Struggling with Volunteer Recruitment? 5 tips to Reprioritize & energize your approach
If bringing new volunteers to your organization or team is one of the more difficult parts of the job, you’re not alone! Volunteer recruitment is a long standing challenge for many organizations and staff people. And it’s no wonder! Effectively recruiting for volunteers takes time, thoughtful planning, and is often an ongoing task. It was always a challenge for me in my role – something I needed to be thinking about, but somehow easily pushed to the back burner. And because I wasn't doing it often, it didn't feel second nature. But there are strategies that make a difference and can help you reprioritize and energize your volunteer recruitment approach.
Tip #1 - Write a short, but snappy description
You’ll want a brief, but attention grabbing elevator pitch for the role - and this is something you can use in a variety of ways to spread the word about what the position is, why it’s important, and who you’re looking for. Make sure you’ve thought about why the role is important to your organization - the more you can link it to the success of the team, organization, and ultimately community impact, the better. People volunteer because they want to make a difference, so help them connect how their skills and time will do that. You may not have space for great detail in the posting, but if you’ve thought about the key responsibilities, skills and values you’re looking for, you’ll be able to speak concisely and effectively as you start your outreach. Put some thought into why your team is a great one to join and any other benefits that someone can gain from volunteering with your organization.
Tip #2 - cast a broad net to Spread the word
It’s easy to throw a posting on social media, and on a volunteer recruitment website and say you checked the box of promoting the opportunity. In my experience this garners a limited response. So, take that enticing description you’ve developed and make a list of all the places you could use it to get the word out - in addition to social media you might consider: a newspaper article or ad, newsletters, a plug at any upcoming events, signage or message boards. Get creative and think about any media and communications approaches your organization is already managing and using. If you have multiple positions you’re looking to fill or key roles that have urgent needs, you might consider hosting a recruitment event - either virtually or in-person. It might not make sense to use every possible strategy available, but pick a couple and make the most of them!
Tip #3 - Make a few personal asks
Here’s a strategy I wish I’d started using earlier in my volunteer recruitment adventures! Building on personal connections can be an excellent way to do more targeted recruitment, and it can also build more lasting support and engagement from your network. When people understand what you do and what you need, they’re more likely to think of you when they come across something, or someone, that seems to connect. Here’s an example. In a previous role I worked with volunteers who taught classes in the community and several of them became great ambassadors who would recommend class participants who would be strong candidates for future volunteers with the program. These class leaders were great mentors who could speak to the positive experience of being a volunteer, had a clear grasp of what the role involved and the skills needed, and were often more effective recruiters than I could have been.
I’ve found that a direct personal conversation is the most impactful. Again, your brief role description will come in really handy here - be ready to share not just what the role is, but what skills, values, and experience you’re looking for. So pick up the phone or jump on a Zoom call - a great connection could be just a conversation away.
Tip #4 - Think positively
Do you ever fall into that trap of reviewing all the reasons something is going to be difficult or unachievable? When the stakes are high, we have urgent need for help, or a highly specialized role to fill this can become even more likely. But I’ve learned from experience that focusing on the negative rarely yields a positive outcome. So I invite, no - challenge you - to take a leap of faith and explore the power of positive thinking instead!
When you find yourself stewing about the challenges of filling a volunteer role, gently and kindly stop yourself and instead visualize what skills and contributions your ideal volunteer will bring to the team. What will it be like to have the perfect person on this role? What will it do for you, your team and organization? Work on cultivating a feeling of gleeful anticipation and proactive gratitude.
All eye-rolling aside, where we focus our energy matters. Give it a try!
Tip #5 - Make it a priority
So now you have a few strategies for energizing your volunteer recruitment efforts. The final step is to prioritize and commit some time to making it happen. This might be the hardest step of all. As a leader of volunteers you’re likely pulled in multiple directions with a long to-do list. I’ve been there! My advice is this: be realistic and commit to making time. Pick 1-2 items that you think would make the most difference in your recruitment efforts. Also pick an amount of time that you can realistically spend. It could be 5 minutes a day, 1 hour a week, or 3 hours every day. This is for you to decide, and I’ll reinforce it again - a small amount of time successfully completed is better than a great deal of time planned but not done! Block out that amount of time in your schedule and honor it as if it were a critical meeting you’d never miss. Remind yourself how spending time on these tasks supports you in meeting your goals.
Volunteer recruitment is a key component, and a common challenge of running a strong volunteer program. I hope these tips inspire new ideas and strategies for your approach, and help you meet your goals.