Associations and nonprofits are always trying to make more of an impact with less – less money, less staff, less resources. It’s made them some of the more creative and efficient organizations we’ve ever seen.

But there’s still one piece of software you may not be using at full capacity: your volunteer management platform. Volunteer tools are standard for associations and nonprofits, and they can be used for much more than just standard volunteer tasks.

To help cut down your tech budget and get more done, we’ve put together a list of the features most volunteer software has and creative ways you can use those tools to fulfill other, less traditional volunteer needs.

Watching the adrenaline-inducing Olympics inspired me to think about ways community professionals can refine our own systems for awarding our community users. How can we make gamification more authentic and fun?

At this point, community professionals are all pretty well-versed in the value of enacting gamification campaigns for our communities. But another crucial part of gamification -- one that’s often overlooked -- is alerting members via email.

It’s that time of year again. Summer is in full swing and it’s too nice to sit at your desk all day -- and the proof is in your engagement numbers.

What’s happening? For unseasoned community manager, it can be hard to tell if your lower engagement rates are early signs of a long term downtrend, or just a temporary lack of energy.

Don’t worry -- you’re probably experiencing the summertime silence.