Hello, and welcome to Innovative
Volunteer Recruitment.
I'm Andy King
with the VISTA Training Unit,
and I'll be the host
for today's session.
We have a few other team
members supporting us today.
I'm joined by Jess Knight
and Endi Clark
at Education Northwest,
and they'll be helping me to
monitor the Q&A and Chat panels
to make sure that we can
answer your questions
during today's session.
And our producer today is 
Sam Graziani
at JBS.
We have three speakers today,
Erin Barnhardt,
Salome Clark,
and Rob Hemphill
and Rob Hemphill
After an overview
of the session,
I'm going to be doing
some further introductions.
Now let's take a look
at what we hope you'll
gain from this webinar.
By the end of the session
we hope that you'll be able
to apply the foundational
practices
for effective
volunteer recruitment
in your own
volunteer recruitment efforts.
We hope you'll discovery
some emerging trends
in volunteering
that have implications
for volunteer recruitment
and outreach.
And finally,
we hope you'll be able
to determine which audiences
and which outreach
method are most appropriate
for your specific
volunteer position.
And in terms of today's agenda,
we'll start with a review
of the fundamentals of effective
volunteer recruitment
that you learned
at pre-service orientation.
Then we'll hear
from a current VISTA member
on how she has been applying
these practices
in her VISTA project.
We'll then look at some emerging
trends in volunteer recruitment.
And we'll hear from a recent
VISTA alum about which volunteer
recruitment practices have
been effective
for various programs
that he has worked with.
Then we'll give you a chance
to practice applying some of
the concepts that you've just
learned about innovative
volunteer recruitment.
We'll share some next steps and
additional resources, and then
we'll get to your questions.
And now it's my pleasure
to introduce our lead presenter
for today's session.
Dr. Eric Barnhart is
a nationally-known expert
in the field
of volunteer management.
She's the Founder and President
of Effective Altruism, LLC,
as well as Director
of Operations
of the American Gap Association.
She serves on the Board
of Directors
for the Building
Bridges Coalition,
on the Oregon Committee
on Volunteerism,
and as an online instructor
for the Volunteer Mobilization
Force of the VISTA Blend.
Erin is also an adjunct
Professor at the University
of Oregon and at Concordia
University Portland.
And if all that weren't enough,
Eric served
as an AmeriCorps member
with the National
Civilian Community Corps.
Erin?
Hi, Andy, thank you so much.
And hello to everyone
on the call.
Very happy to be here.
This topic is near
and dear to my heart,
so I'm very excited
to be presenting today.
Before we get started,
though,
I'd like to ask a quick question
of everyone on the call,
specifically,
how much experience
do you have
recruiting volunteers?
You'll see that question pop up
on your screen,
and there's a poll there,
you'll have about a minute
to respond,
and you'll see that there's
four options for an answer.
You have a lot of experience
recruiting volunteers.
You have some experience.
You might have a little
experience.
And you might
have no experience at all.
Now all four of these,
you are going to be able
to find something to take away
from today's webinar.
If you have a lot of experience,
then hopefully you'll be able
to identify a few new ways
that you haven't used before.
If you have some or a little,
chances are there are
going to be quite
a few things on the call today
that could be really useful
for you in your work.
And if you're brand new to this,
we're going to go over a little
bit of the fundamentals
to give you a quick reminder of
what you learned in your PSO,
and then get you ready
to do some innovative volunteer
recruitment out in the field.
So I'm looking forward
to seeing those responses
when they come up,
but I'm also excited today just
to talk about what we mean
by innovative
volunteer recruitment,
thinking of new ways in which we
can talk to our audience,
reach out to find the people
who might be the best fit
for our particular
volunteer roles,
and use some innovative tools.
So here we go.
We've got our results in,
and it looks by far the biggest
group is some experience.
We also have quite a few folks
with a little experience,
quite a few with none,
and the smallest
group is the folks
with a lot of experience.
Now if only we
had names attached
to that so that everybody
could shoot them a quick email
when they have questions,
but until then,
we're going to see how we do
on the call today,
and we'll cover quite
a bit of information for you.
So, let's talk about successful
volunteer programs.
Now before we talk
about those innovative methods,
it is important to touch briefly
on the foundations of effective
volunteer management.
As you'll remember
from your PSO,
there are six steps to
a successful volunteer program.
There is planning,
outreach and recruitment,
screening and matching,
training and support,
monitoring and evaluation,
and sustaining.
You might remember an activity
where you worked with a group
to organize all of the steps
in volunteer program management
into this framework.
And today's webinar,
we're going to focus especially
on that second element
of outreach and recruitment.
A quick note that you do
need to be sure
that you have your foundational
volunteer recruitment documents
and policies in place
before you begin outreach.
This includes such things
as having an application form.
A plan for management
your applications,
following up
with your applicants.
Policies
for how to assess the fit
of a potential volunteer
including how to say yes
or no to an applicant.
And then, again,
this is in addition
to having systems in place
for interviewing applicants,
screening and matching, training
and orientation, and etc.
So we're going to look
at outreach and recruitment.
Again you might recall from PSO
that within this area
of outreach and recruitment
there were several tasks.
There was identifying
specific volunteer needs.
What skills, abilities
and background experiences
are you seeking in volunteers?
There's developing volunteer
task descriptions
that spell
out the qualifications,
activities, benefits,
time commitment,
and other expectations.
There's developing
a targeted recruitment plan.
Where are the people with
the qualities you're seeking?
Where can I find them?
There's developing a plan
for marketing the program.
And then there's the actual act
of marketing
your volunteer opportunities.
Putting them in places
where you'll find
your target volunteers.
I presented a webinar last year
on creating volunteer
position descriptions
that appeal and engage,
which touches on those first
two bullet points.
And before you get to the
outreach and recruitment phase,
you'll want to be sure
you've identified
what you need volunteers to do
and have those written clear
and specific
position descriptions.
If you want to check out
that webinar,
you'll find it
on the VISTA Campus.
In today's, though,
we're going to focus
on the last three bullets
and talk about some new ways
to reach your intended audience.
But before we dive
into those trends,
let's briefly go
over some of the fundamentals
of volunteer recruitment.
First, it's important to always
consider the requirements
of the position before you begin
the recruitment process.
For example,
what knowledge
or skills or experience is
required of the ideal candidate?
What time commitment are you
requesting?
What interests and motivations
might they have that best
align with this position?
There's also a couple of key
questions you'll want to ask.
Let's imagine
you're looking for someone
to help us with our social media
and marketing.
First of all,
what audiences might be the best
potential fit for this position?
Chances are you're going
to identify several
potential audiences
(inaudible) could fit well.
College students.
Professionals with marketing
or social media experience
who are either looking
for work or who might
want to practice their skills
in a different environment.
Retirees
with a marketing background.
Brainstorm the kinds of audience
you want to reach out to
for your specific position.
And then think about where you
can find these audiences.
If you're seeking
to connect with retired seniors
of marketing experience,
what locations
might you seek out?
How about college students?
Consider the many
ways someone might connect
with your organization's needs
and want to help,
and then think about where you
might find them.
The next thing you're going to
want to look at is how you might
best communicate
with your audience.
What method should you use
for your recruitment?
Is it going to be online?
In person?
Are you going to use flyers
or handouts?
Remember to keep you
targeted audience in mind.
Where are they going to see it?
What methods are likely
going to connect
with them in the community?
If I'm seeking to connect
with college students,
I might go straight to the local
university's
marketing department
and ask if they can send out
a targeted email message for me.
Or, if I can come
into a few classes
and introduce myself and the
position to them in the room.
I might also want to post it in
the University volunteer center
or the career center.
Lastly you'll want to consider
the kind of tone you'll use.
Will it be serious?
Lighthearted?
Professional?
Humorous?
You can share the same position
in very different ways
that will appeal to very
different audiences.
If I want to appeal
to professionals
with marketing experience,
I'm likely going to use a more
serious, professional tone.
Alternatively,
if I'm posting a position that's
all about having fun,
I'm likely going to use
a very different style,
something much more informal
and lighthearted.
Now we posted a question
for you to answer while you
waited for the webinar to start,
and I had you think about
a volunteer recruitment post
that appealed to you and then
share what made it memorable.
And I saw some great comments
up there of, you know,
the ones that really caught
my eye were the ones that said
that there was a unique way
for me to contribute.
I saw someone say,
hey,
when there's free stuff,
I'm interested.
You never know what's going
to appeal to your audience,
but every one of us
probably have an example
of a volunteer position
that caught our eye.
So think about that,
and seek to do the same
in our own posts,
again, keeping in mind
who your audience is,
where you're going to be
posting your message,
and how you're going
to be getting to them.
I want to share two
examples with you.
This first one is
a position description using
a serious tone.
One of three children go hungry
in Douglas County.
You can help change this.
This starts off
on a very serious note.
It provides a statistic.
Grabs your attention right away
to talk about the problem.
And then it immediately
seeks to engage them.
The tone is pretty
straightforward.
You don't see a lot
of adjectives.
You see pretty
straightforward discussion.
Help families make
healthy choices get access
to the food they need.
Shifts are flexible.
Benefits are to get to know
fellow community members learn
more about nutrition
and food systems.
And it ends
with the appeal to ask
and where to go
for more information.
Again, very straightforward,
very serious tone.
Now let's look at it
with a lighter tone.
This time my target audience is
going to be people
who love food, or foodies.
Are you the type of person
who dreams about pancakes?
Is lunch your
favorite time of day?
We need local foodies to help us
sort food and line menus
at the Food Bank
of Douglas County.
We use a few more
adjectives in here.
We have delicious
and dream-inspiring foods.
Shifts are flexible,
and benefits include getting
to know fellow food lovers,
learning more about nutrition
and food systems.
Bring your passion
for all things culinary.
This is the exact same position
that I advertised before,
but I'm using a different
tone based on my audience.
So these are the kinds of things
you want to keep in mind.
Who are you trying to talk to?
There's a common refrain
in the marketing world
that says if you try
to talk to everyone,
you'll end up talking to no one.
So when we do this,
we want to think
who are our audiences
and how do we best talk to them.
So now let's talk about a few
good rules of thumb.
First, every time you post
a recruitment message,
be sure you're attempting
to speak
to that specific audience
with language,
media and location specific
to them.
If I want to talk
to college students,
think about how I'm going
to appeal to college students.
If I want to talk to seniors
with a marketing background,
think about how I'm
going to talk to them.
Do this for every potential
audience,
and there probably will
be several for any given role.
Don't post the exact
same message everywhere.
Instead, customize it
or translate
it for different audiences,
locations,
(inaudible) and the way
that you're posting it.
This doesn't mean
that you have to rewrite
it entirely every time,
but you did need to mix it up
just a little bit so it
doesn't look like the exact
same message everywhere.
The reason for not doing
that is you may end up
within ineffective message
if it looks the exact
same in many different places.
Something that translates
really well to social media
may not look great on a flyer.
And something you've posted
on an email
may not look good on a handout.
Also, if people are seeing
your one exact position
with the same
description posted everywhere,
they may think that's the only
thing you have available,
and you want them, of course,
to know that there are many
different ways they
can get involved.
Third, remember
that your position description
and your recruitment message are
different tools,
with different goals,
tones and structures.
Your position description
provides the complete
picture of the position,
from potential tasks
and activities,
to qualifications,
to time requirements.
The tone is straightforward,
almost never first person.
And the structure uses lots
of headings and bullet points
over the course of one
to two pages.
Alternatively, a recruitment
message should be really brief,
one to two paragraphs.
It should be compelling,
and it should speak directly
to the potential audience.
They should be reading it as
though you are speaking to them.
And then finally it's
a really good idea
to evaluate your success
and your not-so successes as you
engage in volunteer recruitment.
Did you get a lot of inquiries
from one message
but none from the other?
Spend some time assessing
the differences between the two.
Maybe you used a humorous tone
in one while the other
was more serious.
Maybe it was where you
posted it.
One was on social media
and the other
was on flyers distributed
at local grocery stores.
Pay attention
to where you've had success,
and then seek to repeat
those achievements elsewhere.
So keep in mind
these various rules of thumb,
because we're going to come back
to these later in the session.
And now we're going to hear
from our first guest speaker,
Salome Clark.
Salome Clark currently serves
as an AmeriCorps VISTA member
at Habitat for Humanity
of Denton County, Texas.
You may be familiar
with Habitat for Humanity,
an international
nonprofit organization
that focuses on eliminating
poverty and homelessness
by providing low
to moderate-income families
a hand
up towards home ownership.
Salome has been working
on developing
a comprehensive volunteer
program at her service site,
and has some insights
to share based on her
own experiences so far.
Salome?
Thank you, Andy.
I'm glad to share my experiences
with you today.
I serve
as the Volunteer Coordinator
here at the Denton affiliate
of Habitat for Humanity.
I've been working here
since August of 2014,
and my term of service will
end in less than a month.
My VAD consists of developing
a volunteer program
and standard
operating procedures,
SOP, manual
for the administrative office.
To date I have recruited
about 158 volunteers
that help with office tasks,
special events, various aspects
of store operations
at our ReStore (inaudible)
construction labor
that Habitat is widely
known for.
Most people are only familiar
with the actual home building.
I have to get really creative
when thinking
about how to find volunteers
to fill positions that require
specific personality traits,
skill sets and time commitments.
I have had
success posting positions
on online volunteer databases
like VolunteerMatch.
And this is great for finding,
but once you're
at specific skills,
you can add key words
for the skills,
experience
and personality traits
that you'd like the ideal
volunteers to have.
You're more likely
to get inquiries
from those individuals who have
those particular traits.
I was looking for volunteers
to serve as crew leaders
on the constructions sites.
Crew leaders have to be skilled
in at least one area
of construction listed
on the volunteer application,
cabinetry, flooring,
sheetrock, etc.
They must attend
a crew leader training
with the construction manager
and be available
to train unskilled individuals.
Crew leaders should also be
comfortable supervising others.
VolunteerMatch recommended
that I used
a fun volunteer position title,
so I have
the position listed as,
Have construction experience?
Lead a team of volunteers.
I continued with the fun
and laid-back theme
for the actual
volunteer description.
This is a screenshot
of the position.
It reads: Do you enjoy
working with your hands?
Supervising others?
Do you have experience
with home construction?
Be a leader
at a construction site.
We need you to help supervise
our volunteer groups
and show them the ropes.
Busy on weekends?
No problem.
Work during the week
with our core construction team
and help move the house along
and build life-long friendships.
Under the skills select section
on VolunteerMatch,
I made sure to mention that I
was looking for volunteers
that had experience
with home renovation,
building, architecture
and
(audio break).
Other ways I have reached
potential volunteers was through
(audio break).
Most colleges and
universities have a department
whose sole purpose is
to connect university students
with volunteer opportunities.
They specifically send out
a newsletter every so often
to alert students
about local volunteer happenings
in the area.
Sometimes these alerts are
weekly, biweekly or monthly.
I send volunteer postings out to
them as often as they come up,
but mainly general labor
for Saturday builds
or the ReStore since the hours
there are more flexible to
accommodate student schedules.
College students also tend
to volunteer as part of a group.
Here is an example
of the language I use
in the service department ad.
Come build with us.
Habitat for Humanity
of Denton County is seeking
(audio break)
at our build site
on the following Saturdays.
I also mention we
have two shifts available,
8:00 a.m. to 2:00,
or 1:00 to
(audio break).
Ask for 30 volunteers
for each shift and lunch
will be provided between shifts.
I made sure
to include specific dates
and time commitment
and that lunch
will be provided since college
students are always hungry.
Our local newspaper has
a section called
The Community Corner
where you can post a short blurb
about community events.
It's free for nonprofits
to post things.
I use this method mainly
to spread awareness
about our organization.
Most people are familiar
with Habitat for Humanity,
and we did receive some calls
from interested volunteers.
And on the right-hand section
of the screen you can
see an example
of the language that I used
in the local newspaper ad.
Do you enjoy working with
your hands? Supervising others?
Do you have experience
with home construction?
Come out and lead
at a construction site.
The following volunteer
positions are available
on the Habitat
construction team.
And I've got House Leader,
Crew Leader,
Family Services Liaison,
and Meal/Snack Provider.
A third way I have reached out
to volunteers is
through internships
and targeting specific
school departments.
The University of North Texas,
a local university,
has a technical
communication department.
One of the tasks
in my VAD was to create
a standard
operating procedure manual
for each position in the office.
I made a dent in the SOP
for my particular position,
but doing one
for the entire office proved
to be a daunting task.
I met an alum of
the technical writing program
at a networking event,
and he recommended that I
reach out to the Director
of Technical
Communications at UNT.
This Director has worked
with Habitat for Humanity
of North (inaudible) County on
consolidating task instructions
in parts of an SOP manual.
Each semester
her students partner
with a nonprofit or business
so that her students
can get experience working
with a real life client.
I showed her what I have so far,
and she plans to turn it
into a project for her students
to work on for the next
couple of semesters.
That's all I have for today.
Back to you, Erin.
Thank you so much,
Salome.
Those are great
examples and tips.
I really appreciate you
sharing them.
We're going to turn now
and discuss some emerging trends
in volunteer recruitment,
and the first few relate
to volunteer characteristics
or specifically your audience.
The first of these is skill
specific service.
Increasingly savvy
volunteers are seeking to use
their existing skill sets
in their volunteer service.
Where volunteers in the past
might have been more willing
to just pitch
in wherever they were needed,
today's volunteers
increasingly want
to engage their specific talents
to help the organization move
towards its mission.
Now the challenging news
here is that it can
sometimes be a bit difficult
to match those specific
volunteer skills
with what
your organization needs.
The benefit, though,
is that when this match is made,
it is more likely to result in
a positive volunteer experience,
and research has shown,
often greater
volunteer retention.
In terms of recruitment,
this means that
volunteer managers
need to highlight opportunities
for skill development
as well as emphasize
the skills needed
for a particular position.
Then target your audiences
with specificity
so that you can find these folks
who have the skills you're
looking for.
Part of our role is also to help
volunteers consider how they can
use their skills in new ways.
Are they an accountant
during the day?
How might they use those same
skills in a nonprofit context?
Maybe they can help
the board with budgeting,
or assist with an event
by providing guidance
with the financial planning.
If they're a terrific sales
person in their day-to-day,
how might they use their skills
of persuasion to craft
compelling outreach messages?
Or help
inspire fundraising appeals?
Help them see how they can
translate their existing skills
to meet the needs
of the organization.
A second trend is around
entrepreneurial or DIY service.
DIY, or Do It Yourself,
culture is exceedingly popular,
and it shows in modern
volunteer engagement.
More and more people are coming
to our organizations
with their own ideas of
what they'd like to do.
Now these may
or may not always fit
with what
the organization needs,
so organizations need
to be smart
about how they engage
these entrepreneurial folks.
Can you engage them in the role
or project they have in mind?
Assess their idea and see
if it might be a good fit.
If it's not
a good fit right now,
negotiate with the volunteer
to see if you can find
a complementary role.
Build trust
in the relationship with them.
And this can potentially
lead to their project being
implemented down the road.
Or if a project is simply
not a good fit
for what your organization does,
perhaps something equally
entrepreneurial but more in line
with what the organization needs
can be designed.
How do you recruit
or engage these folks?
Sometimes it's
about using broad language.
Instead of saying,
we need someone to do X, Y,
Z, you might say, how would you
solve hunger in our community,
inviting them
to pitch their ideas.
Other times it's about how you
frame the recruitment message.
You market a specific position
but make it clear you are
looking for someone
who will partner with you
to help the position grow
and change as needed to meet
the needs of the organization.
Either way you're inviting them
in as a partner in change,
something that's very appealing
to entrepreneurial volunteers.
And that third trend is
volunteers seeking employment.
There is strong evidence
that volunteer engagement
can improve the chances
of gaining paid employment,
especially for individuals
with high school diplomas
or in rural areas.
However, this doesn't
mean that they are
necessarily finding jobs
with your organization
or the specific one
where they volunteer.
Instead, volunteering
often serves as a gap-filler
in their resume,
providing them
with an opportunity
to keep their skills sharp
and learn new skills,
all while expanding their
professional network
and staying busy until they find
their next paid opportunity.
The great news here
is that organizations
potentially have access to
diverse talents and skill sets.
The challenge is for us
to find ways
to market
our volunteer opportunities
in a way that speaks to folks
with these specific motivations.
So emphasize the benefits they
can gain from these positions.
Help them see
how volunteering is a great way
to spend their time
while they look for,
and after they've gained,
paid work.
Another potential
challenge is that these folks
might leave as soon as they
find paid work,
so it's up to savvy
volunteer managers to find ways
to keep them connected
and engaged even
after they find the job.
This might mean shifting them
into more of an advisory role,
or it might mean
offering incentives
like letters of recommendation
after they've completed
a certain number of hours.
Let's look
at the second lens now,
Trends In Recruitment Media.
This is the where and the how
of finding our volunteers.
Now social media is at the top
of that list,
and not surprisingly
social media
is an increasingly common place
to find volunteers.
This can be done through direct
recruitment requests,
what I call active recruitment,
or by building your community
of potential volunteers
through your sharing
of stories and news.
I call this passive recruitment.
I'll talk more
about active versus
passive recruitment
on the next slide.
That said, it's important
to remember that whether or not
you use social media
to actively recruit volunteers,
potential future volunteers
will see you on social media
and see how others actively
volunteer with you.
This can be a really
powerful tool
for informing community members
on how they can potentially
get involved with your work.
Now Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Pinterest,
these can all be great places
to find and recruit volunteers.
However, it is, of course,
dependent on your audience.
The first thing to ask is,
is your audience on Facebook?
Do they use Twitter?
Also your message will
need to change to fit
the requirements and tone
of each one of these platforms.
They all have their rules
and specific ways
in which you can use them.
There are also a few differences
between platforms.
Facebook is good for posting
all types of positions.
But Twitter tends
to be more effective
when you're seeking a lot
of volunteers for short-term,
episodic roles,
like a cleanup day.
Social media is also a great way
to amplify the word-of-mouth
aspect of recruitment.
Posting pictures,
sharing results
from volunteer events,
and tagging your volunteers,
with their permission,
of course,
will let
your volunteers' friends
see that they're involved
with your organization
and could encourage them
to do the same.
So this doesn't become a burden,
you can encourage volunteers
to share and post
on social media as well,
and then be sure to Like
and share what they post.
Please note, we're going
to have a webinar
on social media in September,
so if you're interested, keep
an eye out for that session.
And again, we're going to talk
more about this passive style
of recruitment
on the next slide.
And then lastly,
building on what Salome
just talked about,
don't forget
those other online sites
where you can post
your volunteer positions.
Online recruitment websites
like VolunteerMatch,
Idealist.org, dosomething.org,
volunteer.gov,
and your local volunteer centers
can be really highly
effective places
to spread the word
on your roles quickly,
broadly and inexpensively.
The second one
we have on this list
here is outreach
for your existing network.
Sometimes it really
is who you know.
The number one reason
still to this day
why people volunteer is
that someone asked them to.
So find your allies
to help you make the ask.
Increasingly
volunteer managers are
identifying
those existing networks
to help get the word
out to their audiences.
You want to talk
to retired plumbers?
Look for a professional
association.
You want to talk
to students studying marketing?
Connect
with the marketing department
at the local university.
Spreading to the word
to those existing networks
can be very effective,
and it can be a great way
to find and communicate directly
with your audience
where they're already gathering.
Consider also
whether you might be able
to establish
a volunteer sharing relationship
with a fellow organization.
Maybe you have too
many applicants
at a time when they need more.
Or they might get volunteers
with a specific skill set
that they can't engage
but who would be a great fit
for your organization.
Reach out to your colleagues
at peer organizations,
those that do similar
types of work,
and see if you might be able
to establish
a volunteer-sharing relationship
where you both benefit.
And the third one on the list
here is that face-to-face
recruitment.
Now we often talk
about recruitment in terms
of online posts and emails,
and those are very effective.
But don't
underestimate the power
of the face-to-face ask.
Depending on the position
and your target audience,
it can make sense
for you or someone else
in your organization
to participate in public fairs,
give short talks
to classes or civic groups,
or otherwise just be visible,
in person, out in the community.
This is especially true
in smaller and rural communities
where those personal connections
really carry a lot of weight.
And then our third one looking
at here is the messaging.
This is the language
we use when we make our ask.
Now I mentioned before passive
versus recruitment,
specifically
when discussing social media.
The big difference here is that
active recruitment is a specific
ask to fill a specific position.
We need someone to do X.
Alternatively,
passive recruitment is less
about asking and more
about relationship building.
Through such media as Facebook,
Twitter,
newsletters, (inaudible),
etc.,
you're sharing the successes and
stories of your organization,
and often the field at large,
and you're building trust
and a relationship
with your audience.
Instead of asking them
directly to serve,
to volunteer with you,
what you're doing
is priming the pump
so that if and when they
decide they want to volunteer,
they know where to go.
This is passive recruitment.
As part of passive recruitment,
it's important
that you not only post your
active recruitment posts
on sites like social media.
If your organization uses social
media only
to ask for money or volunteers,
it could paint the wrong picture
and turn people away.
You want to make sure you have
a broader social media strategy
that paints a bigger picture
of the organization.
Keep your social
media sites fresh
and share information
that might be of interest
to your audience beyond just
asking them to participate.
Positivity versus negativity.
Now we all know of calls
to action that focus
on the challenges of the world.
These can be very effective.
However, making
the audience sad or mad
can also sometimes backfire,
making them feel like there's
nothing to be done,
or giving them something
called cause or issue fatigue.
So many volunteer managers are
choosing to also
use positive language
that focuses on what can be done
rather than only what is wrong.
Consider your audience
and what kind of framework
might be most effective.
If you work
at an animal shelter,
for example, should you focus
on the number of animals
who suffer in the streets,
or should you focus
on the successful
number of animals adopted.
Both of
these approaches are valid,
and both can be very effective.
It just comes down
to the culture
of your organization,
the type of the position,
and the audience role
you have in mind.
And then let's talk
a little bit here about tone,
humor versus professional again.
We talked about that a little
earlier, but.
Similar to being
either positive or negative,
you might also choose
to use humor and a light tone
to grab someone's attention.
This is especially true
where a position is fun
or lighthearted.
So, for example, if you're
trying to recruit families,
light and humorous may
very well be the way to go.
However, again, if you're
looking to work with someone
who's a professional
in the field,
who has a very
specific skill set,
you may want to adopt more
of a straight laced,
professional tone
that highlights that need.
Again, it really depends on
your position and your audience.
Also, do be careful with humor
that you don't choose a tone
that offends or makes too
light of serious situations.
Instead, try to stay light
and accessible
if you decide to go
the funny route.
One overall comment
before we move on.
Consider how you might be able
to engage current volunteers
in your recruitment efforts.
For example, you might be able
to engage them in the process
of crafting messages,
determining your methods
of outreach,
and delivering the messages
to their networks
and others in the community.
This way your current volunteers
can develop strategies
that will reach other volunteers
like themselves,
with certain skills,
availability,
representing demographics,
etc.,
and they can help
monitor first hand
who they are
recruiting as a result.
Great.
Thank you, Eric,
for all of that information.
Now we're going to hear
from our next guest speaker.
I'd like
to introduce Rob Hemphill.
Rob is a Midwest native who is
now living in Portland, Oregon.
Rob has four years of
experience managing volunteers
in a variety of settings.
Last year he was a VISTA member
in Washington state,
and now he's currently working
as a Program Coordinator
for Volunteers and Outreach
at Community Energy Project
there in Portland.
He's committed to working
with volunteer organizations
to tackle important issues
in his community,
and he also serves on the board
of a local volunteer
managers' professional
development organization,
which is called NOVAA.
So Rob, let's hear from you now.
Hi, everyone.
Thanks so much
for including me on this call.
As Andy said, I've been doing
this work for about four years
now in a lot of different
settings including
working on a political campaign,
working in service
(inaudible) offices,
and now working in a nonprofit.
And one year ago,
well it was about 11 months ago,
I wrapped up my term as a VISTA
working at the service
(inaudible) office
at a community college
in Washington state,
and now I'm enjoying life
in Portland.
As Andy said, one of my roles is
to be the Volunteer Coordinator
at Community Energy Project.
Here the majority
of our volunteers serve in our
In Homes Program where we are
installing weatherization
materials in seniors' homes.
We do this with groups
of about 15 people,
which is the number
that we've found works
really well for us
and for our clients.
And the groups come out
on a mixture of community days,
which are open
to anyone to sign up,
and corporate group days.
For the individuals,
our recruitment is very much
along the lines of
what Salome mentioned
and what Erin's
been mentioning all along.
We post our opportunities
on our office newsletter.
We post to partners in Portland.
We have a great affiliate
called Hands On Portland,
part of our hands-on network,
whose inspiration is
to encourage volunteering,
and they post, really,
thousands of opportunities.
There's a local
resource board called
the Community Nonprofit
Resource Group,
the Synergy,
and they put out
a daily newsletter and post
volunteer and job opportunities.
And I would imagine most
communities have something
like that.
If not, you should start one.
We also post to things
like Craigslist, Craigslist
actually provided one of our
best volunteers we've ever had,
and Idealist.org.
We do a lot of outreach fairs.
We do about 20 a year.
So once every two weeks we're
out talking to people,
and people will sign up
to volunteer there.
And from that I'll
maintain a list
of people who've expressed
an interest in volunteering
so that if I'm ever
really short,
I can call through that list
and reach out to them.
And that's one of my
first tips is make sure
you keep that list of people
to go back to.
One thing that's different
from a lot of these other things
that have been mentioned on the
webinar is that we have a lot
of corporate groups
that volunteer with us.
And for us this is a really
important way
for us to use volunteering
as a way to build a relationship
with a company
and with its employees.
The employees are
an important aspect
because there might be
a corporate matching program
for donations
that we can tap into.
And increasingly corporate
donations are directed
by employees who have had
experience with the nonprofits.
While we work
with these corporate groups,
we make sure
to present our volunteer days
as a teambuilding opportunity
as well as a chance for them
to do good in the community.
We'll promise to do
a blog post with a picture
or several pictures
of their volunteering day
so that they can publicize that,
and it's been a really
effective way
for us to recruit volunteers
as well as to raise money.
While this talk isn't about what
makes a really good experience,
building a really
good volunteer program
is really important
for your recruitment.
There really is no better
recruitment tool
than a volunteer
that had a good experience.
Volunteers are
going to talk about their
experiences to their friends,
and this is the passive
versus active recruitment
that Erin was just
talking about.
People are going to hear about
your organization
through the people
that have already interacted
with your organization.
Think about when they
go out for dinner,
you're going to ask people
what they've heard
about a certain restaurant.
I want to highlight one
example here in Oregon.
The Oregon Food Bank has taken
to encouraging its volunteers,
instead of taking a selfie,
they take a helpie
and post that to social media
while they're volunteering
so that now all of those people
in their network are seeing
about they're volunteering
and they're smiling faces.
I'm fortunate here in Portland
to have joined an organization
that has a really good
volunteering program,
and because people know
about that,
we actually have an issue where
we can't find enough places
for volunteers
to volunteer with us,
and so that's
a really great problem
to have because we know
that people want to be with us.
But that means that we can
think of new innovative ways
for volunteers to be
a part of our program,
and that's a way for volunteers
to help with that recruitment.
They can go to your
outreach events.
In fact, they might even know
the neighborhoods you're doing
outreach in better.
It doesn't have to be
a staff person.
They can also make recruitment
phone calls, too.
I really believe
in direct recruitment
through phone calls
and in person work,
and volunteers can
be a part of that.
Think regardless of what their
role is, it's just important
that the volunteers have
a meaningful role,
and it can be a great way
for you to expand capacity
in your organization.
Lastly I want to make sure
you know that recruitment is
really hard work.
It's not just a small part
of a volunteer event
or opportunity.
People don't just
magically show up.
And you really need
to hit the pavement.
So I want to talk
about a little bit of math,
so apologies to
those that aren't that inclined,
I won't get too deep.
But I worked
on a ballot initiative campaign,
and I ran our Get Out
the Vote effort
in which we hosted 1,500
volunteers over five days.
We knew that when we
made a phone call
we spoke with someone one
out of ten times.
And of those we spoke to,
about one in three would
agree to volunteer.
But, not only that,
of the people
who agreed to volunteer,
only about two of the three
actually showed up.
So, let's work backwards.
We knew if we wanted
50 people to show up,
that we then needed
to have 75 people sign up.
If we wanted 75 people
to sign up,
we needed to speak
to 225 people.
And to speak to 225 people,
we needed to call 2,250 people.
This isn't necessarily
very innovative,
but it's what worked for us.
We figured out this math and we
stuck to it. And just for,
you know, what the context is,
that's about 40 hours of work,
which means that just
to get 50 attendees,
either one person was doing
that full time
or we were splitting it
between (inaudible) volunteers.
So, the point of
this is to say keep track
of what you do.
Figure out what's working.
Figure out these numbers
for your organization.
Maybe one out of five people
answer your phone calls.
Maybe three out of four
people show up.
Regardless, you're going
to be able to figure that out
and actually budget
that time in your schedule.
You can also keep track
of which messages work
better than others.
Whenever we
have a volunteer come in,
we ask about how they
heard of us.
And so that way we figured out
that some methods are more
effective than others.
And just like you're going
to figure out
what to budget for your time,
make sure you actually
budget that time.
If it's going
to take you 20 hours a week
to do recruitment, you need
to make sure you do that.
And I'll throw in one
last plug to not bring
us a new confirmation call
before the event.
That's really going to help me
to the flake rate of people
who sign up but don't show up.
Thank you so much, Rob.
We really appreciate you sharing
what worked for you and some of
the tips and suggestions
that you've identified.
They're going
to be really useful
to help people when they
begin their recruiting.
All right.
So now we've been talking
at you, and now we need you
to talk to us.
We're going to do a bit
of brainstorming together.
So on your screen
you see a volunteer position
called the E-zine Editor.
I've also included your pretty
bland recruitment message.
It's not very specific,
but it's pretty brief.
So we have,
we are seeking someone
to serve as our E-zine Editor.
They'll help us publish one
online zine every other month.
Help us get the word out on our
organization's good works.
So, here's what I want to ask
of you. Using your Chat window,
I want you to first
think who could be
the potential audiences
for a position of this type,
and you'll see that question pop
up in your Chat window now.
So thinking
about an E-zine Editor,
who might be the audience
for this type of position?
Who might be interested in
getting this type of experience
and developing this type
of skill set in your community?
I see journalism student,
college student, high school.
Yeah, I'm seeing lots
of students.
Recently (inaudible)
journalists,
graphic designers,
young professionals.
Communications and PR.
Students who work
on the student paper.
Artists.
Anyone who has a blog.
Absolutely.
Technical writers.
Creative types.
Yeah, I'm seeing quite
a few for students.
Professors, as well.
Absolutely.
Okay, so let's
use college students,
because college students came up
quite a bit.
Now, we're going to again apply
that second lens, which is,
where do you think we'll
find these folks?
We're looking
for college students?
Where are we going
to look for them?
And I see
another opportunity there.
J School, college newspapers,
bars.
Quite possibly.
Coffee shops.
Facebook.
College of English.
The library.
Social media.
(Inaudible) schools
in their classrooms.
Communications departments.
Entertainment events.
The local hangout.
College newspapers.
Campus jobsites.
These are really great lists.
Keep them coming.
Fraternities and sororities.
Absolutely.
There's a civic
service component
for many Greek systems.
Poetry readings?
Why not?
We're looking for people who
have a literary state of mind.
College radio. Retirees with
journalism experience as well.
Absolutely.
Residence life.
Absolutely.
Okay, so let's say
- I saw a lot for going straight
to their department,
so let's say we're going to go
straight to the department.
So we have
an evening editor position.
We're looking
at college students.
And we talk specifically
- we want to go straight to
their department to find them,
let's say it's
the journalism department,
I saw that one quite a bit.
So the next version,
then,
is what kind of medium are we
going to use?
How are we going to talk
to them? We can't just show up
at the department
and sit in the office.
Well, you could.
It would probably be not
very effective, though.
So what kind of medium
should we use to make sure
we get the message to them?
I see flyers.
I see in-class presentations.
I see making some phone calls,
emails, Facebook.
Mail Chimp.
I hope that's a person who
listens to the podcast serial.
College newspapers,
campus newspapers.
The email listserve
for the department.
Absolutely.
Go straight to the staff
of the department,
the secretary of the department.
Social media.
Ask the career services advisor
to send out an email for you.
E-newsletters.
The radio station again.
These are all excellent
suggestions.
And, in fact, one of
those things to keep in mind
is for this activity we're just
choosing one each time,
but all of these would
be really effective.
Career board.
Bulletin board.
Yeah, bulletin boards are
still extremely popular
on college campuses.
Never underestimate the power
of a flyer on a college campus.
So, we've got our audience:
journalism students.
We've got our location:
in their department.
We've got a medium:
let's go with flyers
that we're going to put
on the bulletin boards
in the department.
So now we're going
to think about language.
What kind of language
might you want to use?
Think about your audiences.
What do you think
might motivate them?
What might be appealing?
How might you get
their attention?
Humor.
Fun.
Boost your resume.
Develop your resume.
Light or talking about benefits.
Gaining experience.
Professional development.
Real-life experience.
Use Well designed graphic.
Colorful.
Yeah, if we're using a flyer,
we want it to stand out
among the others. Exciting.
It's good for your resume.
Develop your writing style.
Stress what they're going
to gain from the experience.
Keep it brief.
List the benefits.
I like the use English that says
does this sign bother you?
Meet like-minded people.
Practice your editing.
Spell the benefits for them.
Absolutely.
So we've got students here.
We know they're interested
in this field
and they're looking
to gain experience,
so we're going to use
a humorous or light tone
because we know that appeals
to this particular audience.
But we're also going to really
talk about how to get
their attention
and how they can gain experience
for their profession,
which is why they're in school.
So the last question
that I want to ask you,
and this is a little
bigger of an ask,
so I'm going to have you get
a little creative here,
and I've already seen a couple.
How might you spice up
this recruitment message?
What would you do to it?
Right now it's pretty boring.
It just says we're looking
for a E-zine editor that will
help us publish an online zine
every other month.
What might you add to it
to make it more interesting?
How might you take this message,
and considering our audience,
journalism students,
considering our medium,
a flyer
in the journalism school,
and considering the tone
that you just talked about,
humorous but focusing
on benefits.
Using a hook.
Do you love to write?
Yeah, grab their attention
from the very beginning.
It's always a great idea
to start with a first
sentence that appeals.
Use color. Use graphics.
State what you're looking for.
Play with words.
Make it look like a page
out of the journal.
Very good idea.
Ask them questions.
Use pictures.
Absolutely.
Especially a flyer because you
just don't want it to be
a boring piece of paper
with words on the wall. Be bold.
Talk about the organization's
good works.
Sell the sizzle.
I like that.
Want an e-zine editor,
no experience needed.
Have you ever thought
about becoming an editor?
Think outside the box.
Focus on the benefits.
Bold word statistics.
Mention how this is going
to help them practice
and develop their own skills.
Funny quotes from a movie.
Absolutely.
That would go a long way,
especially if you can
poll a journalism movie.
Again, you're stating
the benefits.
Join the community of XYZ.
Help with XYZ.
Yeah, grab their attention
and let them know
what they are going to gain.
Make literary references.
Shiny paper totally
works every time.
I'm going to keep that in mind,
Lauren, thank you for that.
Quotes from authors.
I see a lot of trends
here with the literary
because we know these are folks
who are readers
and who are writers.
Make it purposefully
boring with a bad design
and then joke about how much
they are needed.
Yeah, that's a great idea. It's
going to grab their attention.
An empty box,
you fill in the blank.
Appropriately use memes.
Absolutely.
Ron Burgundy, you know,
why not?
Yeah, the editor from Network,
I'm mad as hell and not
going to take it anymore.
These are really great.
This is exactly the kind
of process you want to do
with each one of your volunteer
positions is sit down
and just go through each one of
these questions with yourself.
All right, who am I talking to?
How do I want to talk to them?
What form am I going to use?
What medium am I going to use?
What kind of tone?
And then just brainstorm.
See what you want
to come up with.
Now, as we all know, our first
draft may not be our best draft,
and that's where it's good
to check in with peers
and make sure that you've
captured the tone accurately.
But this is a really
fun exercise,
and I'm so glad that you all
participated because it's great
to see what this can
look like just off the cuff.
And what I'm seeing here
are several different
innovative ways to capture
the attention of these students
to let them know
about this awesome opportunity.
So thank you so much
for participating in this.
So we're going to move
on to our summary here.
And feel free to keep using
that Chat window over there
because you never know
if someone on the call
actually is looking
for an e-zine editor
and is looking for your help.
So to summarize
what we've talked about today.
Remember, it's important
to consider your audience,
who am I talking to?
Consider your location,
where am I going to find them?
Consider your media,
how am I going to talk to them?
Is it a flyer?
Is it online?
Is it an email?
And then,
considering your tone.
What sort of tone,
what sort
of approach do I want to take
to capture their attention?
Then recruit using
some of those innovations
in the field that we discussed.
Based on your audience,
think about thinks
like emphasizing the skills,
the ones that they will
gain through the service
as well as the ones that they
already have and can use.
Think about how to appeal
to folks who are entrepreneurial
or into the Do It
Yourself service.
Think about volunteers
seeking employment.
What might motivate them?
How can you make
this appealing to them?
The where and the how.
Consider using social
media as a tool
to post your volunteer stories
as well as to simply share
what's going well
at your organization.
Tap into those existing networks
out there.
Don't have to do the hard
work of finding people
if they're already
gathered somewhere
and you can let them know.
And then don't forget
face-to-face recruitment.
That's still an invaluable way
to get the word out to folks.
And then lastly,
that language and tone,
the passive versus
active recruitment.
Think about ways that you can
actively recruit as well as ways
that you can just
stay on people's radar
so that when they're ready
to volunteer,
they know who to go to.
Positive versus negative.
Both are valid.
Both can be powerful.
You might want to use
both for the exact same post
in two different places.
But think through,
does it make more sense for me
here to talk about what's wrong,
or does it make more sense to
talk about how to make it right?
And consider which one's
going to be the best fit
for what you're seeking to do.
And then lastly, that humor
versus professional tone.
Again, both are really powerful,
it just depends on who
you're trying to talk
to and what you're
asking them to do.
So really consider which one
might be the best fit
for that particular ask.
As far as next steps,
I have a couple homework items
I'd love to have you consider
doing in the next week.
The first one is choose
a volunteer position
that you already have designed
at your organization
and brainstorm answers
to the following questions
like we just did for the one
I put on the screen.
Who is the potential audience?
Where would I find them?
How would I recruit them?
And then what kind of tone
or language would I use?
And then repeat it again with
another current position, or,
where possible, try
designing a brand new one
for which volunteers haven't
already been recruited.
This exercise is going
to give you the chance
to keep these skills sharp
and keep those trends
in mind that we just discussed
so that you can bring them
to the table and say all right,
so if I want to look for folks
with a skill base,
and I'm looking for students,
how might I got through each one
of these questions?
So I highly encourage you
to just practice this for fun.
Keep it in your toolbox.
And then when you're ready
and you need it,
you can just pull it
right back out.
Before we get to questions,
I want to talk very briefly
about a couple of resources
that I frequently turn
to and that I think you'll
also find value in the first
is called Energizeinc,
and it is hosted by a guru
in the field named Susan Ellis.
It's a directory
of pretty much every topic
you could imagine related
to volunteer engagement.
Everything from recruitment,
to social media,
to skilled volunteer roles.
There's even a section
on emerging trends.
And there's free online books,
articles, trainings,
resources there,
so it's well worth exploring,
especially if you have questions
about a specific topic.
The second, and most
definitely not least,
is the on-demand VISTA webinars.
There are several really
great webinars on these topics
that are absolutely
worth checking out.
And as you know,
they're recorded,
so you can go back
and listen to them.
The first one is the one
I mentioned earlier,
Creating Volunteer Positions
That Appeal and Engage.
That's the webinar
that I did a few months ago.
Another one
is Using Social Media
to Recruit Donors
and Volunteers.
I mentioned theirs
a social media
workshop coming up in September,
but this is one where there's
a recording already existing.
So you can see the link
on your screen there,
so you can go straight
to the VISTA webinars
on-demand webinars.
All right.
We're going to get to
your questions in just a moment,
but before we do
we'd like to hear
what you think
about today's session.
On the right side of your screen
you'll find a quick poll
where you can share feedback
about this webinar.
We ask that you take a moment
to answer those questions
so that we can be able
to improve our webinars
and get your ideas and input
into topics for future sessions.
All right.
So Erin and Salome and Rob have
given us a lot to think about,
and now it's time
for your questions.
As I pointed out
at the start of the session,
you can ask a question
by using the Q&A panel,
which is located in the lower
right portion of your screen.
It's just below the Chat window.
And now I'm going to ask Robin,
our operator,
to let us know
how to ask questions by phone.
Robin?
Yes, thank you.
At this time, if you would
like to ask a question,
please press star then one.
You will be prompted to record
your first and last name.
To withdraw your request,
press star two.
Once again, to ask a question,
press star then one now.
Great.
And while we're waiting for
questions to come in by phone,
we're going to start
with some of the ones
that have already come
in through the Q&A and WebEx.
So first up, Amanda asks,
is it better to construct
a general volunteer message
that has I guess several
different volunteer positions
listed or to create a posting
for each individual position
that we're trying to fill?
So Erin, let's start with you,
and then we'll see if Salome and
Rob have any other ideas to add.
Thank you, and that's
a great question,
Amanda, thank you for asking it.
For the most part,
I am an advocate of creating
a new post for each position.
And the reason for that is
that you're probably going to be
speaking to different people
and different audiences
depending on the position.
If I'm looking for someone
to do administrative work
at our front desk,
and I'm looking for someone to
do gardening out in the field,
I'm probably going to be talking
to different audiences.
They may have very
different requirements
as far as how often
they can come in.
They're going
to have different motivations
that's going to lead them
to want to volunteer.
And it just gives you
a lot more flexibility
to say what you want to say,
speak to the right audience,
as well as make clear
to that particular volunteer
that that position is a good
fit for them,
you can go into more detail.
The exception to that rule is
things like big events.
I think sometimes
we have a big one-day event
where you're asking people just
to come in for a couple of hours
on a one-time basis.
You can highlight the event,
highlight what it's all about,
and then say, want
to get involve?
Here are some of the many ways
that you can
participate in the day.
I think that can be very useful,
but otherwise I would always
recommend creating posts
specifically for specific
positions. Great.
And Salome and Rob,
I now both of you have had a lot
of experience with big events
and recruiting lots
of volunteers.
Any additional thoughts
on this question?
I think Erin answered
this really well.
I would just say that I think
there are certain messages
that are going to work
across the board,
and that's going to be your
30-second elevator speech
about what volunteering
at your organization means
and why people
should be thinking about that.
And then you can dive
into the more specifics
about what that position is
going to have.
But being clear, you know,
people are going to want to
volunteer for your organization
because they
believe in something
or they want to do something,
that's going to be
broader and a way
into that deeper conversation.
Great.
Terrific.
Okay, Robin do you have
any questions yet on the phone?
At this time I'm
showing no questions.
Once again, to ask a question,
please press star then one.
Okay, we'll go back
to the questions that have come
in electronically.
Next up, how do you
keep volunteer interest high
if the volunteer opportunity is
not available right now
but it will be in the future?
That's a great question,
Andy.
You know, I think there's
a couple things you can do.
One is to use things
like social media do
that passive recruitment
where you're sharing,
hey, look what we have coming
down the road.
Stay connected to us
if you want to learn more
about it when it's ready.
And just every once
in a while send
out a little teaser message,
this is coming soon,
we'd love to have you
participate with us.
The other way is for those folks
who are chomping at the bit
to get started,
see if you can identify
some complementary ways
for them to get started now.
You can find other roles
where they might be able
to get a sense
of how the organization works,
learn more about becoming
a volunteer.
It might
be something more episodic
so that you're not putting in
a lot of training
for them to do a role
and then having them shift
as soon as the new one opens up.
But it might be, hey,
we don't have this yet,
but we are looking for folks
to help out with serving dinner
on Tuesday nights
from 6:00 to 8:00.
Can you come help us out then
and that way you'll stay
connected with our organization
and you'll know
when the new role opens up.
Those would be my primary ways
of keeping that enthusiasm
high for the new role.
Great.
And Salome or Rob, anything
to add to that response?
This is Rob again.
I have this problem a lot.
A lot of my work now is very
geared towards the winter
when we do weatherizing.
And so what we try
to do in the off season,
so spring and summer,
is to do various
evaluation stuff.
So find ways to keep,
you know,
doing light touches with them.
Hey, can you give us
some feedback about this.
Or is there some experience
you can provide us,
we're updating our programs.
We do volunteer recognition
in the spring and summer
so that they're still,
you know, we're appreciating
them for what they do.
And then I'm actively working
to find new opportunities
to complement our
existing programs
so that they can be moving
into a more year-round open
opportunity.
It's definitely a thing that we
have coming up, but you know,
I think just having
those little ways
for them to stay engaged
will help sustain that.
Great. Thanks, Rob.
All right, next up Lauren asks,
the role of my position
primarily lies in recruiting
foster parents
for refugee adolescents coming
from Central American
and overseas.
What sorts of ways
can I apply these volunteer
recruitment strategies
to recruit for this very
specific population.
So Erin, any thoughts on that?
Yeah, that's a great question.
Because you already have some
folks who are doing this role,
my very first step might be to
reach out to them and say hey,
we're looking for ways
that we can reach out
to fellow future foster parents.
I'd love to hear what
motivated you to get involved.
This is one where the role that
- the reason people are
getting involved,
I'm guessing near the top
of the list is going to be
because they care
about the cause of the mission.
It's probably going to be less
about skill development,
less about personal
and professional development,
and more about I'm
moved by what you do
and I want to get involved.
So I would confirm that you've
got that motivation correct
by just talking
to some of your current
foster parents
and making sure that,
yeah, that's
what they're saying as well.
And then really highlight
that in your messages.
Highlight the impact
of what they can do.
Highlight the success stories.
For example, if one of your
foster parents is willing
to share briefly
what their story is or what
their experience has been like,
you can include
a sentence or two
at the very beginning
that says something like,
Mary says accepting
a foster child
in her home is the best
thing she's ever done.
You can do that, too.
That's off the cuff.
I would word it much
better than that.
But really highlighting
the impact and the power
of this type of position
and where you can share examples
and emphasize that there's
a real sense of community,
that there are others
who do this, you aren't alone,
and it's powerful,
and we need you.
Those are the kinds of things
I would really want to highlight
for something like this.
Great. Thank you.
And then related,
Daniel asks,
what are some good ideas
for creating volunteers
for one-to-one mentoring,
such as Big
Brothers Big Sisters.
And particularly he's
looking for good ways
to recruit male mentors.
So any additional thoughts
for mentoring?
I would say the same thing.
Mentoring is another area
where it's less often
about someone looking
for a particular skill set
that they're looking
to develop and more
about personal experience.
Someone was there
for them and they want
to do the same for someone else,
or they're simply looking
for a way to contribute.
They want to have impact.
They want to make a difference.
So really highlighting that.
Or you can highlight stories.
It gets a little trick
- and in both cases I
should make clear
that don't highlight
the stores of children
without parental permission.
That's always important.
But you can highlight
the experience
of the volunteer and say,
you know, Ben says becoming
a Big Brother was the best thing
he ever did and he's won
the State Championship.
Coming up with some way
to highlight
the impact aspect of this,
that something as simple
as two hours a week
can change the life
of a young person.
You can be those two hours.
I mean finding a way
to highlight the benefit
here that they're going to gain
is that sense of fulfillment
and that ability to create
change for another human being,
which is a really
powerful moment.
So any time you can use stories
to emphasize the larger point
of making an impact,
I think that's where it
really has power.
Terrific.
Robin,
let's check to see if we have
any callers waiting on the line.
Yes, our first question comes
from Joanne Crowlick
(sp).
Your line is open.
Yes, at the location
where I'm at,
I'm to enlist
volunteers for four
of the programs that we have.
And I've created packets with
the information of the programs,
and I've put
a cover letter in there,
and also created a thank you
letter for when I make
- do the contact person
to find out
if I can do a presentation
with a group.
Is this the best route to go?
And it's more geared
toward seniors.
So, I'm sorry, just to clarify.
So the packet
that you've created,
that goes to the teachers?
No, it would go
to a contact person,
say at a senior center
or someplace like that.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Okay, so senior center
- it goes to the contact person
so that they understand
what the program is
- Right.
And then you can
share information,
and is it then you're relying
on them to get the word
out to seniors to get involved?
No, I've asked
to do a presentation
to some of their members
to their different groups
to get volunteers.
And it would be trainers for
the four programs that I have.
I understand.
Sorry about that,
a little confusion.
Yeah, I think that's
a great idea when you're
- it's sort of
a brokered relationship
that you're seeking someone
to allow you entrance to their
classroom or their senior center
or their community so that you
can then make a presentation.
That can be a really nice way
to give them a snapshot
of who you are,
what it is that
you're asking to do.
I love that you've put
a packet together.
For some people, they may
not have the time
to go through a packet,
so it might be worth having sort
of an elevator speech version
as well where in 30 seconds
to a minute you could explain,
in person or by email,
of hey, here's who I am,
here's why I'd like
to come talk to you,
and here's how I
think this could
be a good fit for your members.
You'd really want to emphasize
why it would be a good fit
for them as opposed
to just great for you.
But I think having
a packet put together,
that's definitely an appeal
to a lot of people
because it gives them
all the information
they need to make a decision
about whether it makes sense
for you to come talk to them.
Okay.
Anything else that maybe
I should be doing?
You know, anytime,
especially once you've reached
out to them and shared a packet,
building that relationship
with them is one
that you can sustain.
So it might also be sometimes
when I'm building a new
relationship it's meeting
with that person over coffee
and just saying,
hey, do you have a half hour
where we could meet over coffee
and I can tell you a bit
about what we do
and why we'd love to come talk
to the folks in your community.
Sometimes that personal touch
can really improve your chances
of having the door opened
for you because there's
that honoring of their time
as well as seeking to get
know them and building trust
with them.
So that might be something
- depending on how many
you're reaching out to,
that might be something worth
doing as well.
Okay.
And the presentation
that I've prepared for when I
am able to talk to a group,
I tried to make sure it's no
more than ten minutes.
Is that the best way?
Yes, I agree.
I think that's perfect.
I think keeping it brief,
grabbing their attention,
and then giving them information
on how to follow up,
I think that's a great approach.
Okay, thank you.
And I would just add,
you know,
when you do get
a volunteer from that,
find out what they
liked about it,
what made them volunteer,
and see if you can
keep replicating
that and move in that direction.
Okay, great.
That's a very good suggestion.
Thank you.
And at this time, I'm showing
no additional questions.
Okay, thank you.
All right.
So next up, here's a question.
Rob, I'm going to direct
this to you since you have
some experience in this area.
Peyton says,
what is the best way
to recruit corporate
professionals
on an individual level?
That's a good question.
With some corporate groups,
and so you might
have some insight
from that experience.
Yeah, most of my experience is
working with groups,
and we usually go
through there's usually
like an HR person or something
like that that tends
to organize those kinds
of groups coming
from corporate groups.
But I would just say
that most volunteers,
especially anyone over the age
of 30, 35, is going to have
some corporate connection.
And so just remembering
that a volunteer brings many
skills with them,
that sometimes they're going
to want to apply those things
at their day job in the evening.
Sometimes they're not, but you
can always think about, well,
what are they bringing
with them that we can tap into
and think of unique ways
to apply to our organization.
But for corporate groups,
building the relationships,
it's that building
relationships component,
the networking
that you're going to have to do.
You know, if you have a board
member that might have an in,
that's always a great way,
or someone else
that already knows someone.
Going to events.
We have things like there's
a great combination
of corporate and things here
in Portland called Say, Hey.
This is specifically for young
professionals of color.
And we will go and just talk
with schools, and you know,
you're not always expecting
an immediate return,
but you're looking for when
the stars apply properly
that you can
make something happen.
And Rob, have you seen
any success in getting
individual volunteers coming
out of those corporate groups
that your organization has
engaged?
That that may be a way for if,
for instance,
Peyton's organization doesn't
have any group events,
maybe if they started making
those corporate group volunteer
opportunities available,
it might be a way to then,
you know,
get those corporate individuals
connected with the organization,
familiar
with what they're doing,
and maybe that's a way
to pull them in.
That's a great, great,
you know, yes.
And the volunteers
from corporate groups,
we might ask them if they can
help doing a little bit
of organizing on some sort
of employee giving program.
Or volunteering different ways.
So, yeah, once people come
into your organization,
don't let them leave.
Keep them coming back.
So I always end every volunteer
event with a money ask and a way
for them to stay engaged and
really make sure people sign up
then because I don't
want them walking out the door
without at least having
a chance to stick around.
Great. Good thoughts.
Thank you.
Next question,
with over 30 years
of HR experience,
I've found it difficult
to motivate others
to get out of their shells
and reach out and do things.
What comments or suggestions do
you have to help in this matter,
and I guess that's
around motivating people
to get out of their shells
and do things.
So Erin, let's start with you.
Well, as an introvert who loves
the inside of my shell,
I understand
where they're coming from.
I would say one way is to offer
diversity of opportunities.
For some people, the big group,
gregarious
activity sounds like torture,
and so if you're not getting
a great response to it,
it may very well be
that the opportunities offered
just aren't compelling
to them or just don't fit well
with their own desires.
So offer a mix.
See if you can offer a number of
ways for them to get involved.
Some of them might be ways that
they can work independently.
Some might be ways
that they work as groups.
Some might be ways that,
hey, we need writers,
we need proofreaders,
we need someone who is willing
to, for example,
advisory roles are one of
my favorites where you say hey,
I'm looking for someone to take
a look at our marketing plan
and let us know what you think,
would this appeal to you?
Or, we want someone
to go to our social media,
read through it, and let us know
does this seem compelling?
What might be missing?
Those kind of asks not
only appeal to people
who may not want
to do something more gregarious,
but it's also
a relatively easy ask.
You're not saying,
hey, busy person,
I want you to take on this role
that requires several
hours a week.
It sounds like a one-time thing,
but what it does is it starts
to build that relationship
and connection with them,
and they get a taste of
what it's like to help out,
and then they might think,
well I enjoyed that,
what else could I do.
So I would say think about it
in a couple of ways.
Offer a diversity of hows
- how they can get involved.
A diversity of roles,
group roles, individual,
some things that are quieter,
some things that are louder
depending on their motivations.
And then see if you have
some easy entry opportunities
so that they can get
a taste of volunteering,
and then hopefully it will
inspire them to do more.
Great.
And Salome or Rob,
anything more
that you would add?
All right, hearing none,
Serena says, I'm not currently
recruiting volunteers,
but I'm looking to get guests
to attend a fundraiser.
Would I use a similar
method of recruitment?
Hmm, that's a great question.
Some of it you would.
You're also getting into event
outreach a little bit
because a little bit of it
is simply advertising an event
and trying to capture
people's attention.
I think some of same
principles apply, though,
in that you need to figure out
who you're trying to talk to,
and try as much as you can
to steer away from the idea
of trying to talk to everyone.
You may very well be
trying to talk to everyone,
but everyone still fits
within various buckets that will
make it easier for you to try to
figure out how to talk to them.
So if I want anyone
and everyone to attend my event,
then I'll start
thinking about, okay,
my organization works with,
let's say it's
an animal shelter.
So I want to talk
to animal lovers.
Where will I find animal lovers?
Well, maybe local
pet food stores.
Maybe I'll find them
at other events
where people go
to gather around animals.
Maybe I'll find them
at dog parks.
I might also want
to reach out to people
who live in like particular
neighborhoods,
so I might want to reach out
through local
neighborhood association.
I might want to put up flyers at
the grocery stores in the area,
or community centers.
The same principles apply
in figuring
who you're trying to talk
to and then figuring
out the how and the where,
as well as what kind
of tone do you want to use.
It's just
- it's a different ask, though,
because you're probably
really asking for them only
to give up their time
for one evening,
and their level of commitment
in what you're asking them
to do is much different.
Chances are
you're asking them just
to attend or just
to go and have fun.
It also leads a little bit
into resource development
in that you're doing a bit
of fundraising here.
Chances are your event probably
has an entry fee of some kind,
or you're hoping for them
to do a donation
or something along those lines.
So I would look into fundraising
and into event outreach just
a little bit just to make sure
that the same principles
that apply there are
also present,
but you can certainly use
a number of these practices
to do your recruitment
for an event as well.
Great.
And, of course,
we do have a number of resources
on the VISTA Campus related
to fundraising events,
so you might find those helpful.
Next up, Abby asks,
what are some good ways
to advertise
for a planning-intensive
volunteer position
like troop leader
for the Girl Scouts?
Great question.
So the troop leader position is
a good one
because there are going
to be people who are motivated,
again, by the impact question.
I want to make the difference
in the life of a girl.
There are also
going to be people
who are going to be driven
by seeking leadership skills.
I want
to develop planning skills.
I want
to develop coordination skills.
I want more leadership
experience to put on my resume.
You've got some real opportunity
here to think
through these various audiences
who might be a good fit and
highlight those various lenses.
You want
to develop leadership skills
and make a difference
in the life of a young girl?
Here's how you can do it.
I would really highlight those
personal/professional benefits
on a position like this,
especially because it
is a fairly big ask.
You're asking for a lot
of their time
and a fairly sizable commitment
as far as a length
of commitment.
So make the case for them.
I think one of the mistakes
that often happens in volunteer
recruitment is we as individuals
care about our mission
and so we automatically assume,
well everyone will care about
this. Who's going to say no?
Why would you not want
to volunteer to do this?
What's wrong with you?
And the problem
with that is
everyone has interests
and causes that they care about,
but there's too many of them
for them to step up
and volunteer for all of them,
and sometimes the tipping point
to get them involved
is reminding them,
oh, here's also
what you'll gain from it.
There is nothing wrong
with the volunteer saying what's
in it for me because they can
absolutely gain something
while they give something.
And, in fact,
as we mentioned before,
the best possible scenarios are
the ones where their motivations
and goals are being met
while they're meeting the goals
of the organization.
So highlight
what they can gain from this.
Highlight those personal
and professional
development opportunities
to help make the case to them
that this is a good investment
of your time because
you're going to give back,
you're going to make an impact,
and you're going
to gain something
that's of real value to you.
I would also add
that since it's such a big ask,
you can also work people
into it through a stepladder
type of development.
So maybe the first
step is that they come just
for a single event
and volunteer.
And then you come back
and ask them if they want
to do like an assistant leader
or something like that so
that they're like seeing
the work that's going
to have to be done first,
and they understand
the (inaudible) better,
and then you calmly ask them
into that deeper role.
It takes more time,
and it's hard,
especially on our
year-long VISTA schedule,
but I think that's
how you're going to get someone
who really understands
the commitment they're making
and is really able
to step in fully into that role
because they have been supported
along the way into it.
Yeah, that's a great
suggestion, Rob.
And it definitely builds right
into the capacity-building
aspect of VISTA service
because even if you
haven't filled say all
the leadership positions,
but you've got a half
a dozen people
who are on that stepladder
towards leadership,
then there's some capacity
for the future
that can be developed.
Okay, next up Gina says,
my organization
focuses on the extended
learning time in the classroom.
However, there are many
other similar organizations
in the region who are also
competing for grants,
schools, corporate partners
and volunteers.
What can help my organization
stand apart from all the rest?
So my answer would
be slightly different
depending on if we're talking
about grants
or if we're talking
about corporate partners
or if we're talking
about volunteers.
So I'm going to focus first
on the volunteer aspect.
Specifically I think one thing,
first and foremost,
start with what makes you
different from the others.
You may have a lot
of similarities, but chances
are you have something
that makes you different.
Maybe you use more
technology tools.
Maybe you have a different
time commitment.
Maybe it's the methodology
you use in the classroom that's
different from others.
Figure out what are
your differences,
what makes you unique,
and then really highlight
that because that may very well
- what makes you different
may very well be
what makes you most appealing
to a potential volunteer.
I would also say, if there are
several in your region,
focus on the geography
of it all.
People are often
looking for a place
to get involved
that is near to them,
not only because of the ease of transportation, but also because there's a real sense of ownership and belonging when it is in their geographic region. So highlight what makes you
local to that particular area.
Highlight how you are
a part of the community
and how just around the corner,
just in your own neighborhood,
you can come lend a hand
and make a real difference
for kids in our community.
So those would be my two
primary recommendations
for volunteers in particular
is highlighting the differences,
what makes you unique,
and focusing on the geographic,
how you are part
of that particular community.
Great.
We've got a
- I've also posted
a link in the Chat
that is for a little service
by a group here
in Seattle called (Inaudible)
on Marketing.
It's called a Wordifier.
And it does a search through
a bunch of nonprofits' websites
to find out
what words we're using too much
and what words are unique.
And so just using something
that's a little bit different
is a great way
to have that standing out,
so that's in the Chat, the ((inaudible)onmarketing.com/wordifier.).
Great.
Thanks for that, Rob.
Robin, I just want
to check to see
if we have any questions
on the phone?
We currently have no questions.
Once again, to ask a question,
press star, then one,
and record your name.
Okay, great.
Well, we've got a few more
questions already lined up here,
so we're going to try
to get through as many
of them as we can
in the time we have remaining.
So Erin has a situation.
She's a VISTA, and one of her
major responsibilities
is to recruit for volunteers.
And so the first step
that she's taken is to contact
the department heads
at her organization
to find out if they have a need
for volunteers in their
specific departments.
So far she's having trouble
getting any of them to say yes.
She goes on and, you know,
it's just like how can I
possibly recruit when I
don't have specific
volunteer opportunities.
So, Erin, do you
have any thoughts
about how she can
get department heads
to think creatively about how
they could engage volunteers
to support their work?
I do, yeah.
And first I just want to say,
Erin, you're not alone.
This is really common.
It can come
from a number of places.
Sometimes they've worked
with volunteers in the past
and maybe didn't
have the best response,
so their immediate
reaction is to say,
nope, we're fine here,
no thank you.
Sometimes they're just
so busy and so
tunnel visioned that they can't
think outside of what they are
doing to think
what else could be done.
And sometimes it is literally
just they're not
in an imaginative space,
and when you ask them,
they think yeah, I'm not sure,
nothing right now,
thanks anyway.
What I recommend
for folks who are
doing volunteer engagement is do
this first step for them.
Rather than just going
to them and saying
- well first of
all do it anyway,
it's worth asking
because out of the ten no's,
the eleventh one may be a yes.
But approach it
slightly differently.
Take a look at the various parts
of your organization
and do your own brainstorming.
What do you see that you
think a volunteer
could potentially do?
And when you're thinking
about that,
not only think of the new things
a volunteer can do,
but also what are some of
the potential things a volunteer
could do to take that work
off the plate of a staff person
so the staff person is freed up
to do something else.
One of the things we talk
about with staff-volunteer
relationships is sometimes
staff members feel like well
volunteers get all the fun stuff
and I get stuck with all
the day-to-day stuff.
Now the stuff that is day-to-day
for that staff person could
actually be really exciting
and an awesome
skill development opportunity
for a volunteer working
in partnership with them.
So identify those ways that
a volunteer could do new things
as well as what are
some of the current things
that staff are doing that
volunteers could help leverage.
Does the staff person have
to put out a newsletter
and they hate it
with the passion of 10,000 suns,
and you think, yeah,
you know what,
a volunteer could
help you with that.
You could work collaboratively
with them and then they take
the main responsibility
for moving it forward,
and then that frees you up
to do the things
that you're passionate about.
It creates a sense
of relationship and partnership
with a volunteer
as opposed to competition.
So I would say start yourself.
Do the brainstorming.
You know the organization well.
What do you see that volunteers
could potentially do?
And then go back
to those same folks and say,
I did some brainstorming
and identified a couple
of different things
I think volunteers can do,
what do you think?
If you're still getting no's,
I would ask
some questions and say,
you know, part of my role
here is to see how volunteers
can help out,
I'd love to learn a little bit
more about how volunteers could
potentially work with you,
and see if you can learn
what their objections might be.
Like I said, it could be that
they've worked with volunteers
in the past
and had a bad experience,
in which case you can say,
well,
I'd love to try this new,
I'm in the role of serving
as the coordinator,
I can help facilitate this,
let's see if we can
find a better fit.
And it may very well be that
they've just never considered it
and they're just too busy.
And if you say, hey,
I'm going to be doing
the bulk of the work here
of finding the volunteer
and training and orienting
them and making sure
they're going to be a good fit,
they may feel
a little more relaxed
and a little more into the idea.
So take some initiative here.
Have some fun with it.
Do some brainstorming.
Think about what you
think volunteers could do.
And then go back
to them with suggestions
and you may very
well get more yeses.
And if you're still running
headlong into objections,
you can always also go up
the ladder a little bit and talk
to executive leadership
at your organization,
not to point fingers and say,
hey, they said no,
but rather to talk about it
on a more macro level and say,
I'm not getting
a lot of response
with wanting
to engage volunteers
and I'd love to talk with you
about how we might be able
to change the culture
of that at our organization.
How can we make it
a more positive place
and help people understand
that volunteers
could be really positive for us.
And sometimes executive
leadership can be the ones
who really make
the case and say,
hey folks, this is why
volunteering matters.
We know that we need volunteers,
we know we community support,
and Erin is here
to help us make that happen,
so let's all think of ways
we can connect with volunteers.
So if you're feeling
stuck in the corner,
try the initiative way,
try to come up with ways
on your own,
have the conversations about why
there might be objections,
and if you're still
hitting a wall,
then see if you can
engage executive leadership
to be your partner
in this effort.
All right.
Next up Chazado
(sp)
says, my organization provides
services to clients
that are dealing
with high risk issues,
like domestic violence,
chemical dependency and others.
What are some strategies for
recruiting effective volunteers
for positions that require
an extensive background check?
That's a great question as well,
and extensive background
checks are really common
any time volunteers are
going to be working
with what we call
vulnerable populations.
And that includes children.
That includes homebound seniors.
And that, of course,
includes high-risk situations
like the ones
that you've described.
Again, I think what you're
talking about here is, you know,
highlight the professional,
the personal-professional
development opportunities.
Highlight the fact that they can
make a real difference
for people who are
in a vulnerable spot.
As far as the extensive
background check, honestly,
I would just be very
up front about it.
I would mention it up front that
we trust our volunteers,
we rely on them,
background checks are required.
Make the case
for why they are required.
In order to protect our clients,
we do require background checks.
Make it clear that it isn't
that we don't trust you,
the volunteer, it's that
we're protecting our clients.
And once the volunteer
for your organization
then knows what you do,
should be on board with that.
And if they're objecting
saying no, no, no, no,
you're just trying
to check me out,
then they're not going
to be a good fit.
So typically with things
that may be barriers,
including background checks
and pretty substantial
time commitments,
my rule of
thumb is transparency.
Just state it up front,
but also explain
to them why you need it.
You need it
to protect your clients,
it isn't that you
don't trust them.
This is Salome.
I also have a couple more
suggestions.
I would think that this is
a good opportunity to check out
your local university
or college department.
Perhaps there's someone studying
social work or psychology
or something that's
looking for an internship.
You know, these people are more
likely to be a little bit
more long term if you don't want
to have onesies and twosies
and have to do extensive
background checks on people
who are only going to be there
for one to two sessions.
It would help to find volunteers
who are willing
to stay for the long haul
and give them the incentive such
as college credit
or writing it down on their
resume or something like that.
And also check
out other agencies
that might be
doing something similar.
You could also ask people
on the VISTA Campus, you know,
who else is dealing
with high-risk clients
and see what strategies they're
using as well.
Great.
Thank you, Salome.
And I want to thank everybody
for your questions
and participation today.
We've had a lot
of great discussion here.
But we're reaching
the end of our time,
and before I let everyone go,
I do want to let you know
about our next upcoming webinar.
It's on considering
your career options,
it's coming up August 20th,
and so whether you're just
starting out in your VISTA term
or whether you are
about to wrap up,
it's never too early
to start thinking about career.
This session is going
to introduce some ideas
and strategies that you can
use to engage in career
exploration and development,
both today and in the future.
You'll be getting an email
about it with an invitation
to register.
But you can always
check the Webinars page
under Connect and Learn
on the VISTA Campus to sign up
for this and all other
future webinars.
And we hope
to see you again soon.
And I do want to thank
our presenters today,
Dr. Erin Barnhart,
Salome Clark and Rob Hemphill
for all of their work
and contributions in putting
together today's session.
And then to thank our producer,
Sam Graziani,
as well
as my colleagues Jess Knight
and Endi Clark
for their support today.
Thank you all for joining us.
Thank you everyone.
Thank you Andy,
and thank you for being here.
