Carrie, a volunteer coordinator at a youth services organization, was having trouble finding enough volunteers.
She had an open call
on her organization’s website, and kept running a blurb about
volunteering in the newsletter.
A few times a year
she’d have a booth at a volunteer fair.
And that was her
entire volunteer recruitment process.
Seems like a
problem, right?
The issue was that
creating a recruitment process kept getting knocked down further on
her to-do list.
“I’m so busy staffing our tutoring center, and helping the volunteers I do have solve problems, that I can’t find the time to actively recruit more. I know I need to do it, but I don’t have any established process,” she said.
And from what I’ve
seen, a lot of would-be volunteer recruiters are in the same boat:
they know they need more volunteers, but don’t know how to go about
getting them.
That’s why I’ve created this post: so that other organizations who are in the same boat as Carrie can have a volunteer recruitment plan to follow. Once you reach the end of the post, be sure to check out the volunteer recruitment checklist for a quick summary of the key steps we outline here.
Here are the steps
that go into preparing a strategy:
Planning For Recruitment
If you’re new to
volunteer recruitment, or if your organization doesn’t have a
formal process in place, you’ll need to do a little planning before
you launch that first volunteer job posting.
This includes
answering questions like:
1. Who Will Recruit Volunteers?
If you don’t know
the answer, it’s very possible it’s, “Nobody!”
Without deciding who should do it, volunteers go not recruited — just like at Carrie’s organization.
If your organization
has a staff volunteer manager, that person should be leading the
charge.
Likewise, if you
have a volunteer who coordinates volunteering opportunities, that
person is a likely recruitment leader.
But if no one person
is responsible for volunteer recruitment, consider gathering your
existing Event Committee Chairs or your Board of Directors to
establish a volunteer recruitment team to help identify, screen,
orient and manage event volunteers.
In addition,
depending on the number of volunteers you need and the roles they
will fill, you might want to consider dividing up the recruitment
tasks among a number of people.
For example, if
there are several committees for an event, perhaps each Committee
Chair can take responsibility for recruiting their own team (e.g.,
Publicity; Registration; Logistics/
Venue; Silent Auction; etc).
2. What Are Our Volunteer Needs?
To help promote an
optimal experience for the volunteer, as well as for your
organization, it’s important to define specific volunteer
assignments or roles.
If your organization
has been around for a while, you’ve probably got this covered. If
not, though, here are a few questions for you to consider.
3. Where Do We Need Volunteers?
For day-to-day
operations? Special programs? A specific event? For example, for an
event, you might need volunteers for program development,
registration/ticket sales, publicity, and logistics. For day-to-day
operations, you might need a combination of office and field
volunteers.
And don’t forget
to keep an open mind. Even if a volunteer doesn’t immediately seem
to suit your organization due to their schedule, you might be able to
find a task that’s previously been neglected that they can take on.
“There is a job
for everyone,” said Nancy Byars Trofemuk Kistler, the volunteer
coordinator at the Academy
for Classical Education. “Weekends, nights, take home jobs…
you can find something for everyone!”
4. How Many Volunteers Do We Actually Need?
If you’re building
a house, you may need a whole crew.
But if you’re
supplementing the staff at your local library, you may only need 4 to
5.
The number of people
you need will influence how you go about recruiting them.
5. What Skills Are We Looking For?
Public speaking?
Office skills?
Tech pros?
Do you need
volunteers who can lead teams, speak on behalf of your organization,
or work independently?
It’s important to
be clear about what you need, so that you’re not wasting your time
or potential volunteers’ by talking to people who aren’t the
right fit.
One important factor
to consider is also the amount of time they have available.
“Most
organizations find short-term volunteers frustrating, but I think
that we have to meet people where they are to fulfill the needs of
the organization we serve,” said David Fulton Fondren, Volunteer
Coordinator at Southern
Pines Animal Shelter.
“Knowing that I
work with a high volume of these volunteers, I try to make impactful
volunteer opportunities that are accessible for “joiners.”
This means they require little training or oversight and that there
are accompanying signs or materials that are specific in what we want
from the volunteer.”
6. What is Our Recruitment Strategy?
There are several
approaches to recruiting volunteers, each suited to different types
of volunteer opportunities.
- Mass appeals work
when you need a large number of volunteers, but don’t need them to
have any special skills. Sometimes called “warm body recruitment,”
the goal is to attract as many people as possible. Tactics include
publicizing your call for volunteers in the media, posting your
message on all your communications channels, sending mass emails,
and putting a sign out in front of your building.
- Targeted recruitment seeks to make contact with people who have specific skills you
need.Tactics include reaching out to groups like professional
associations, university programs, or clubs to find individuals who
want to share their expertise.
- Networking uses the relationships of your
existing volunteers to find more, using tactics like informal
referrals and more formalized mixers or networking events. This
works best if you’re just looking for a few volunteers, or know
that the people who already work with you have the skills you need.
However, before setting out to recruit anyone, think about your
organization’s goals.
What positions do
you really need to fill right now?
For example, when Carrie really thought about it, she needed seven more volunteers for the tutoring center, and someone to help with maintaining student records. Eight people seemed like an achievable goal.
Then, she chose to
target her recruitment to students in their third year of university
and retirees — the volunteers that she currently worked with in
those demographics were the ones most likely to stick around and have
the skills she needed.
How
You Can Actually Start Recruiting Volunteers
Recruiting
volunteers doesn’t usually require creating a lot of new material.
With a section on your website and a good volunteer job description,
you can go a long way.
Adding Positions to Your Website
For many potential
volunteers, your website will be the first place they look for
information. Make it easy for them to find out about volunteering,
which roles are available, and how to get involved. Simplify your
application process so they can complete it online, without waiting
for someone to call them back, or send them more information.
Creating a Volunteer Job Description
People like to know
what they’re getting into. Volunteer job descriptions make the
expectations clear, and help organizations ask for the help they
really need. They also make it easier for volunteers to connect with
the roles that will be most meaningful to them.
Your volunteer job
description should include:
- A title. Give the
role a name, like “Tour Guide” or “Office Support,” or
“Tutor”. That will make it easier for volunteers to list it on
their CV later, and provides a good overview of the role for anyone
scrolling through quickly.
- Necessary qualifications
or experience. Does the person need a driver’s license?
A/V experience? Experience working with kids? That way, people can
eliminate themselves right off the bat if they don’t have the
requisite skills.
- Specific responsibilities and
typical tasks. What are the major features of the role? Again, this
can people decide if the role is suited for them before you go
through the interview process.
- Time commitment. When do you need them? For how long? Is this a long-term assignment,
or a one-day commitment?
- Supervision. Who
oversees the role? Who is their contact person within your
organization?
- Benefits. What does the volunteer get out of
this?
For example, for
Carrie’s after-school tutors, the volunteer job description might
look like this:
After-school Tutor
If you like kids and have completed two years of university, why not become an after-school tutor?
After school tutors help students with homework and teach them study skills and other academic success strategies twice a week at our tutoring center. Must be available from 3PM-5PM, Monday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Thursday, and willing to commit to a semester.
This position
reports to our School Services Coordinator and is a great opportunity
for someone who wants to be a positive role model to a small group of
students. Current university students and retired educators
encouraged to apply!
How to Target Potential Volunteers
What’s scarier:
asking a total stranger for some of their time, or chatting to a
friend of a friend about open opportunities at your organization?
Most people would
say the latter.
The good news is
that many of your future volunteers are probably already marginally
connected to you.
They know someone you know, are in the neighborhood, or frequent the same events or places that your organization does.
They’re former
donors, friends of your club members, and people who care about your
cause.
When you think about
recruitment more as connecting with these people, instead of as
convincing complete strangers to give a chunk of their time to your
organization, it seems a lot more possible, doesn’t it?
So, before you
launch a full-scale publicity campaign, reach for the lower-hanging
fruit: the people you know.
Did Someone Already Volunteer?
Sometimes
organizations without a recruitment process still get offers from
people interested in volunteering. If you’ve collected names and
contact information, now is the time to get in touch. Reach out to
past volunteers, too. They may be ready to come back.
However, if there is no preexisting list or database of volunteers, you’ll need to develop one going forward by creating a process for gathering and storing this information. This could involve creating a volunteer application form, a volunteer database or at the very least, a spreadsheet.
Look Within Your Immediate Circle of Influence
Have each
recruitment team member create a list of potential contacts, from
among their:
- Friends
- Family
- Co-workers
- Neighbors
- Community members (religious organizations, clubs, sporting
teams)
Publicize Within Your Network
If you’re having
trouble identifying enough volunteers within your immediate circle,
consider:
- Writing a newsletter article or a
post on your organization’s blog or forum
- Posting a request on your social
media platforms
- Posting a compelling video or photos of last year’s event
on your FB page and ask for new recruits (follow up with anyone that
“Likes” your post)
To reach out to
suitable people within her organization’s network, Carrie switched
up her newsletter piece.
Instead of her usual
blurb about volunteering, Carrie proposed that the communications
director at her organization interview a few of her existing
volunteers about what volunteering meant to them.
The communications director was thrilled to have the content, and the volunteers felt honored to be asked.
Even better?
After the newsletter
was published, Carrie received several emails from people interested
in volunteering!
Broadening Your Circle
If you’ve surveyed
family and friends and still come up short, you might need to widen
your search to include:
- Putting an ad in your community newspaper
- Posting a request through your municipal or state/province volunteer center
- Posting a request at a local high school, college or a student volunteer center
- Signing up with a volunteer-matching site like VolunteerMatch
Targeting Specific Skills or Needs
If you need to find
volunteers with specific skills or experience, you may need to look
beyond your close circle. For example:
- If you need volunteers with, for
example, skills at website development, PR or social media skills,
you could target local businesses by offering them a sponsorship
opportunity.
- If you’re hosting a silent
auction or other fundraising event for the first time, you might
want to find out who has been involved in other similar events in
your community (such as an auctioneer or a member of a service
club).
- You can also consider whether a local company might be
willing to organize its employees to assist with your event as a
corporate initiative.
Once you’ve started working with other organizations, they might
also be able to recruit their connections.
David said,
“Connecting with Greek Life organizations can provide a stream of
volunteers as well as support for larger events. For example, I asked
one of my Phi Mu volunteers to help me recruit mile attendants for my
shelter’s sponsored mile on a marathon.”
The Next Step: Applications and Screening
So, you’ve started
recruiting and gotten a few responses.
What’s next?
Before you proceed,
it’s wise to get a little more information.
An informal
interview or a formal application will help both the organization and
volunteer get the relevant details about each other and set
appropriate expectations.
You’ll want to:
- Introduce the organization and outline the event or program that
needs volunteers
- Describe
specific volunteer roles, including time commitment and tasks
- Discuss the
person’s past volunteer and/or professional experience
- Determine what
role might suit this individual, based on their interests and
qualifications
- Explain the
next steps toward volunteering
- Answer
questions or provide a contact person for questions
At several organizations I’ve worked for, there have been more formal volunteer interview processes, some of which even asked for references. However, I’ve noticed that this process is usually for more specialized volunteer jobs, or ones that deal with vulnerable populations.
Others, that have
been hiring for roles like manning a booth at the state fair, have
had a much simpler process. It really just depends on what kind of
experience you’re looking for, and on the type of person you need.
Following Up With Potential Volunteers
If you applied for a
job and hadn’t heard back in a month, you’d probably assume you
hadn’t gotten it — and keep looking elsewhere.
This is true for
volunteer positions as well. If you wait too long to get back to
potential volunteers, they’ll take their time and talents
elsewhere.
That’s why it’s
so important to clearly communicate your timeline for making
decisions about volunteer assignments. It shows volunteers that
you value their time and contributions — meaning they’re likely
to start off on a much better foot and speak more highly of your
organization.
With that in mind,
here are a few things all potential volunteers should learn.
Tell Them Your Decision
Once you’ve made
the decision about who you are bringing on board as volunteers and
which roles they’ll play, you’ll need to inform them. Email or
call to welcome them and confirm their role.
And what about the
people who aren’t quite right?
It’s not as much
fun, but you must also contact these people to explain you will not
be moving forward — it’s not fair for them to have to wait and
wait without getting a response from you. Thank them for their
interest, and if they take it well, you can offer other ways to get
involved with your cause. If the timing just wasn’t right, you can
also offer to contact them again in the future, or ask them to reach
out in a few months to see if there are opportunities more suited to
their skills.
Confirm What They’ve Signed On For
In addition to
notifying volunteers that you want to work with them, you should
confirm the volunteer commitment through an email or letter that
reiterates the job description, time commitment, relevant dates and
times, and contact person at your organization. Again, this sets
clear expectations for everyone.
Outline the next
steps they’ll need to take to start volunteering. Introduce them to
your volunteer orientation process, and any other training they’ll
need to complete before they take on their role.
That way, there
won’t be any misunderstandings about timing and they’ll know
what’s required at every step of the way.
Get Them All Set Up
Think about your
first day on the job.
Were you thrown into
the deep end right away? Or did you have a little time to learn the
ins and outs of your new job?
For your sake, I’m
hoping it was the latter – and if it wasn’t, then just think of how
much easier those first few days would have been if you’d had some
time to settle in.
The same is true for
new volunteers, and that’s where a volunteer orientation comes in.
Volunteer
orientations give new volunteers an overview of your organization and
an understanding of how their help fits in.
It can also help
them feel included in your community, and get excited about their
role.
While orientation
sessions will differ depending on the volunteer job tasks, here is an
overview of the type of information you might want to include in your
orientations:
- An overview of the organization –
its mission, vision and values
- Description of the program or
event and its objectives (show a video, photos, etc.)
- Outline of the specific volunteer
job and tasks
- Details on planning – schedule
of meetings, activities, list of responsibilities, etc.
- Information on resources that
pertain to their role, necessary record or document keeping, and
support systems.
- Confirm their contact information.
- Complete any necessary paperwork like waivers or media
releases.
Something I’ve also seen other organizations do — and quite successfully — is integrate a mentorship program into their orientation.
“We have a Mentor
Program where we recognize the more committed volunteers and ask them
to interact with other volunteers, teach and share,” said Jeff
Blazewicz, volunteer coordinator at the Monmouth
County SPCA.
Even better, this
can also help with volunteer engagement down the line.
“I also go through
my list each year (sometimes twice) and reach out to those who have
not logged any hours in the past 9 – 12 months. I get many people who
have faded away and just need a jump start to get back into the
program,” he added.
For a complete guide
on how to get new volunteers set up with your organization, check out this
article, as well as this
checklist of everything you need to do to welcome your new
volunteers.
Volunteer
Recruitment Doesn’t Have To Be Hard
Once she got
started, Carrie found that creating a recruitment process wasn’t as
much work as she’d anticipated.
By defining the
specific opportunities, refining her tools to emphasize them, and
targeting her recruitment efforts, she was able to recruit new
volunteers fairly easily.
With effective
planning and volunteer
management tools in place, the volunteer recruitment and
retention process should be streamlined and less stressful. Soon,
you’ll be bringing in a steady supply of new people who are excited
to get involved with your organization!
By Tatiana Morand, https://www.wildapricot.com