WALDEN-CAN Community Conference

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WALDEN-CANCommunity Conference
Volunteer Recruitment a KEY Issue Facing
Community Groups
Presenter Linda Hunter Saturday April 25, 2009
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Agenda

• Why ?
• Who ?
• How ?
• Recruitment
• Wrap Up

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Goals

• By the end of the session participants will be
  thinking about
• Why People Volunteer
• Who to target
• Where to find volunteers
• How to use better strategies to reach target.
• Where to look for volunteers ideas

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Why People Volunteer

• Acquire new skills to enhance their marketability
• Be creative, solve problems, perform challenging
  work
• Contribute to a cause that is important to them
• Cultivate new interests
• Develop and grow personally,
• Develop friendships and affiliations
• Explore new career options and network
• Explore their strengths
• Feel useful or enjoy the tasks.

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Why People Volunteer cont

• Friends already volunteer
• Fulfill the service requirement of a club, school
  church or legal restitution
• Have fun gain a sense of personal achievement
• Help Improve life for the community
• Maintain skills while unemployed
• Need to belong to a group or community
• Receive professional experience or training
• Relieve boredom and monotony
• Repay what they have received

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Why Dont People Volunteer?

• Doesnt know how to become involved
• Lack of extra time
• Unwilling to make year-round commitment
• Hadnt been personally asked
• Gave money instead of time
• Dont BELIEVE they have the time
• No interest in volunteering
• Already made a contribution in volunteering
• Financial costs associated with volunteering

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Identify Who is your target?

• Targeted recruitment approach
• Be innovative, creative a flexible in
  recruitment methods
• Match the right person to the right position
• Support volunteers with infrastructure for
  training
• Break down the work differently
• Ask for a (short) term commitment up front
• Offer the volunteer new ways of being involved
• Make it easy for people to say yes
• If we invite them to come in for one event, they
  will continue
• If they see that they can?

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Finding Volunteers

• Start close to home people who already believe
  in your cause. 6 Degrees of Separation!
• People who need skills experience to improve
  job skills, practicum's, etc
• Connect with faith communities
• Youth volunteers
• New Canadians
• Diversity Inclusion people with challenges
• Employees, whole companies
• Invite Folks Out!

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Other Strategies That Work

• Ask people to join
• Give somebody who is already in your group more
  training
• - more confidence they will take on more duties
• Word of mouth by satisfied volunteers
• Start within your own group
• are there people who would benefit from doing
  more?

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Volunteer Recruitment Support

• Volunteer Opportunities promoted by____________
• Volunteer Sudbury office
• Website ________________
• Information fairs public events, local media.
• In partnership with
• non-profit agencies
• individuals
• educational institutions
• health organizations,
• businesses

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Trends - Not For ProfitHuman Resource

• Shift in role of staff and role of volunteer
• Harder to attract and retain staff specially
  dedicated to not for profit sector
• Increase in Drive By volunteering (episodic)
• Decrease in traditional volunteers
• More informal or spontaneous volunteering
• More big picture volunteering environment
• Focus on immediate results vs. ongoing,
  sustainable activity

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Trends cont

• Increase in mandatory volunteering
• Increase in event volunteering
• Shift to targeted recruitment of Board
• Members
• Reduction in government funding
• Interest in volunteer opportunities for
• people with special needs

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Think of Volunteers As Customers

• Use a customer service approach to volunteers
• Satisfied volunteers unhappy people tell 9
  people happy people tell 3

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Organizational Climate

• Trust
• Make people feel welcome
• Volunteers feel supported
• There is a process for resolving conflict
• New ideas are welcome
• Want to feel comfortable
• Lack of tension/politics/infighting
• Sense of teamwork
• Open communication

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Recruitment Methods That Work

• Feed them
• Give and take benefits of service
• Bring a buddy night. Sponsorship of new members
  (offer free drink or meal)
• Shuttle service to brings friends to events

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How can you reach them?

• Strategies
• Have a job description
• Contact 8 - 10 times to move a person to action
• Public Service Announcements use the media for
  stories
• Image we are a good organization great place
  to volunteer
• Everyone in your organization knows what you are
  recruiting for
• Make contact with high schools (posters or
  morning announcements)
• Articles in community newsletters and on websites
• Welcome Wagon
• Satisfied volunteers

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5 Principals of EngagementSee People as
Citizens

• Pursue Civic Engagements Not Public Input
• Engage People as Citizens not Consumers
• Discover Voices not Just Demographics
• Seek Common Ground, Not Consensus
• Provide Knowledge, not More Information

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Target Recruitment Steps

• Targeted recruitment approach
• We need to be innovative, creative and flexible
  in our recruitment methods
• Match the right person to the right position
• Support volunteers with infrastructure for
  training
• Break down the work differently
• Have co-chairs to attract reluctant executive
  members
• Ask for a (short) term commitment up front
• Offering the volunteer new ways of being involved
  
• Make it easy for people to say yes
• If we invite them to come in for one event, they
  will continue if they see that they can

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More Recruitment Tips

• Write clear, comprehensive job descriptions
• Be honest about the position
• Use the targeted versus warm body approach
• Appeal to motivations and describe benefits
• Show impact of volunteer participation
• Tie into existing marketing practices
• Make sure everyone knows what you are looking for
  
• Use technology to recruit

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Retention Strategies

• Monitor staff/volunteer regarding
• Position
• Fit
• Role
• Share the organization long term plan link
  staff/volunteer role to plan
• Build in flexibility
• Become a preferred place to volunteer

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Retention Strategies Cont

• Connected and good management
• Effective coaching and mentoring
• Ethically leadership
• Flexibility
• Recognition and Incentives
• Ongoing performance feedback
• Progressive advancement

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Who Are Your Volunteers?

• Assemble a list of your volunteers and sort by

• Gender
• Age
• Education level
• Labour force status (full time, part time,
  unemployed, retired)

Are there groups that are under-represented in
your volunteer base?
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Do These Seem Familiar?

• The aging of members .no new, younger volunteers
  
• Procedures that reflect only stay-at-home, older
  women's lives, such as daytime meetings or
  reluctance to use e-mail
• Sticking with fundraisers that have outlived
  their popularity
• Recycling officers with no skills in membership
  development
• Get over it!!!!

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Recruitment Exercise

• Select A Specific Volunteer Position
• What qualifications, skills abilities you need?
• Select a specific target group
• What motivates this group?
• What are possible barriers to their involvement?
• Develop key recruitment message based on this
  Criteria
• Qualifications
• Skills
• Abilities

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Set Marketing Goals

• Provide direction for your total marketing effort
• Action Goals You want marketing to produce
  specific, measurable results for your
  organization.
• Image Goals You want to be better known or in
  some way change how you are seen.

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Set Marketing Goals cont

• You might have action goals or image goals or
  both
• Goals should strike a balance between what you
  ideally want to accomplish and what is possible
• Bottom line on marketing goals - furthering the
  organizations mission

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Develop a Marketing Plan

• The new meaning of the word marketing is Relevant
  information delivered to an interested audience
• or TRIBE Marketing
• Decide on necessary steps, who will do what, by
  when and with what resources and support
• Not all marketing plans call for promotion

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Customize What Is Your Message?

• What do we offer volunteers?
• What motive can we appeal to? Volunteers feel
  they have something to give or something to gain.
  
• Social meet other people and get out
• Give back/contribute
• Make connection with professionals (retired)
• Community service compassionate
• Put it on a resume (young people)
• Political aspirations leadership experience
• Public service

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Barriers to Volunteering Hidden Messages in Your
Recruitment

• Keep the language Simple
• Avoid abbreviations, acronyms terminology
• Ask someone outside the inner circle
• to read it to ensure it is easily understood.
• Sometimes "volunteer" is not universally
  welcomed.
• What fits your target audience? Try community
  service, helping out, taking action, making a
  difference.  Volunteer is a (un) pay category,
  not a title.
• Never head a poster Volunteers Wanted."
• Emphasize the title of the assignment itself,
  such as tutors, mentors, cyber deputies,
  Quilters, whatever.

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How To Develop Volunteer Involvement

1. Exhibit image appeal for Volunteers
2. Positive Methods of recruiting volunteers
3. Recruitment and application procedures
4. Induction into volunteering
5. Training for volunteering (A biggie)
6. The ethics and culture of the organization
7. The support and supervision given to volunteers

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Looking for Folk in the Cloud(S)

• Cloud Computing
• Gmail email, Calendars Collaboration tools
• LinkedIN, Open Office
• What is it How can it help
• Often Free
• Which sites will produce results?

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Summary and Wrap-up

• Understanding of Targets
• Where to Look
• How to Recruit
• Clever Ways To Market To Potential Volunteers
• Check out various websites (see list)

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Thanks EveryoneIn Walden !
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Check these out!

• http//learn.linkedin.com/non-profits/
• http//www.google.ca/intl/en/options/
• Cloud Computing
• http//www.iog.ca/boardgovernance/html/quick8.html
  
• Board Quick Check
• http//www.boardbuilders.com/pdfs/WelschExecDir.PD
  F
• Check it out
• http//www.energizeinc.com/prof/class.html
• Check it out
• www.givingandvolunteering.ca/factsheets.asp
• http//volunteer.ca/volunteer/pdf/CodeEng.pd
• The Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement