Using Salesforce to communicate effectively with volunteers can enhance engagement, streamline communication processes, and ensure that volunteers are well-informed and motivated. Here are three ways to achieve this:

Personalized Email Campaigns

• Email Templates: Create and use personalized email templates to communicate with volunteers. Tailor messages for different purposes, such as event invitations, shift reminders, and thank-you notes.
• Marketing Cloud: Leverage Salesforce Marketing Cloud or Pardot to design and automate email campaigns. Segment your volunteer database to send targeted messages based on volunteer preferences, roles, and activities.
• Automated Reminders: Set up automated email reminders for upcoming volunteer shifts, training sessions, and events. Use Salesforce’s automation tools like Workflow Rules and Process Builder to trigger these reminders.

Volunteer Portal and Communities

• Experience Cloud: Use Salesforce Experience Cloud (formerly Community Cloud) to create a dedicated volunteer portal. This portal can serve as a central hub where volunteers can find information, sign up for shifts, and update their contact details.
• Discussion Forums: Enable discussion forums within the portal to foster community among volunteers. Volunteers can share experiences, ask questions, and provide support to one another.
• Resource Library: Provide access to a library of resources, including training materials, event details, and important announcements, to keep volunteers informed and engaged.

Chatter and Real-Time Collaboration

• Salesforce Chatter: Use Chatter, Salesforce’s collaboration tool, to facilitate real-time communication with volunteers. Create Chatter groups for different volunteer teams or projects to share updates, post announcements, and collaborate.
• Event Coordination: Use Chatter to coordinate events and volunteer activities. Post updates about event logistics, share important documents, and gather feedback from volunteers.
• Mobile Access: Encourage volunteers to use the Salesforce mobile app to stay connected via Chatter, ensuring they receive real-time notifications and updates on the go.

Orchid Connect is a woman-owned Salesforce implementation firm with 30 years of experience serving associations, non-profits and small/medium businesses. We specialize in strategic and implementation services, go-to-market support, and ongoing support. To learn more, reach us at reachout@orchidconnect.com.