Get More Great Volunteers With These Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Volunteer Recruitment

“I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that.
Then I realized I was somebody.”
- Lily Tomlin

We love the work of organizations like World Literacy Foundation, which seeks to bring books and literacy support to children in need. This is just one of the many deserving charitable organizations that rely on the kindness of strangers (i.e., dedicated volunteers) to help meet their goals.

This raises an important question: how do nonprofit organizations recruit new volunteers, nurture commitment, and keep them coming back? Just as a well-planned scavenger hunt list does, effective volunteer recruitment requires strategy, creativity, and clear guidance.

This connection got us thinking: Where do charitable organizations find such incredible supporters? How do they recruit new volunteers, nurture commitment, and keep them coming back? Just as in natural environments, nonprofits learn to notice patterns, track needs, and create systems that intentionally protect their mission.

Even though volunteering can be rewarding, it can also feel like stepping into a new ecosystem, complete with challenges, roles, and responsibilities. That’s why building a strong volunteer program base requires strategy, care, and creativity, just as educators carefully design a scavenger hunt list or a playful nature bingo experience to spark discovery.

If your voluntary organization wants to attract more “geese to the flock,” here are practical ways to recruit volunteers, build engagement, and enhance long-term commitment.

That got us thinking, just where do all those charitable organizations find such incredible supporters? How do they get potential volunteers interested in their mission and bring them on board? Once they start donating time to a cause or charitable event, how do organizations keep their current volunteers coming back to contribute?

It can, however, be a significant commitment of physical, mental, and emotional resources, so recruiting and retaining a strong core of committed volunteers has indeed become a challenge for every voluntary organization.

Just as designing a thoughtful scavenger hunt requires strategy, creativity, and clear guidance, effective recruitment does too. Volunteer coordinators must understand prospective volunteer needs, create clear position descriptions, and provide resources to help qualified volunteers succeed.

If your charity wants to attract more geese to the flock, these tips can help you not just find and recruit more volunteers, but also keep them engaged and committed to your cause...

Why Are Volunteers So Vital For a Nonprofit Organization or Activity?

Volunteers are like wildlife caretakers for your mission, helping your goals thrive, just as stewards help biodiversity flourish on earth. In the U.S., over 63 million people volunteer annually, contributing time equivalent to a massive collection of human energy. In Canada, millions step forward each year to support hospitals, cultural spaces, sports, and recreation, just like a community exploring its own neighborhood.

Active volunteers are the lifeblood of a successful mission-driven organization. In the United States, it is estimated that over 63 million Americans volunteer annually, averaging about 50 hours per year. Pre-pandemic (2020), four in five Canadians aged 15 and older reported volunteering, either as part of an organization or on their own, without a group. According to Statistics Canada, Canadians were most likely to dedicate their volunteer hours to hospitals and religious organizations, sports and recreation, and arts and culture - over 100 hours per year, on average.

Although more challenging to measure globally, in 2018, the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme estimated that 1 billion people chose to provide unpaid help to others. Their combined efforts equalled the work of 109 million full-time workers annually. And what do these volunteers contribute that is so vital for a mission-driven organization? Let’s count just some of the ways:

Time, time, and more time:

Think of all the support tasks volunteers are asked to perform – social media exposure, manning phones, spreading the word to others, and all the day-to-day activities that put some grease on the wheels of the organization.

Whether it’s spreading the word about literacy, helping disadvantaged populations, or serving warm meals to hungry families, dedicated volunteers are at the forefront of the effort, happily and willingly giving their time to every incredible opportunity. Even if your organization had the best grant writers in the world, you would never find enough money to pay them for all that time. Volunteers help with daily tasks, outreach, and community engagement, activities as varied as spotting a bird, studying an animal, or identifying animal tracks. Their efforts build relationships, foster understanding, and strengthen resilience within your organization.

Expertise you couldn’t afford:

Speaking of things you couldn’t afford otherwise, look at all the experts who volunteer their time and expertise for fundraising, marketing, business, and administrative tasks. You couldn’t afford the six-figure salary of a CPA. Still, your organization can benefit from that experience without paying a cent if you get someone to volunteer for you – quite the lucky bargain!

Support for fundraising events and volunteer management:

Community fundraising events can raise vast amounts of money, but they can also cost a lot of money, too.

Fundraisers and community activities thrive with participants, running games, cooking, coordinating, or offering logistics. A supportive team can make volunteering feel like a guided exploration of service in different seasons, including seasonal changes and the ebb and flow of annual events.

You can lower your out-of-pocket costs by relying on a multitude of eager volunteers to do everything from cooking and serving food to setting up chairs, organizing fun activities, driving all over town, selling tickets, donating items, and on and on…

And, yes, money, too:

The vast majority of nonprofit volunteers don’t just support you with time; they help you with money, too. They’re the ones who will spend all day assisting at your fundraising opportunity, and still buy tickets for themselves and their friends! (We love, love, love our volunteers!)

Ways To Boost Environmental Volunteer Recruitment

With all those pluses, it’s easy to see why filling team member positions with great people is the key to the success of so many community organizations. But one of the biggest challenges nonprofits typically face is building a reliable pool of volunteers and keeping them engaged year after year. To help sweeten your participant opportunity, here are some things you’ll want to keep in mind when building your volunteer recruitment strategy.

What Should be Included in a Volunteer Recruitment Message?

Here’s where you get to think like a marketer. You’ve got a “product” to sell – a volunteer opportunity with your charity – and you need to convince prospective participants to “buy” it by signing up to help. To communicate to your target audience, build a volunteer recruitment message that covers these components:

A powerful recruitment message works like a well-planned lesson or nature journaling activity:

1. Build Educational Awareness

Clearly define the need, just like pointing out environmental concerns affecting the planet.

2. Create Interest: Make Nature a Lesson in Connection and Purpose

Share stories that spark emotional connection, like when children light up during outdoor kids’ educational activities.

3. Instill Desire: An Activity That Encourages Volunteers to Explore and Engage

Show why volunteering is meaningful, the same way families enjoy a walk through the backyard, picking up a cone, needle, or small native object that tells a story. Tell your prospects exactly what makes volunteering with your organization so fulfilling, and motivate them to realize the same benefits for themselves.

Show lots of pictures or videos of your most active volunteers, and include some testimonials in which they speak from the heart. It’s not just about making people feel good about themselves - it’s about connecting with like-minded people who have the same hopes for the world that you do!

4. Call to Action: A Clear Scavenger Hunt Template to Guide New Volunteers

Invite potential volunteers to act—sign up, join, give, or attend an event. Be specific and clear so they can easily track the next step. Every good marketing message has a Call to Action CTA), and your volunteer recruitment message should, too.

Just what do you want your audience to do next – act, call, write, sign up to help, send money, join you on social media, or attend an event? Be very specific and give them clear directions on what to do.

Have A Volunteer Onboarding Process:

We could go on and on about this one - and we have! Your volunteer recruitment efforts actually worked, and you’ve got people ready and eager to help – now what? You’ve got to have a plan in place to get them up and flying, so they’ll want to stick around.

Make it easy to sign up, provide training to help them learn more about your organization, and allow them to make meaningful connections with current volunteers or community members your organization is helping. Not only can you build excitement, but you can also improve volunteer retention through thoughtful, interactive onboarding experiences. Here’s a simple Goosechase Experience template you can customize for your own needs. It includes Missions for volunteers to get to know each other and your organization while collecting essential data.

A smooth onboarding process is the foundation of retention. It should feel like beginning a guided explorer journey through a new habitat—welcoming, engaging, and filled with helpful material.

Consider incorporating digital tools for onboarding, scavenger-style tasks, or journaling prompts similar to nature journaling, to help volunteers share reflections or observe the mission in action.

Offer A Range of Volunteer Opportunities:

Some people are better at taking on specific responsibilities than others. If you stick an introvert at the door to a community event, or an extrovert in the office, it’s going to be a bad experience all around, and you’re going to turn them both off from volunteering at your next event. Have a range of volunteer opportunities available, and find the best fit for each position.

Make Sure You Have a Volunteer Job Description:

To help match supporters to your volunteer positions, have job descriptions available (not just for one-off events, but also for your long-term support activities). Clearly identify the skills needed for the volunteer opportunity, and explain the tasks they will need to perform.

What is Micro Volunteering?

Are you getting a lot of “I don’t have time” pushback to your volunteering requests? Micro volunteering might be a solution. This is volunteer work that can be done in small bursts or short periods. Potential volunteers may be more likely to respond if they know they won’t have to make a big-time commitment.

How Do Nonprofits Retain Volunteers?

Once you’ve got your supporters up and running with your nonprofit organization, you’ve got to do the work to keep them around. Here are some ideas you can use to help retain active volunteers for your organization:

• Make Volunteering Fun: Your organization is serious about making change, but volunteering with it doesn’t have to be dull or daunting. Surprise your volunteers with little tokens of appreciation, or gift cards to local merchants or team snacks (coffee and cookies do wonders!). Create an atmosphere of fun with an event that is just for current volunteers – one where they don’t have to do all the work! Include fun activities and serve good food (not just the leftovers from one of your fundraisers!). Adapt our Goosechase Community Shenanigans template to help your supporters get to know your local community a little better. Spend some time having fun together as friends, more than anything!

• Training: Just like in the business world, ongoing training is an essential component of volunteer retention. Some organizations even have a volunteer portal on their websites to provide up-to-date contact information and showcase volunteer opportunities. An added benefit is that volunteer training leads to better performance and increased retention. Volunteer training should:

1. Instill a deeper understanding of your organization’s mission
2. Outline volunteer opportunity expectations and responsibilities
3. Provide access to background information and educational resources
4. Allow volunteers to practice any needed skills - not just for the opportunity at hand, but for other aspects of their lives.

• Recognize Volunteers: Although they volunteer for a bigger purpose, volunteers still like to know they are appreciated. Recognize your current volunteers with tokens of appreciation, “Volunteer of the Month” awards, “thank you” notes from community members who benefit from their generosity, or host an appreciation event full of fun activities at a local eatery or community space.
• Communicate Expectations: Tell volunteers what you expect, ask whether they understand, and check on whether they are meeting those expectations. Clarity in these areas keeps them committed to your organization and helps with volunteer retention.
• Ask for Feedback: Current volunteers are excellent resources for information about what your organization does well, but you’ll also want to talk to some of the volunteers you’ve lost. Ask about the type of experience they had as volunteers, find out why they lost interest, and inquire if there is anything you need to change to increase volunteer appreciation.

How can I make volunteering feel more rewarding to encourage long-term commitment?

Volunteers are the heartbeat of any organization, and keeping them engaged is just as important as recruiting them in the first place. To make volunteering feel more rewarding, focus on recognition and meaningful experiences.

Simple gestures like thank-you notes, social media shout-outs, and volunteer appreciation events can go a long way. But beyond that, give volunteers a sense of purpose by showing them the real impact of their efforts. Share success stories, provide newsletters on how their contributions are making a difference, and even offer skill-building opportunities through training or leadership roles. When volunteers feel valued and see the results of their work, they’re much more likely to stick around for the long haul.

What are the best ways to recruit educational and younger volunteers, like students or Gen Z?

If you want to attract younger volunteers, you need to meet them where they are, both online and in real life. Social media is a must, but don’t just post a general call for help; create engaging content that highlights the fun, social, and meaningful aspects of volunteering. Short-form videos on platforms like TikTok or Instagram Reels showcasing behind-the-scenes moments, success stories, or even volunteer spotlights can be highly effective.

Schools, colleges, and youth organizations are also great places to recruit, especially if you frame volunteering as a way to gain experience, build résumés, or fulfill community service requirements. Keep communication casual and convenient - texting or messaging apps may work better than a message for younger audiences. Most importantly, make volunteering feel like a community-driven, social experience rather than a chore.

To paraphrase the great Lily Tomlin, your volunteers are somebody. They want to be empowered by you to support your organization and help change the world. Be the wind beneath their wings with recruiting, onboarding, and training strategies to help them reach their fullest potential for the greater good.

What is Goosechase?

At Goosechase, experience is everything. Originally inspired by scavenger hunts, Goosechase is an online platform that enables organizations and schools to engage, activate, and educate their communities through delightful interactive experiences. Sign up and try creating a free recreational Experience, or check out our Pricing!