THE RURBAN FRINGE

Volunteer Power Tool – A Basic Recruitment Plan

Posted on | April 27, 2009 | 1 Comment

April 19-25, 2009 saw the promotion and celebration of National Volunteer Week in Canada, recognizing the contribution of thousands of volunteers who support worthy programs and services across the country.

I volunteer.  Along with almost 12 million other Canadians – 45% of the population – we agree that making a positive contribution to our communities is an important reason for doing what we do.

But with an economic recession underway and people looking for ways to tighten their belts, how can community/volunteer/non-profit groups ensure their volunteer base remains stable?  How can rural and rurban groups recruit volunteers, amid ongoing ‘burnout’ concerns of smaller numbers of people putting in more hours than their urban volunteer counterparts?

A basic Volunteer Recruitment Plan is a good first step …

1.  Know your ‘Product’

  • Ensure your ‘product’ (that is, your volunteer opportunities) are truly integral to achieving your group’s purpose.
  • Prepare job descriptions, which clearly outline volunteer tasks.
  • Know what you’re talking about – acquaint yourself with each volunteer opportunity.

2.  Create a Clear Path to Your Door

  • Put together a procedure including recruitment and screening processes, training, and placement.

3.  Make Your Recruitment Message ‘User Friendly’

  • Create a message which answers a volunteer’s unspoken question:  Why should I volunteer for you?
  • In your message, address other volunteer questions such as:  What will I be doing?  How often and when?  Where?
  • Reassure volunteers that they will be trained and the group will support their efforts.
  • Avoid red-flag works like “need” and “desperate,” that scare potential volunteers away.

4.  Get to Know Your Market

  • Find out all the different ways you can get the word out.

5.  Develop Advanced Volunteer Recruitment

  • Continue to market to the general public, but think about your ‘ideal volunteer’ to better target your marketing efforts.

… as at the end of the day, professionalism and accountability within a volunteer organization not only contributes to the strength of the organization, but also makes it more appealing to volunteers.

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Comments

One Response to “Volunteer Power Tool – A Basic Recruitment Plan”

  1. ‘The Way We Get By’ : The Rurban Fringe
    April 30th, 2009 @ 8:29 am

    [...] With volunteerism on my mind this week, I was astounded to come across the website promoting the new documentary release, The Way We Get By, a film which begins … “… as a seemingly idiosyncratic story about troop greeters – a group of senior citizens who gather daily at a small airport to thank American soldiers departing and returning from Iraq [and] quickly turns into a moving, unsettling and compassionate story about aging, loneliness, war and mortality.” [...]

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