new recruit, they get to “claim” a square or add a marker. When the map is full, the whole team celebrates with a group reward. Pizza, anyone?
- Organise a lighthearted “race” between teams. Each new recruit moves the team’s mascot forward along a race track on your website or office wall. Everyone can see progress in real time. The first team to “cross the finish line” earns bragging rights or a small gift.
Gamifying volunteer recruitment takes thought, but it saves time!
Try to be creative with your idea, but keep the set up simple. Make it easy for people to get involved; give them specific tasks (invite a family member) and any resources (draft wording, or images to share on social media). Volunteers care about the cause, and they’d like to help. Most of the time they just need a push and a bit of direction to get them to become a recruitment superstar. Gamifying does that. Give it a try, and let me know how it turns out!
