Guide: Recruiting and Managing Volunteer Photographers for Nonprofit Organizations (with Volunteer Job Template)

In the heart of every nonprofit lies a powerful story waiting to be told. Quality photographs do not just capture moments; they tell stories, evoke emotions, and inspire action. They are crucial tools in showcasing the impact of your work, attracting volunteers, and encouraging donations.

Unfortunately, most nonprofits are limited by staff bandwidth and the resources to hiring photographers to capture these storytelling moments.

Your community can be a great resource, filled with talented professional and aspiring amatuer photographers that are willing and eager to move your mission forward.

Developing a volunteer photographer team can be one of the best ways to consistently develop content that will help your social media, website and fundraising campaigns shine.

This guide is designed to walk you through the steps of finding, recruiting, and managing a volunteer photographer, turning visuals into valuable assets for your organization.

Preparing to Recruit a Photographer

Assessing Your Needs

Before reaching out to potential photographers, it’s vital to understand what your organization needs. Are you looking for someone to document ongoing projects, cover special events, or capture portraits of community members and volunteers?

Knowing whether you need a photographer on a regular basis or for one-off events will help define the role and commitment level required.

You may also find that different photographers are moved by different types of work. So, consider all of the different photography that may be helpful to your organization.

Creating a Photographer Volunteer Role Description

A clear role description is key to attracting the right talent. Not only does this clarify the responsibilities and skill sets that you’re looking for, but it will also help your team determine the specifics about how you will interact and engage the volunteer.

The role description should detail the skills and experience required, the time commitment expected, and specific responsibilities they’ll have. Most importantly, highlight the impact their photographs will have on promoting your mission and the difference they can make in the community.

Also, consider adding in benefits that a volunteer might get out of the experience.  For example:

• honing their technical skills
• meeting new people
• a sense of community impact
• building out a portfolio, etc.

Identifying Potential Recruitment Channels

Every community is different and has different resources available. So, recruiting photographers may look different depending on your community.

Here are a few ideas for areas you may want to start exploring:

• Photography clubs
• Art schools or high school clubs
• Volunteer recruitment sites like idealist.org, volunteermatch.org, etc.
• Retire individuals or retirement communities
• Facebook groups
• Online communities and forums

Also, don’t underestimate the power of word-of-mouth within your organization and the broader community. There may already be people within your community who are willing to help, or know someone who could.

Recruiting Volunteer Photographers

Crafting an Outreach Strategy

Once you have a list of all of the different opportunities you want to pursue, it’s time to start the outreach process.

A word of warning… it may be easier if you start by recruiting in just one or two places to start. Consider how much bandwidth you have to carry out the vetting and onboarding process before you start to post everywhere.

Ask yourself: if we got 10 people interested in this role, do we have the time to interview, review their work and onboard them?

If the answer is no, then take this outreach process slow.

We recommend that you start the recruiting process with your closest community members first. This may start with personal outreach, your nonprofit email newsletter and your social media channels.

If you don’t get any “bites” after a week, then move to larger communities like forums, volunteer matching sites, etc.

Conducting Interviews

Meeting with potential photographers allows you to assess their skills, discuss your organization’s goals, and ensure their commitment aligns with your needs.

No need to make this a super intense experience. Consider this a chance for you to build a relationship and better understand what they’re looking to get out of the situation.

Review their portfolio to understand their style and expertise, and consider their interpersonal skills, as they’ll be interacting with volunteers and community members.

Here are some interview questions to consider:

• What drew you to our mission?
• What caught your eye about this volunteer role?
• What type of photography do you like most?
• What is your availability to help with photography? What works best for your schedule? How often might you be able to take photos?
• What types of photography have you done in the past? How do you think this will help you grow your skills?
• What type of support can our organization provide to make you more successful?

Feel free to add more, but hopefully this is a good starting point.

Finalizing the Agreement

Once you’ve found the right volunteer, clarify expectations regarding schedules, image rights, and specific project requirements.

A clear agreement helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures a smooth partnership.

Managing the Volunteer Photographer

Onboarding and Briefing

Provide a comprehensive briefing about your organization’s mission, the communities you serve, and the specific objectives of the photography project.

Ensure your photographer has a clear brief for each assignment, outlining the story you want to tell and any key subjects or moments to capture.

We also recommend that your brief includes a shot list so that there is a clear outline of the different photos that your organization needs.

Here’s a shot list you can download.

Building Your Photography Team: Supporting and Collaborating

Developing a pool of reliable volunteer photographers can be a game-changer for your nonprofit. Keep them engaged with regular updates about your organization’s impact, invite them to special events, and offer opportunities for them to grow and take on new challenges.

At the beginning, you may only have one photographer that you’re working with. Though this may not take too much time, start to develop the systems you will need to manage an entire team of photographers. You won’t regret it.

Building a team of photographers will allow you to have more events covered and vary the style and quality of the photographs you receive. At the end of the day, more photos will give you more content for your marketing and fundraising, which elevates your mission story.

Here are some tips for managing your team:

• Send weekly or monthly email blasts with photography opportunities. This keeps the lines of communication open while reducing the need for one-off communications and volunteer management.
• Keep a shared calendar of photography opportunities so that photographers can access and sign-up for events. This could be as simple as a shared Google Calendar, a page on your website or some volunteer management platforms may provide these options.
• Provide background details about project sites or events that photographers may be covering.

Recognition and Feedback

Just like managing other types of volunteers, a “thank you” goes a long way. Recognize and thank your photographer publicly and privately.

Also, make sure that you credit photographers whenever possible. This may include adding a caption to photos on your website, or even adding a small credit on photos as a watermark. Some photographers may ask to add a small watermark to their photos.

Showcasing their work in your communications and providing constructive feedback fosters a positive relationship and encourages continued involvement.

Wrapping Up

Photographs are powerful tools in the nonprofit world, and a skilled volunteer photographer can significantly enhance your organization’s storytelling capabilities. By carefully preparing, recruiting, and managing these volunteers, you can ensure that the visual representation of your work is as impactful as the work itself.

We invite you to share your experiences, challenges, and successes in working with volunteer photographers. Your insights can help others in our community learn and grow. Together, let’s continue to capture the stories that drive our mission forward.