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:

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.

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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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.

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


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Thank you so very much for all of your help with this year’s event. We could
not have done it without you. A lot of companies talk about customer service,
but you really followed through.

Simon Grieve
Gazette Newspapers
Long Beach, CA

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