Getting the Right Volunteers and Enough of Them.

Last month, a community shoreline clean-up required a masse of hard-working
and spirited volunteers. With no specific skills or time-commitment required,
the organization’s broad-based recruitment campaign reached out to the entire
community through radio announcements, brochures and posters, notices in the
local paper and community business affiliations.

While I fell into this masse of garbage surfing grubbers, a few more committed
volunteers were required to serve as site coordinators who would assess and
recommend sites, stand as the contact person for volunteers and the
organization, coordinate the removal of garbage and submit data to the
organization. To recruit these volunteers, the recruitment effort sent out a
more focused message to resource management students at the local university.

When a high level of expertise is required to fill your volunteer roles, your
search will narrow in on a much smaller target group. You’ll want to appeal to
these prospective volunteers with a unique and distinct recruitment message.

In contrast, broad-based recruitment reaches out to the masses and is the best
and simplest approach when you need a large number of volunteers with no
specific experience. Assume that everyone is alike in their motivation to
volunteer and use a variety of means to get your message out to as many people
as possible.

Consider some of the below methods and resources the next time you are trying to
fill volunteer positions.

Tips for successful recruitment and happy volunteers:

Fill positions with the right people. You’ve already identified the
available jobs, so fill these positions with the people that are best suited to
the role. If you find out what people want to do, you will create roles that
mutually benefit the organization and the volunteer and that keep the volunteer
happy.

Make it easy. Let people choose how much or little time they would like
to invest. At the outset, people are generally more willing to make a short-term
commitment that has an end date or is flexible. Make the sign-up process as
simple as possible and have somebody available to answer questions and concerns.

Do not recruit more volunteers than needed. People volunteer because they
want to make a difference. If there is not adequate work available, people will
quickly lose interest.

Recognize the work and efforts. Boost morale and increase the desire to
stay by demonstrating to your volunteers that their contribution is important.

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

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Word of mouth Why aren’t people volunteering? Because they want
to be asked! Not so surprisingly, while word of mouth is the simplest
approach it remains the most effective as well as cost-effective. It’s a
good idea to hand out a card or flyer so that potential volunteers can
contact you or your organization.
Advocacy groups Linking with advocacy groups that support your
cause provides you with a focused and motivated group of prospective
volunteers.
Print Materials Think of exciting ways to evoke interest in your
organization and/or your cause. If your brochure says “Volunteer” at the top
then it’s not too likely that it will be picked up. Instead, “Become Part of
the Solution” may draw more intrigue.
Local businesses Many companies are becoming more community aware
and are encouraging employees to volunteer. A relationship with a local
business has the benefit of providing you with a consistent and
multi-skilled pool of volunteers.
Media Using the media generally requires a bigger budget and
doesn’t usually generate firm commitments but it does keep your organization
in the mind’s eye. However, consider opportunities to generate press
releases which have no associated cost. Free media in the local paper or on
the radio may also be available if you’re supporting a cause or are
not-for-profit.
Schools Many high-schools now incorporate volunteer work into the
curriculum. Contact university and college campus offices to find out how to
get in touch with volunteers, student organizations, clubs, etc.
Own list of past volunteers If you have been doing everything
right, then your list of past volunteers should want to come back for more!
Existing Network Don’t overlook your most readily available
volunteers: your co-workers, clients, organizations that you work with
regularly, etc.
Service organizations Knowing and building relationships with
service groups in your area can be to your advantage if you regularly draw
on volunteer support.
Volunteer referral services and directories Registering your
opportunities with community referral services and directories is simple yet
effective.
Internet Post your volunteer opportunity on your website. Many
online volunteer directories also exist and you may want to find a regional
or even national or international directory depending on the positions.


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