How to Build a Truly Inclusive Nonprofit Volunteer Program

In 2023, the Assessing Diversity and Equity in Volunteer Involvement (ADEVI) project started with a survey of 564 individuals with a Certification in Volunteer Administration (CVA) and the equity journey of organizations where they work. It was followed up with 21 focus group discussions.

This article discusses the challenges to increasing diversity, and begins to outline strategies that will assist nonprofits to operate volunteer programs that retain a diverse and representative cross-section of their communities. They will need to be proactive about their recruitment and retention efforts to ensure that this occurs.