 | | Good Neighbor Tool Kit: Leading a Charity Recruiting Volunteers and Keeping Them Happy | | ||
|  Nonprofit Nuts and Bolts The Art of Fundraising Recruiting Volunteers and Keeping Them Happy Marketing and Public Relations Leadership and the Board Good Neighbor Tool Kit Main Page Good Neighbor Home Page | 10 Ways to Find Good Volunteers People are more than twice as likely to volunteer their time if asked to do so than if not asked, according to a survey by Independent Sector. So don’t wait for volunteers to come to you. Find direct and indirect ways to ask for their assistance. Here are 10 starter ideas: 1. Ask current volunteers to recruit new ones. Your volunteers should be your best salespeople, capable of enlisting their friends and neighbors to work hard for your organization. 2. Use your communications as recruitment tools. Be sure to appeal for volunteers through your organization’s newsletter or other publications. And there’s no reason that appeals for funds can’t also contain a reference to your need for volunteers. 3. Turn to your church or religious organization. At the end of a formal service or during other church-related activities, it may be possible for you to make a call for volunteers or to have your religious leader make one. The audience should be in the right frame of mind to consider the greater good. 4. Go to local business clubs and organizations. Organizations such as Rotary and other business and professional groups are prime places to meet individuals committed to the betterment of the community. 5. Make your social clubs earn their dues. Any place from your book club to your golf club can provide fertile grounds for recruiting volunteers. You may be able to make an address, post an announcement, or use a member list for a recruitment mailing. 6. Take advantage of volunteer service organizations. For special needs, don’t forget organizations such as the Executive Service Corps, which can provide highly skilled men and women whose volunteer assistance can replace expensive professional consulting services. 7. Tap into the resources of major local corporations. Most major corporations encourage their employees to become involved in community activities. Ask them to help you recruit some of their best and brightest for your organization. 8. Find smaller local businesses that can lend their support. You can reach a huge audience by displaying a recruitment poster or leaving brochures at a high-traffic grocery, coffee shop, or discount store. 9. Use your local newspapers and alternative media. Try to convince your local newspaper to write an article about your need for volunteer support or run a small ad for free. In many areas alternative newspapers offer announcement services without charge. 10. Don’t forget the increasing power of the Internet. If your organization has its own Web page, an appeal for volunteer support should be part of it. Or turn to one or more of the national Internet services that match organizations with volunteers: www.servenet.org and www.volunteermatch.org are just two of them. 12 Ways to Retain Volunteers > | |