by Sara Haxby, ATC Volunteer Program Manager
Five Years of the Volunteer Engagement Platform
Sara Haxby, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s (ATC) Volunteer Program Manager, and Jessie Johnson, ATC’s Volunteer Engagement Specialist, hosted a webinar in the spring of 2025 for Appalachian Trail (A.T.) Clubs. They covered what ATC has learned from five years of offering the Volunteer Engagement Platform (VEP) to promote volunteer opportunities on the A.T., and how clubs can use it to benefit their volunteer recruitment efforts.
A Brief History of the VEP
Ten years ago, the Volunteer Relations team at ATC conducted listening sessions with leaders and active volunteers from all the A.T.-maintaining clubs to understand their successes and challenges. Most clubs voiced concerns about the number of new volunteers.
At the time, the ATC was looking to develop a new volunteer management database. This database would include a public platform to promote upcoming volunteer opportunities on the A.T. The thousands of visitors to the ATC website hoping to volunteer were not familiar with the club structure of A.T. stewardship. The ATC’s responsibility to serve as a central hub for A.T. volunteer opportunities aligned with our strategic goal to make volunteering open to all and easy to do. Recent nationwide surveys found that people wanted to volunteer more but found it difficult to find an invitation. Further, aspiring volunteers were more likely to sign up for a single opportunity (a group Saturday maintenance outing) than a long-term position (adopt-a-section).
The database, now called the Volunteer Engagement Platform, was ready to serve as an “Eventbrite for A.T. Volunteering” in 2020. Clubs who were willing to welcome new people could promote public volunteering events to be seen by the ATC audience.
Who is Using the VEP?
In the past five years, almost 11,000 people have engaged with the VEP by either signing up for a training or event (74%) or subscribing to a volunteer newsletter (16%). Of that 74%, we know the vast majority found the training or event by checking the VEP or learned about it from an email from ATC. About half of the almost 11,000, 52%, reported that they are male. Of those who shared their race or ethnicity, 89% reported they are white.
There are a range in the ages of VEP users. Seventy-three percent are aged 65 and younger. About a quarter, 24%, are between 25 and 35 years old. Twenty-five percent are between 36 and 55. The remainder, 27%, are at least 66 years old.
These nearly 11,000 people represent more than twice the number of current A.T. volunteers. 75% have signed up for at least one opportunity. Many will sign up and not show up (the ATC recommends outreach to the new person after they sign up so the personal connection is made before the event, increasing chances of attendance), and some who show up might not be interested in returning. When the invitation is crafted well, the volunteer’s skills and expectations will match the opportunity and their task, making it more likely they will be well-suited to your club and the type of volunteering you’re promoting. For clubs considering how best to use the VEP for recruitment, keep reading. Jessie recorded her portion of the webinar for future training.
Who Is Using the VEP? A.T. Clubs!
Almost all A.T. Clubs have used the VEP to promote an event, an experience, or a role. Posts by club between 2019 and so far in 2025 vary from 7 to 206 per club. Almost 2,000 opportunities have been posted.
A companion to this look at the last five years is a training video: Best Practices for Submitting Your Event for Promotion. Based on recommendations from the field of volunteer recruitment and retention, and what the ATC and A.T. Clubs have learned from decades of experience, this short video is intended to help you optimize your invitation.