Nonprofits need funding to survive, making it no surprise—and understandable—that many leaders in the space prioritize fundraising over volunteer engagement.

While it’s vital to have the right fundraising strategies in place, in my view, many nonprofit leaders overemphasize monetary donations to the detriment of other crucial areas, such as volunteering and forming strategic partnerships.

The Downsides of Focusing Too Heavily on Fundraising

The more monetary donations nonprofits can secure, the better they can serve their communities. However, there are downsides to focusing too heavily on fundraising and reasons to prioritize volunteer engagement instead.

For one, as I mentioned earlier, focusing too much on fundraising can cause nonprofit leaders to not give other important areas, such as volunteering and forming strategic partnerships, the attention they deserve. The imbalance can lead to missed opportunities for community engagement and impact. Moreover, monetary donations alone can’t sustain a nonprofit. For instance, a nonprofit might raise $10,000 for a community garden project, but if few people sign up to volunteer at the garden, the initiative could fail.

Additionally, focusing too much on fundraising can cause nonprofit teams to start shifting their priorities to appeal to donors. Over time, that can lead to nonprofits straying from their missions.

Beyond Fundraising: Why Nonprofit Leaders Should Prioritize Volunteer Engagement

Nonprofit leaders should focus on fundraising, of course—it could harm their nonprofits if they stop doing so. However, they should avoid giving most of their attention to fundraising. There are other best practices that nonprofit leaders should prioritize.

Volunteering is one of the most significant areas that nonprofit leaders should invest in. I believe that volunteering is invaluable because it’s a grassroots way that nonprofit teams, donors and community members can connect with each other, forming strong personal bonds. These connections help reinforce the nonprofit’s cause to everyone involved. Staff get reminded about why they show up to work, donors about why they give financial assistance and the community about how the nonprofit is making an impact.

Volunteering can also bring diverse perspectives to the table that a nonprofit might have otherwise missed out on. For instance, a volunteer may have a conversation with a staff member that leads to a new grassroots campaign idea.

Read the full article about prioritizing volunteer engagement by Turcois Ominek at Forbes.