❖ Heads up! This article is only intended for Center Site Managers. Amplify and Sustain Sites do not have the blog feature.
Looking for creative ways to share important news or updates with your volunteers? Want a simple way to showcase your organization’s impact and personality? A blog can help you do both—and more!
Whether you're highlighting recent milestones, spotlighting volunteers, or sharing stories from the field, a blog is a great way to keep your community informed and inspired.
Getting Started with Your Blog
Here's what you need to know about the blog feature on your site:
Your blog lives at [your site URL]/blog/ (e.g., volunteercity.org/blog)
Visibility: Your blog is publicly accessible—visible to all site visitors, even if they're not logged in
Post order: Your blog entries are shown from newest to oldest, so your latest updates are always front and center
They appear on the user's dashboard on the bottom right-hand side of the page
Creating a Blog Post
When you're ready to start creating a blog post:
Go to Content > Blog.
Click Add New Post. If this is your first blog post, you can click Create A Post—both options take you to the same place.
Select a Status.
Active: The post is live on the publish date you select.
Pending: The post is saved but not yet published; perfect for drafts that need a quick review or second opinion
Inactive: The post is deactivated or hidden; great for retiring older content
Set a Publish Date.
Remember, the date you choose is when the post is live. If you're ready to post right away, select today's date!
Enter the name of the Author and Title.
Craft your blog.
Be sure to copy an excerpt from it to the Excerpt field on the Create Post form (this is optional).
Click Create Post when finished.
Please note, you only have to fill out the required fields marked with an asterisk (*) on the Create Post form.
Tips for Writing a Great Blog Post
Here are some tips for crafting a great blog post:
Know your audience: Tailor the tone, language, and style to the volunteers or supporters you're speaking to.
Keep it clear and engaging: Use short paragraphs, headers, and bullets when possible.
Proofread before publishing: Run your draft through a grammar checker and give it one last read to catch any typos or awkward phrasing.
Some other great tips include:
Open with a hook, like a question, a bold statement, or an intriguing fact that draws your readers in. Example: Did you know that just one hour of volunteering can change someone's entire week?
Use images or GIFs to break up text and boost engagement. You can even showcase events, volunteer action shots, or share infographics.
Tell a story. People tend to remember stories better than statistics, so try to weave important data into a story. Example: Instead of saying "50 volunteers showed up," say, "When Jan arrived at 7 am with donuts, coffee, and a smile, she was one of 50 volunteers ready to transform the youth center."
Include a call-to-action (CTA). Example: Sign up for our next event!
Promoting Your Blog
Now it's time to share your content with your community!
Share new posts in your newsletters or on social media.
Highlight blog content in spotlights, the Image Rotator, on custom pages, or in volunteer onboarding or trainings.
Post consistently—whether monthly or quarterly, a regular cadence keeps your audience engaged.
Volunteer Perspective
Here is what the blog post looks like to the volunteer:
