How to Get People to Volunteer on a Sunny Saturday

Every year, green minded individuals in my community ban together and head out for the day to clean up the local shores. The next community newspaper displays a front-page picture of a grubby but smiling group of gum-boot clad citizens surrounded by piles of debris from bicycle tires to sodden newspapers.

As I’m flipping through the paper, I’m telling myself for the umpteenth year in a row that I should have been out there beachcombing for shoreline garbage.

As the organizer of an event that relies on volunteer support, you need to cover a few basics before you start your volunteer recruitment. Everyone generally has a personal motivation to volunteer for a particular cause or event, but making the final commitment is the hard part.


Sell your opportunity

Remember that you are selling an opportunity to get people to work for you or your organization for free! Be sure to have a clear, concise message that tells volunteers what they are going to get out of your opportunity. Your message may include the following:

• What your organization is about.
• What volunteers will do.
• How volunteers will benefit.
• How volunteers can make a difference
• How simple it is to volunteer.
• How to get more information.

Inspire your volunteers

While I would like to support the shoreline cleanup and show my commitment to environmental causes, I admittedly need some prodding before giving up my time. Draw on varied sources of inspiration, some of which can be very simple.

• Having fun
• Meeting people
• Being part of a team
• Getting to know the community
• Showing commitment to a cause
• Keeping active
• Making a difference
• Contributing specific skills or experience
• Opportunity to learn new skills
• Exploring new career paths

Know what your volunteers will do

People are more likely to volunteer if they know in advance what they will be doing and they can even play a part in deciding their role as skills, preferences and time commitments vary. Having clearly defined roles also helps people feel like they are making a meaningful contribution.


Know how you will support your volunteers

Knowing how you will support your volunteers helps ensure the long- term success of your volunteer opportunities.

Be sure to have a briefing plan to introduce volunteers to the work as nothing will deter volunteers more than not feeling included and not having a purposeful role.

Assign a volunteer coordinator who acts as a point person to offer support and to field questions or concerns. If volunteers work in a long-term capacity, regular meetings, celebrations and even newsletters can be helpful. Ultimately, you want to show your volunteers that you value their input and contributions, are interested in what they are doing and are concerned about their well- being.

Make sure your volunteers have the tools available that they will need to do their job. These tools may extend beyond what is normally required within your organization so it can take some extra planning.

And finally, free coffee and treats for your volunteers never go unappreciated, especially on a chilly morning at the shore!


Decide on your volunteer selection process

Before you begin recruiting, you will need to know what your selection process will be and this will be determined by your volunteer roles and the level of responsibility.

For the shoreline cleanup, volunteer recruitment could be very informal. Children and professionals alike can be out helping and advance sign-up may not even be necessary.

If you require advance commitment from your volunteers, a simple registration form may suffice. When soliciting for long-term volunteer commitments and for roles that require specific skills, a more involved process including an application form and interview may be necessary.


Final words before you start recruiting

While getting started with recruitment seems like the most important, going through these initial steps will not only make the whole process much easier for you and for your organization, but will create a much more rewarding volunteer experience with better opportunities for long-term or return volunteers.

In the next article, we’ll look at the recruitment phase and how you can not only get enough volunteers but the right people to fill your volunteer roles.
 

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments about this article.


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