STOP! Don't start using the resources on this page to recruit volunteer
until you have
Recruiting volunteers is NOT the first step in setting up a volunteer
engagement scheme. It's NOT the first thing to be done to involve
volunteers. In fact, I believe it is the LAST step, one you do after you
have defined your mission statement for your volunteer engagement,
created assignments, written policies and procedures, defined how you
will evaluate your volunteer engagement at the six month and one-year
mark, mapped how your volunteer in-take processes will work, and trained
staff that will work with volunteers.
If you don't do these steps first, your volunteer recruitment will:
- frustrate, even anger, potential and current volunteers.
- create negative public relations.
- become ineffective.
In addition, your retainment of volunteers will plummet.
The number one complaint of people trying to volunteer is that they
signed up to volunteer, through the organization's own web site or by
calling on the phone or via a site like VolunteerMatch, and the
organization never responded, or responded many weeks or months later,
when they were no longer available.
Please see
Diagnosing
the causes of volunteer recruitment problems before you
recruit volunteers. You will quickly see why having the fundamentals of
volunteer management in place is essential for recruiting and retaining
volunteers is essential for any of the following to work.
Recruiting volunteers
- Recruiting Volunteers: A
Step-by-Step Guide to QUICKLY Getting the Volunteers You Want
These are simple, immediate things you can do to get volunteers.
- Required Volunteer
Information on Your Web Site
If your organization or department involves volunteers, or wants to,
there are certain things your organization or department must
have on its web site - not by law, of course, but from a point of view
of ethics and credibility. It also will help tremendously in your
recruitment efforts.
- Using Third Party Web Sites Like
VolunteerMatch to Recruit Volunteers
There are lots and lots of web sites out there to help your
organization recruit volunteers. You don't have to use them all, but
you do need to make sure you use them correctly in order to
get the maximum response to your posts.
- Diagnosing
the causes of volunteer recruitment problems
Before you hire a consultant, even me,
to see what the problem is regarding why you don't have enough
volunteers, or the kinds of volunteers you want most, you might be
able to diagnosis the problem yourself - this blog is meant to help
you do that. The only catch is that you MUST be honest as you answer
the questions listed here. Also, answering these questions is rarely a
one-person exercise; you may think you know the answer, but you need
to ask other staff members, including volunteers themselves, what
their answers are to these assessment questions. This is one of the
most popular blogs I've ever written.
- Screening Volunteers for Attitude
Screening is vital to finding the right people for some, maybe all,
volunteer roles, particularly those where the volunteer will work with
clients and the general public, and to screen out people who may be
better in shorter-term assignments or assignments where they would not
work with clients or the general public, or who would not be
appropriate in any role at the organization. We put all sorts of
emphasis on criminal background checks and reference checks for
volunteers, but the reality is that a mismatched volunteer, in terms
of attitude, can be a program-killer. Screening volunteers for
attitude will reduce volunteer turnover and ensure everyone has a more
satisfying experience as a volunteer or working with volunteers.
- Recruiting Local
Volunteers To Increase Diversity Among the Ranks
Having plenty of volunteers usually isn't enough to say a volunteering
program is successful. Another indicator of success is if your
volunteers represent a variety of ages, education-levels, economic
levels and other demographics, or are a reflection of your local
community. Most organizations don't want volunteers to be a
homogeneous group; they want to reach a variety of people as
volunteers (and donors and other supporters, for that matter). This
resource will help you think about how to recruit for diversity, or to
reach a specific demographic.
- Recruiting Volunteers
To Serve in Difficult, Even Dangerous Roles
Some volunteering is perceived as difficult by potential volunteers
and the general public, because of the clients that volunteers will
work with or the kind of activities volunteers must undertake.
Examples: serving as a Big Brother/Big Sister, mentoring a foster
child, assisting adults with developmental disabilities, volunteering
in a shelter for women experiencing domestic violence, or staffing a
suicide hotline. Some volunteering is perceived as difficult AND
dangerous, such as fire fighting or search and rescue or volunteering
in prisons or jails. Some volunteering is perceived as controversial,
such as providing water stations in the dessert for people entering a
country illegally and can die from dehydration, or defending a women's
health clinic patients from protesters. Difficult, dangerous and/or
controversial roles actually appeal to many people who want to
volunteer: they feel strongly about the cause, or they want to do
something substantial and challenging. But other roles may seem too
intimidating to new recruits, like mentoring a young person going
through the foster care system, working with young people in the
juvenile justice system, working with people with intellectual
disabilities, or working with seniors. How do you recruit for roles
that might seem difficult, dangerous, even controversial? How do you
recruit for a subject area or role that might provoke an initial
reaction of fear among potential volunteers? This
resource can help.
- Recruiting Mentors
(or any high-responsibility volunteers that will work with clients)
Successful volunteer recruitment is a mentality as much as a method.
Successful recruitment of volunteer mentors comes from a mentality
that permeates the organization, one that prompts employees and
volunteers to always be looking for opportunities for outreach and
partnership, and where all employees and volunteers are advocates for
the program, regardless of the tasks they undertake. This web page has
specific recommendations to recruit mentors for youth, but these
recommendations could be used for most any high-responsibility,
high-commitment volunteer role working with clients, such as
counselors or tutors.
- Finding a Computer/Network
Consultant (volunteer or paid)
Staff at mission-based organizations (nonprofits, civil society
organizations, and public sector agencies) often have to rely on
consultants, either paid or volunteer, for expertise in computer
hardware, software and networks. Staff may feel unable to understand,
question nor challenge whatever that consultant recommends. What can
mission-based organizations do to recruit the "right" consultant for
"tech" related issues, one that will not make them feel
out-of-the-loop or out-of-control when it comes to tech-related
discussions?
- TechTools and Online
Resources for Recruiting Volunteers
There are a variety of tech tools - tools related to computers,
tablets, smart phones, cell phones and/or the Internet - and online
resources that can be used for recruiting volunteers - all volunteers,
not just online volunteers (virtual volunteering). This page on the
Virtual Volunteering Wiki lists some of these tools, but be
forewarned: if you aren't ready to onboard applicants QUICKLY, then
recruiting online volunteers will lead to angry people and bad public
relations. Advice for HOW to use these tech tools in the various
functions of volunteer management, including volunteer recruitment,
can be found in The
Last
Virtual
Volunteering Guidebook.
- Research and case studies
regarding recruitment and retainment of volunteer firefighters
& justifications for involving volunteer firefighters that do
NOT relate to "money saved"
A little bit of commentary and a long list of resources, compiled from
various sources. Updates welcomed!
Return to this
web site's index of volunteer engagement-related
resources
And also time to have a look at:
The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook:
Fully Integrating Online Service Into Volunteer Involvement.
A comprehensive guide to using online tools for supporting
& engaging ALL volunteers, & for creating online roles &
online tasks for volunteers.
The Ultimate Guide to Setting Up Virtual Volunteering At Any
Organization.
Here's how to order
(includes table of contents and reviews).
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this
web page, or comment on it, here.
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