207 – Is Your Volunteer Application Process Broken?

March 26, 2026

Episode #207: Is Your Volunteer Application Process Broken?

A slow or confusing volunteer application process can cost organizations more than time. It can lead to missed opportunities, frustrated applicants, and fewer volunteers joining your mission. 

In this episode, Tobi Johnson explains why many volunteer application systems break down and how small delays, unclear next steps, and overly complicated forms can cause potential volunteers to drop off before they ever get started. She also shares practical ways to identify where your process may be losing people and how to make improvements that keep momentum moving forward. 

Tobi introduces a simple framework called the Rapid Response Plan, designed to help organizations respond quickly to inquiries, streamline application steps, and use the right tools to support a smooth and welcoming experience. By focusing on clarity, speed, and communication, organizations can build trust with volunteers from the very first interaction. 

If you want to increase volunteer participation and create a more responsive recruitment process, this episode offers actionable ideas to help you simplify your application system and make it easier for people to say yes to volunteering. 

Volunteer Application – Episode Highlights 

• [00:34] – Why Applications Matter 
• [02:41] – Is Your Process Broken 
• [05:30] – Common Application Pitfalls 
• [11:19] – Rapid Response Plan Overview 
• [16:06] – Pillar One Streamlined Inquiries 
• [22:19] – Pillar Two Efficient Applications 
• [27:10] – Pillar Three Right Tech Stack 
• [30:28] – Recap and Next Steps 

Volunteer Application – Quotes from the Episode 

“Volunteers respond to clarity, speed, and mission alignment.” – Tobi Johnson 

“A broken application process costs you volunteers time and energy that you just don’t have to waste.” – Tobi Johnson 

Helpful Links

• VolunteerPro Blog – Pro Roundup: A Month of Love with Free Nonprofit Tools, Downloads, and Templates 
• Volunteer Nation Episode #206: Essential Volunteer Software – The Tech Stack You Can’t Afford to Skip 
• Volunteer Nation Episode #190: 5 Principles for an Unforgettable Volunteer User Experience 

Contact Us

Have questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at wecare@volpro.net.

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Episode #207 Transcript: Is Your Volunteer Application Process Broken? 

Tobi: I’m your host, Tobi Johnson, and today I want to talk about such an important topic. It’s so essential to all of us that we do this well, and that is your volunteer application process.

There are so many broken processes out there, and I don’t want to be harsh on anybody, but I do want us to be honest when our volunteer application processes aren’t working well. It’s not only impacting your organization, but also the whole enterprise of volunteerism. Because if volunteers apply and raise their hand and say, yes, I want to help out and not hear back from anybody or get it. Enmeshed in a very long, drawn out application process that frustrates them to no end, and they end up walking away.

They often walk away forever. They just say, you know what? Volunteerism isn’t for me. And so not only does your organization lose out, but the organizations in your community do as well. And you are a connected network. And so, we want to make sure. That anyone who wants to help can step up and get involved in a smooth way.

So today I want to talk about this and I’m going to call out some of the challenges to our application processes. Volunteer applications are not always easy. You don’t always have all of the solutions or the control over your processes, but I want to talk about best practice today and give you some ideas for places where you might look to make improvements.

Even if you’re making tiny tweaks that make the experience better for volunteers, then it’s going to be better overall, and you can just start working on things, small things that you can improve and get better and better. Okay, so if you’re in, keep listening, I can’t wait to talk to you about your volunteer application and how to improve it.

So, let’s talk about is it actually working? Is it broken? Now, what I mean by broken is your volunteer application not resulting in enough volunteers. Do you know if people are starting your application and not finishing it? This is the information you might want to have. Do you know if people come to your webpage?

Click on information about your organization, maybe click on the application link, and then don’t even start it. Or do you know people complete all of the application process but drop off at some point in the process? So, when I say it is broken, we want to know at what point it’s broken. But I’m also going to call out some of the places where I see breaks in our systems, in our volunteer application systems.

So, uh, if you’re, I also want to just note that if you are struggling with this, you are not alone. It is so common that organizations are struggling with this particular effort and this particular part of their volunteer engagement. And so don’t feel bad. You’re not alone, but it is something we’ve really gotta work on improving.

So, last year I brought up some topics around the volunteer user experience, and I noted, and I’m going to quote myself here. This is from volunteer episode 195, principles for an Unforgettable Volunteer User Experience. I’ll put a link in the show notes if you want to listen to that episode. I go into detail about the user experience and best practices around it, but I said, this is what I said.

It’s not just about having a list of opportunities that you’d like someone to sign up for. In today’s world, time is so valuable and we must make sure our volunteers’ time is spent in a way they enjoy and that makes an impact on our organizations. There’s that dual benefit that we need to look for a smooth, respectful user experience. It increases your conversions and will reduce your drop-offs and your turnover. A great UX also leads to higher satisfaction, stronger trust, and deeper retention. And there’s so many benefits too.

Improving your volunteer application process. So, let’s get into it. Today I am going to break down what’s gone wrong in most volunteer application processes, and I’ll give you a proven solution that I call the rapid response plan.

It’s something I’ve been training in our 90-day recruitment roadmap workshops, and I think it will help you convert more inquiries into engaged, committed, enthusiastic volunteers and who doesn’t want that? Right? So let’s dive in. So first off, let’s kick off with what’s wrong with today’s volunteer application processes.

Let’s start by being honest. Can we, many volunteer application processes are, let’s face it, messy, confusing, disjointed. It’s not just a minor inconvenience for volunteers, A clunky process can frustrate your applicants, make you and your team’s jobs harder, and ultimately cost your organization the volunteers it needs.

I mean, let’s face it, you put so much time and energy into getting people to that button to click and to that form to fill out. You do not want one ounce of that effort wasted. So here are some common issues that I see frequently and repeatedly. Probably the most egregious is that there’s no clear next step.

Volunteers fill out the form and then nothing. Silence, crickets. And then they might get an email six months later that says, Hey, are you interested in volunteering? People are like, are you kidding me? I filled out this form six months ago. Not interested. Right? Even if folks do get an answer, sometimes the issue is slow responses.

Some organizations take weeks to follow up with a volunteer applicant and no one knows what’s going on. People apply and it goes into a black hole, and they have no idea what’s happening. Not cool. If you’re asking people to volunteer, then you need to respond to them. Volunteers getting lost in the system.

They call, they email, they follow up, and no one on your end knows what’s going on, knows their status, knows what’s happening. It’s a pain, and volunteers don’t like to feel like a cog in the wheel. They want to feel like they’ve been seen and heard. The other big issue I see in volunteer application processes is asking volunteers to send an email to indicate their interest, and then they wait for an email response from you Whenever you get around to it, then they send another email to respond to you, and then they try to get a one-on-one and et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

It ends up with back and forth emails. You get the picture. It’s not efficient. Also, applications are too long, confusing, repetitive. You ask for information that you’ve already collected or ask for way, way too much information upfront. Some application processes are 15, 20 steps long, really. To just volunteer.

Folks will throw up their hands in the middle of an application and just say, I’m done. I remember I was doing an audit for a client once and I went through there. It was about a 40, 40 step application process, and about halfway through I said, you know what? I was just testing your process and I was frustrated, so there you go.

We’ve got to streamline. It is not okay, especially if our volunteer application processes are more complicated than they are for our hiring processes for employees. Come on now. That ain’t right. All right. Okay. And then finally. Another comment issue I see is that you ask prospects for things they can’t possibly know yet.

For example, which role are you interested in? Well, I don’t know yet. Why don’t you explain them to me? I just want to help your nonprofit. Please don’t ask me to pick a role when I haven’t decided. Even if I’m going to follow through yet. I don’t know. Please don’t ask me to decide now. Right? How can they possibly know?

Now, some folks might know immediately, but most of the time they don’t. So let’s not ask them for that kind of information until we’re ready to explain to them in some detail what roles and opportunities we have, and then until we’re ready to help them get matched with the right. Role. So here’s the deal.

The real impact of these common issues are that potential volunteers drop off. Energy is wasted. People feel undervalued. I think that’s the biggest problem and challenge for us is that do we want our application processes to make people feel undervalued or less than, or not welcome? That’s not what we’re in the business to do.

So, ultimately, if that’s the case, your volunteer program suffers not because you don’t have applicants, but because your process loses them before you even get started. If I’m talk, speaking with a lot of passion around this, it’s because I am passionate about it. I want volunteers to be treated well. Why not?

They’re giving their precious time and talent. So, I want you to think about your own organization for a minute. I want you to be honest with yourself. How many volunteers do you think have slipped through the cracks simply because of a broken volunteer application process? Just be honest with yourself, and you may not even know, and if you don’t know, that’s a problem too, right?

I also want to reiterate. The network effect on poor application processes. If your organization’s volunteer applications are broken, it not only impacts whether volunteers join you, it also affects whether they volunteer with other organizations or at all. Wow, what an impact. People are not just saying, you know what, volunteering isn’t for me.

I reach out, I apply. I never hear back. You know what? I got better things to do with my time. Not cool. We need volunteers. We need them involved. The good news is there is a fix, and I’m going to share it with you in today’s episode. That fix I call the rapid response plan. Again, it’s something I’ve been training on lately to really help people get prepared when they start doing their recruitment planning.

It’s a simple, practical system designed to keep volunteers from moving from inquiry to active engagement. Without all of this frustration, this process should be fun, exciting. People should feel like they’ve got momentum going forward. People should be telling. Everybody else shouting from the rooftops how pumped they are to be working with your organization.

So let’s talk about this rapid response plan. What is it? At a high level, it has three big pillars or three basic pillars. One is a streamlined inquiry process, making sure that every single volunteer knows exactly what to do next and gets prompt responses from you. The next is an app, uh, efficient application process, creating simple, fast, mission focused application experience, and an anticipation in your volunteers.

It should be simple and fast. It shouldn’t take hours of a volunteer’s time. And then the third P pillar is the right tech for the job in Volunteer Nation. Episode 206. Last week I talked about essential volunteer software, the tech stack. You can’t afford to skip. Listen to that episode if you’re really struggling with which technology you should invest in.

And. You want to make sure you have the proper tech stack to support a smooth coordinated response to new volunteer inquiries and applicants. You want that process to be smooth and the really good tech can help you with this. And it doesn’t have to be that expensive. You do not need to be there individually inter-emailing every single applicant.

It doesn’t have to work that way. And through automations you can also, Give a human touch. It’s not impossible. Tech does not create a cold and unfeeling environment. I mean, you’re listening to me on tech right now. Are you feeling connected? I hope so, we’re digitally communicating right now, asynchronously, and if you feel connected to me right now, hey.

That just proves that you can do it. You can communicate with people digitally and feel connected to them. I don’t know, I feel connected to you anyway. In short, it’s about removing barriers, keeping momentum, and making volunteers feel valued from the very first click. So, after the break, I’m going to break down each pillar and give you some detailed next steps on how to make this happen.

So let’s pause for a quick break from my breakdown about what’s not working in volunteer application processes, and let’s switch to what, how we can make it work better. Okay. So don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back. Hey. Hey everybody. Have you subscribed to our Pro News Weekly resource email yet? If not, why not?

Each week you get a helpful article, a research insight, our latest podcast episode, and one practical tip you can use right away. Plus, when you subscribe, I’ll send you a few helpful resources via email to take action and get some wins. Right away. So join 9,500 other leaders just like you who are upgrading their practices and making an even bigger impact.

Okay, we’re back with my breakdown about what’s not working in volunteer application processes. Now I want to share what to do instead. We’ve talked a lot about the challenges, the problems, and why it’s broken, but we’ve got to.

Figure out how to fix it. So, let’s dive into this rapid response plan that I talked about before the break and how it can transform your volunteer applications. Get this in place before you start your next volunteer recruitment. Before you post that next volunteer opportunity, let’s get this rapid response plan in place.

Your volunteers deserve it, don’t they? Okay, now let’s review pillar one, a streamlined inquiry process, pillar two, efficient application process, and pillar three, the right tech for the job. Okay, we’re going to go through these in detail. Pillar one, the streamlined inquiry process. First, this process is all about the moment someone expresses interest, whether they send an email, fill out a form, or call your office.

Here are five key elements that you can use to improve this process. Think about it. This is when people are at their most interested and excited. You do not want to dampen that interest. In fact, you want to create momentum and create excitement and to build on their excitement right now, so they continue to follow through.

Hey, commitment is a process. Not a destination. If you think people are committed, once they hit send on the application, you’re not thinking the right way because folks really do need time to fully commit to something. And so, every touch point you have with volunteers, as they’re going through your process, you are building trust, you are educating them on you.

On your nonprofit or your cause and you can build momentum. You’re also building a community and at every touch point you can build or break a community. And so, consider when you’re not efficient, you’re breaking community, not building community bonds. So here are some elements, five key things that can streamline your inquiry process rapidly.

Okay. First thing, one, clear Next step. Volunteers should not guess what to do next, whether it’s scheduling an interview or completing a quick form. Clarity keeps them moving forward. So do not give people five things to do. Give them one thing to do and develop a process that is a series of one step of single steps that they have to take.

Okay, the second thing. Everyone in your organization needs to be trained. Whether they’re a volunteer leader, a volunteer, or a paid staff person, they need to be trained on referrals. How to make a proper volunteer referral, how to guide people who are inquiring about volunteering. If someone reaches out and your team isn’t on the same page.

I don’t know where to send people. That volunteer could fall through the cracks. So, you need a unified messaging system and a single place to send people. And it’s simple. Just send them to a particular place on your webpage, or if it’s in your building, send them to a specific office. Okay, everybody needs to know this.

They need to know what to say. They need to know how to answer a few simple questions and then where to send people and also to thank people for their interest. Hello, that should be part of our talking points. All right. Third thing, automated email responses. This is where technology comes in and can do some powerful work for you.

This doesn’t replace human touch. It’s just an instant acknowledgement that says, we received your inquiry, and we value you. It reduces anxiety and builds trust. Have you ever submitted a form where you get no confirmation and you’re like, wait? Did that form go in? I don’t know. And then you’re searching in your inbox, waiting for an email that says, yes, we got your confirmation.

Hey, gang, there is a reason why Amazon sends you 50 million emails about where your package is in the process. When your order is submitted, when your order is shipped, prepared for shipping, when it’s shipped, when it’s out for delivery, when it arrives. Why? Because human beings are naturally nervous.

Critters, we are, we’re worried about this or that. Is this going to show up? I just did this. Am I going to get the results that I want? Am I going to get the thing that I ordered? Am I going to get it? Am I going to be considered a volunteer for this organization? So, make sure you set up a system where you can send an email that says, hey, we got your application.

We’re so pumped to talk to you and put some human touch. You could even include a video or a gift. Wouldn’t that be fun? All right, automated email responses. Non-negotiable. Okay, fourth thing, real human response in one business day. Follow up personally, if you really need volunteers, follow up personally.

Even a short call or email makes an enormous difference in showing that your organization is responsive, organized, and values volunteers in the time that they’re taking out to apply. And so, if you can, if you can’t do it, you can. Put together a volunteer welcome team. Maybe you have a group of volunteers that just take calls.

They just call people and leave messages or texts. Hey, people don’t even have to pick up the phone. The fact that you left a message and called it personally is a huge deal. Let’s use it to our advantage. The fifth thing is to follow up with a. Quick go or no go. Now. Applicants need to know where they stand.

Transparency really matters right now, especially in nonprofit space. People need to trust our nonprofits, whether it’s a yes, a no, or a next step c. Clear communication shows respect. So, if there is a point in the process where you’ve decided it’s not a no, it’s a no-Go for this volunteer. Let them know if it’s a go; we’re going to move on to the next step.

Let them know as well. People need to know that they’re on a journey and you’re with them every step of the way. So, when you put these pieces together, you create a volunteer application process that feels smooth, professional, and intentional. We need to be organized on our end if we want to tap into the amazing talent that volunteers can bring.

Volunteers know what’s happening when it’s happening, and that their interest matters. When this is happening, your organization is doing a phenomenal job, and maybe you already are, and if so, congrats. Good to you. I’m really excited, and you’re probably doing really well with your volunteer recruitment.

So high five, right? All right. Let’s talk about pillar number two, which is the efficient application process. We’ve talked about the sort of inquiry process, the process of getting involved, and the process of communicating interest. Let’s now talk about building an efficient application process. Once a volunteer moves past the inquiry stage, we need to keep that momentum going again. Commitment is a process, not a destination, and so we’ve got to keep that commitment building.

So first off, here’s, and I’m going to give you four things you can do to improve the application process. One is a three to five step simple infographic. A simple infographic. Visual guidance can reduce confusion by. Leaps and bounds, a picture is worth a thousand words. So, on your website, in your flyers, in your social media, wherever you’re communicating that the application is open and ready, include a three to five step process for getting involved.

Now, there may be other steps behind the scenes that are happening but precipitate it down to something that people can look at and see. And back in the day, we used to call it grind. They can get it right. Volunteers see exactly what they need to do when they need to do it. That’s really helpful.

And I’ve had some of our Volunteer Pro Impact Lab members do this and add these, my coaching clients, and it makes a huge difference to their conversion rates. All right, second thing, quote unquote instant applications. I love this. It keeps your forms mobile friendly, short, and easy to complete. Long, clunky forms are volunteer killers.

They really are. So is there a way to give people an instant Yes. For maybe some low-level tasks? Maybe you can even say for this role, it’s an instant application. You just sign up. This is the application. We’re going to send you an approval and we’re going to see you; you’re going to get a link in your email to sign up for a shift.

Now for event volunteers, for shift volunteers that are coming in where there’s a high amount of supervision, why not try this out and then they can complete the rest of the application and onboarding process once they’ve tested you out. I know one of our volunteer Pro Impact lab members was doing this at her food pantry where they were having sort of these tester days for new volunteers, and it was working really well because people could come down and get to know what it was all about.

And so, it’s a way for people to have flexibility and to not sign their life away. And once they get there and they realize how fabulous it is to volunteer with your organization, they’ll keep coming back. All right. Pillar four mission-focused messages. Every email. Every form, every interaction should tie back to your purpose.

Volunteers aren’t just filling out the form; they’re joining a movement. It needs to feel like people don’t, if people think about forms as just forms, when they’re written, the right way can build a relationship. Yes, the copy you use, the words you use, the fact that it’s streamlined and efficient and respects the audience’s time, there’s a lot of ways to build relationships with the form So,

Make sure volunteers feel excited when they complete the form, not just, oh, I’m completing paperwork. Right. Let’s recap for pillar two. Three to five steps in simple infographic, instant applications, mission focused messages. And now I’m going to talk about an email nurture sequence. This is easy to do with tech as long as your new volunteer applicants, you can set up a tag it tags in you.

Customer relationship management system or email management system. And when they complete that app, send mission-focused messages. Remind them why they’re applying and what impact they want to make. We train a lot on this. What should a welcome sequence look like? How many emails? What should we put in it?

Make sure you’ve got one going that starts to build commitment. You’re educating the volunteer already before they even show up for orientation. All right. By combining clarity, speed, and mission connection, volunteers stay engaged, which is fantastic, complete their applications and feel inspired to start contributing.

It’s the difference between a volunteer application that sits in someone’s inbox and one that converts into action. That’s what we want. We want our applications to work and not be broken. All right. Let’s look at pillar three. Enabling reporting and optimization. We must make sure we have systems that are helping us understand where people are dropping off, because taking time to optimize that one step in the volunteer process can make all the difference downstream.

And so, we have to make focused improvements in how people are onboarding and applying with us. So, make sure you have a system that does that for you. Second thing. Automate any repetitive tasks. Tools can instantly send confirmation emails. As I’ve said before, you can use tools to schedule interviews. I have people booking calls with me all the time to talk about my products and services to talk about how Tobi Johnson and Associates and Volunteer Pro can help their organization.

And you know what? They book those calls. Instantly. I instantly got an email. It goes on my calendar. They get a link or they get a calendar invite and know when I’m going to pick up the phone and call them so they can plan their day. It’s just easier this way. Why go back and forth with email or phone calls?

Let’s just use calendar applications. I use Calendly. There’s lots of other ones. Just use what works, but let’s automate that particular repetitive task. Centralize your volunteer information. A good system keeps all applications, forms, and communications in one place, so your team knows exactly where the volunteer is in the process.

If you have a team that is working on volunteer recruitment, they need to have a centralized place to go, and this is not a spreadsheet. This is not a spreadsheet. Needs to be a process, needs to be a tool that tracks, and again, if you’re interested and you want, you are wondering about tech tools. Check out last week’s episode where I broke down.

What are the essentials needed to have and where you should be investing in technology to help you save time and reduce error? Also reduce frustration on the volunteer’s part. And then third or fourth and final make applications, mobile friendly test everything you do on a phone because most volunteers are answering your calls to action on their phones.

And so, we want to make sure that people can apply for your opportunities right from their phones, the right tech, make sure that your applications are. Accessible everywhere. So, make sure everything works seamlessly. Test things out both on a desktop and on a phone. Make sure they’re loading. Make sure people can fill out each and every field in your form.

Just make sure, and that means less. Copy. That means keeping things short and tight. People are not going to scroll a lot on their phones. There’s only a limit to how much they’re going to scroll. Here’s the deal. The right tech isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about creating a smooth, professional, and responsive volunteer application process.

When your system supports your people, rather than slowing them down and creating an exceptional volunteer experience right from the beginning, everyone wins. Everyone wins. And so, in conclusion, let’s recap. I know I’m passionate about this one, but it, I am, it is just, it’s, there’s so much wasted time and effort when we don’t have this, right?

It’s so important. It is a need to have a non-negotiable, efficient application process. So, a broken application process costs you volunteer time and energy that you just don’t have to waste the solution. The rapid response plan, which I’ve laid out for you today, streamlines your inquiry process, and simplifies your application.

Use tech for the right tool, for the right challenge, or the right. Goal and keep volunteers engaged. Show them they matter every step of the way with a well-designed volunteer application process. If you want to take just one action today, start implementing a rapid follow-up for every new inquiry you see.

You’ll see immediate improvements if all it is, maybe you don’t have the whole system redesign, but maybe, you’re doing an individual to reach out to every new applicant. You will see immediate improvements in your conversions Down the line; you will see those volunteers that you reached out to quickly.

They are going to end up staying longer. So, people, you set the expectation. If you’re lackadaisical in your response, volunteers will be lackadaisical in their response with you. You are the leader here. You need to model and show the way. Okay? Volunteers respond to clarity, speed, and mission alignment.

They’re there. And here in the world to make a difference. That’s why they want to do what they do. They’re not applying for a JOB with you. They want to find partners to make a difference. So, treat it as such, help them get involved, and you’ll make an amazing difference together. So I hope this has helped you.

Thank you for tuning in. I hope you have found the tips and the rapid response plan that I shared today. Something you can implement. If you found it helpful, I hope you’ll share it with a colleague or friend. And rate and review us. We love to have ratings. We love a five-star rating if you want to give it to us.

And that helps us find other people who might be interested in volunteer engagement and best practice in working in the community. All right everybody, so take care and we will see you next week. At the same time, same place on the Volunteer Nation. Take care, everybody.