Recruiting Volunteers

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Recruiting Volunteers

• Catherine Downen
• AIAA Vice President, Member Services

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You already know how to recruit

• Identify the opportunities (jobs)
• Identify the person
• Understand the needs and motivators
• Ask the person what they want to do
• Match opportunities (jobs) to people (needs)
• Ask the person to do the job
• Recognize and Reward

In 1995, 48.8 of US population volunteered for
something. Each person volunteered for an average
4.2 hours/week. 85 of the people who were asked
to volunteer, did.
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AIAA Mission

• We must understand the mission of AIAA before we
  can recruit others to contribute
• AIAA provides access to people and information
• Volunteers are needed to provide all AIAA
  products and services
• Authors who write AIAA papers, books, journals
• Members who teach short courses
• Speakers who lecture at section meetings,
  confererences
• Volunteers who lead Section activities
• Teachers who develop work force
• Students who participate in design competitions
  (future supporters of AIAA)

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Volunteerism and AIAA

• AIAA must create
• a volunteer experience
• that allows opportunity for an individual
• to meet personal motivational needs
• in ways that are productive for AIAA
• and satisfying for the individual.

• All behavior is motivated
• People have different needs
• People have combinations of needs
• People must have ESTEEM to feel good about doing
  something

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Building Blocks of ESTEEM

• Sense of Connectedness
• Sense of belonging
• Part of a relationship of people
• Sense of Uniqueness
• The individual is special
• There is nobody in the world like me
• Sense of Power
• Sense of effectiveness
• Making a difference in the world

Volunteers must have esteem to feel good about
what they are doing for AIAA
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Sense of Connectedness

• How to foster Connectedness
• Look for opportunities to bring people together
• Have common goal or purpose
• Talk about values of organization and what it
  means to be part of the group
• Set high goals teamwork required to meet
• Allow volunteer team to own a project
• Involve team in decision making
• Celebrate accomplishments in context of
  contributions to a team
• Recognition must be consistent, no favoritism

AIAA can provide connectedness to people with
common interests, education, etc.
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Sense of Uniqueness

• How to foster Uniqueness
• Recognize achievements of individual
• Praise individual qualities
• Provide challenging assignments that take
  advantage of individual strengths
• Encourage team to respect each other, appreciate
  differences
• Provide training, teach people new skills
• Offer competitions, opportunity to out-perform
  others

AIAA can recognize a persons uniqueness that may
not apply to professional job
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Sense of Power

• How to foster sense of power
• Provide work that matters
• Stuffing envelopes explain importance of
  mailing
• Make volunteers responsible for results
• Seek ideas from volunteers
• Encourage volunteers to make something better or
  change the status quo

AIAA can provide opportunity for a person to get
a feeling of accomplishment she may not get at
work or home
AIAA can provide opportunity for a person to get
a feeling of accomplishment she may not get at
work or home
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Putting it all Together

• Give Volunteers a great place to be
• Good working conditions
• Environment that is friendly, supportive, and
  effective
• Give Volunteers what they dont haveQuestions to
  ask your volunteers
• What do you get out of your current job?
• What do you not get to do sufficiently in your
  current job?
• What would your ideal job look like?
• What would you do in it, and what would you not
  do?
• Give the Volunteers a Fun Time
• Remember that Volunteering is a leisure
  activity
• Promote the recreational aspects of volunteer jobs

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Applying Esteem Concept to AIAA positions

• Section Chair
• Vice-Chair
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Programs Officer
• Career Enhancement Officer
• Education Officer
• Honors and Awards Officer
• Membership Officer
• Communication Officer
• Pre-College Outreach Officer
• Public Policy Officer
• Young Professional Officer

Connectedness
Uniqueness
Power
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Identify the People

• Who can you ask to volunteer?
• Members who regularly attend meetings
• Industry leaders
• Students
• How do you get connected to them?
• Newsletter articles
• Personal connections ask around
• Recommendations from other volunteers
• Recommendations from Student branch faculty
  advisors

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Asking a Volunteer to Help

• Be prepared
• Have a position description, expectations, level
  of effort and time required
• Have the right person extend the invitation
• Personalize the invitation
• Project the right image
• Be enthusiastic, not apologetic, dont beg
• Be realistic with expectations
• Be courteous
• Is this a good time to talk?
• Bring closure to the conversation
• When can we talk after you have considered?
• Follow up quickly
• Accept No graciously

85 of the people who are asked to help, do
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Face Reality of Todays Volunteer

• Short Term or Episodic Volunteering
• Short duration with begin end date
• Regular intervals (annual event)
• Try AIAA leadership before making investment
• Family Volunteering
• Weekend evening events
• Activities that people can bring kids to
• College Volunteers (Student Members)
• Show students the value of professional
  membership
• Offer benefit such as free entry to meeting for
  volunteer help
• Virtual Volunteers
• Work that can be done from home
• Email, webmaster, newsletters, brochures, etc.

Consider different approaches to get people
involved
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Keys to Retention

• The First Six Months
• Most critical time for retention
• Volunteer is giving organization a trial run
• Leader should assist with smooth transition into
  team
• Get volunteer engaged early
• Anniversaries
• People will reassess their involvement each year
• Do not assume volunteer wants to do same job
• Keep them busy or they will leave
• Recognize the volunteers contributions

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Match Recognition to the Need

• Achievement-Oriented Volunteers
• Provide training for more challenging tasks
• Link recognition to very specific tasks
• Give Best and Most awards
• Awards given by co-workers

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Match Recognition to the Need

• Affiliation-Oriented Volunteers
• Recognition at a group event
• Give award in presence of peers, family, employer
• Award should have a personal touch
• Recognition may be voted by peers

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Match Recognition to the Need

• Power-Oriented Volunteers
• Provide promotion in duties
• Give more access to authority or information
• Commendation by noted authorities
• Award presented by organization leader or employer

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Ideas for Recognition

• Formal Recognition
• Awards
• Certificates
• Plaques
• Pins
• Recognition Dinners
• Public Communications (newsletter, email, etc.)
• AIAA Specific Forms of Volunteer Recognition
• Special Service Citation
• Sustained Service Citation
• Distinguished Service Citation

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Ideas for Recognition

• Informal Recognition
• Day-to-Day Interchanges
• Saying thank you
• Asking about volunteers family outside life
• Sending note of appreciation to volunteers
  family
• Sending note of recognition to volunteers
  employer
• Recommending volunteer for promotion to more
  responsible position
• Celebrating volunteers anniversary in
  organization

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Rules for Recognition

• Give it honestly
• Give it to the person, not the work
• Give it appropriately to the achievement
• Give it consistently
• Give it on a timely basis
• Give it in an individualized fashion
• Give it for what you want more of

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Recruiting Summary

• Identify the opportunities (jobs)
• Identify the person
• Understand the needs and motivators
• Ask the person what they want to do
• Match opportunities (jobs) to people (needs)
• Ask the person to do the job
• Recognize and Reward

Recruiting Good People and Fostering Leaders Is
the Most Important Thing You Can Do for AIAA
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Sources

• Giving and Volunteering in the United States,
  page xiii, 1996 edition.
• The Starter Kit for Mobilizing Ministry,
  Leadership Training Network, Dallas, TX, 1994, p.
  2-83.
• Volunteer Management, by Steve McCurley and
  Rick Lynch, Volunteer Readership, 2000.

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