Nonprofit Insight

5 ways community ambassadors can help grow your nonprofit

While volunteerism is vital for nonprofits, one type of volunteer position is often overlooked…and it’s got a fancy title that adds a special zing to the role.

Community Ambassadors are volunteers who can share their passion for your mission and use their community ties to stoke that passion in others.

Whether it’s someone from your Aunt Sheila’s church group, Gus from your uncle’s golf team, some high-energy sorors or frat brothers, or a few active seniors in the assisted living facility down the block, community ambassadors can help you with specific, feet on the ground, spreading the word — everywhere they go. Literally. An ambassador doesn’t need to be tied down to a specific activity or number of hours — you can use their ‘traveling around town’ as an inventive way to announce your brand and activities to the public — leaving you time to do other things.

Here are some ways community ambassadors can help you grow your organization’s reach.

1. Community ambassadors will spread your mission.
Chip Rogers of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association told Forbes why he’s enthusiastic about community ambassadors:

“One of the best things any nonprofit can do to get the local community involved is to pull together a dedicated and energized group of individuals who will, as ambassadors of the organization, go out and engage the people. Word of mouth, especially when it’s passionate, is still one of the most effective ways to get folks interested and involved in just about anything.” – Chip Rogers, Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA)

2. Community ambassadors can go places you don’t have the manpower or access to reach.
Some colleges and universities, like FSU, offer community ambassador programs, which link college students with organizations in the community they help to communicate their brand and activities.

3. Offering ambassadorships allows you to involve a wide variety of people — of different ages, demographics, and interests.
Comfort Keepers’ owner Stephanie Howe shared about the benefits the role offers to seniors: “Not only are these rewarding experiences for the senior, but it is also for the community they live in. They will feel a sense of accomplishment for the good work they’ve completed, as well as a sense of pride and ownership for the bonds they’ve created with their community,” shared Howe.

4. Community Ambassadors are often inspired to do more than carry your message — they can help you build a plan.
Seth Crawford of Angel Oak reminds us that having a sense of ownership can be encouraged more easily when “volunteers” are transformed into “ambassadors.” “When a nonprofit gives me a meaningful volunteer responsibility, empowering me to take ownership in carrying out the mission of the organization, I bite every time.”

5. Take advantage of your media savvy volunteers with online community ambassadors.
You may want to give your media ambassadors specific language for posting on social media platforms, but even a regular mention of your activities or events can get your nonprofit noticed online. Providing an image is an easy way to help your ambassador plug your event. Wired Impact offers great ways to use ambassadors in nonprofit social media marketing.

Don’t sleep on assessing which of your volunteers is ready to be deemed an ambassador — or just roll out a brand new “Community Ambassador” program today. It’s a powerful way to let your message “talk” and “walk” at the same time through the all important personal passion your ambassadors can bring.