How Else Can You Target Recruitment?
17
by Bessie Wright
As a “Millennial,” you might think that I’m experienced and well prepared for blogging. On the contrary, this is a first for me—one of many in this past year. Since beginning my career with AmeriCorps I’ve designed landscapes for the first time, advised property owners for the first time, conducted watershed surveys for the first time, and, of course, managed volunteers for the first time. Perhaps that’s why I was asked to be a blogger for this site.
And as a beginner, do you know what I’ve learned about volunteer management?
Recruitment is tough.
Maybe you’re having trouble targeting those Boomers, Gen-Xers or Millennials we’ve all been discussing. Maybe you only need volunteer assistance sporadically, or the projects needing volunteers are too far apart. Maybe your organization is slightly more specific than striving for world peace. Whatever the reason, sometimes all those volunteers that Maine boasts never seem to knock on your door.
Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District (my host site) is plagued with these sorts of hurdles. Here are some of the issues we’ve had to consider in order to adapt our recruitment style to accommodate said restrictions:
Who is most affected by the problem you’re trying to address?
Instead of targeting a particular generation or gender, recruit those who stand to gain the most benefit from your organization’s efforts. Many, many volunteers are altruistic but few can deny that a sense of perceived personal benefit will enhance interest in an organization’s work. Indeed, by targeting correctly you can convince individuals already active in volunteer work that volunteering with your group is worthwhile or convince a new volunteer of the importance of your group’s work beyond their own benefit. The Community Toolbox has a chapter called “Encouraging Involvement in Community Work” in which the last section is devoted to just this concept.
Non-Profits Unite!
Specificity is very common among smaller non-profit organizations, though not necessarily for the same reasons. For example, Penobscot County SWCD is interested in improving Pushaw Lake’s water quality and so is the Greater Pushaw Lake Association (GPLA). Both organizations have the same goal but different resources and by working together they can have greater success. By partnering with local, like-minded associations you increase your “on-demand” volunteer base. This is particularly useful for organizations that do not require constant volunteer assistance; instead of starting over with every project the organization will only need a phone call.
Volunteerism in Education
Margaret Puckett briefly mentioned community service requirements for graduating students; this is a valuable resource for all non-profit organizations. Some Maine schools are requiring up to 40 hours of community service for a student to graduate and have fairs and lists that help students find options. Find out which schools in your area have these going on and sign up! Another way might be to partner with extra-curricular clubs or with teachers covering relevant subjects for short term projects. Ideally and in reality you can mix community service and education so that students gain social and academic fulfillment from the experience.
My point is this: I’m a beginner; I haven’t been on the management end of things for a year. However, even as a novice I’ve been introduced to numerous ways to target and recruit volunteers. I’m sure many of you can increase my list significantly and I hope you do (I’m always trying to find new ways).
Is recruitment tough? Yes, but not nearly impossible.
Bessie Wright is an AmeriCorps member serving with the Maine Conservation Corps.
February 19th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Bessie, you are so right that AmeriCorps is all about the firsts. Where else can you learn and experience so many new things in the space of a year?
February 20th, 2008 at 6:16 am
Bessie, I second the motion of networking amongst your local non-profit groups to share and recruit volunteers.
Many people view service as a networking opportunity in their community. As a contrast to the old vision of a volunteer sitting in back room stuffing envelopes, modern day volunteers want to get out of the box and diversify their service time.
It often really makes sense to do a targeted recruitment, and to look at what other organizations are working towards like goals in your community.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Indeed. My time as a volunteer was spent with very small organizations that would not have been nearly so successful had we not partnered with like-minded groups.
I had never thought about volunteering as a way to network before you mentioned it, though I can see that as being a real bonus for some people. I guess it would fall under that perceived personal benefit category.