While the needs of organizations will differ, the basic steps involved in volunteer recruitment remain essentially the same. Organization must be sure to: identify volunteer and agency needs; create clear volunteer job descriptions; define target volunteer groups; develop a timeline; brainstorm and implement recruitment ideas; and practice on-going marketing and recruitment.

Identifying Needs

Volunteer tasks/jobs should be meaningful to the agency, and the volunteer. That is, agencies must determine exactly what needs to be done before recruiting volunteers, rather than recruiting first and then scrambling to find jobs. While volunteers may be required to perform relatively repetitive (and less exciting) tasks (i.e. photocopying, filing), agencies should also offer more challenging and interesting work.

For example, a volunteer at a crisis centre works reception, answering the office phone and doing filing. She becomes comfortable with the job she is doing and wants more challenges. She discusses with the Volunteer Coordinator additional responsibility, such as contacting individuals on the waiting list to see how they are doing, or volunteering occasionally on the Crisis Line. The volunteer appreciates that she is being challenged, and that she is improving and using skills. The agency, in return, has a volunteer who can provide other work that needs to be done.

Agencies which do not offer occasional challenges, or fully utilize the skills of their volunteers, will not maintain volunteers as well as agencies which do. Keep this in mind when developing volunteer programs, and recruitment strategies.

When identifying agency and volunteer needs, there are several questions an organization must ask itself:

• Where are volunteers needed?
• What tasks, specifically, will volunteers be doing? Rank the importance of these tasks.
• What training is needed for these tasks?
• Will the agency be able to facilitate this training?
• What are future considerations/goals for volunteer work?

Creating Job Descriptions

Before recruitment, it is necessary to develop clear volunteer job descriptions. This does not need to be a lengthy task. After all, simple is usually better than complicated! When creating job descriptions, the agency should define:

• General tasks/responsibilities involved with the job
• Time commitment
• Any special skills that are needed/preferred
• Number of volunteers needed
• Anything else that would be useful for a potential volunteer to know

Volunteer job descriptions should be kept with personnel files and/or be part of the agency’s policies (as with paid job descriptions). They should be reviewed periodically, and changed when necessary.

Defining Target Volunteer Groups

Whether done consciously or subconsciously, agencies/ volunteer coordinators tend to have a ‘vision’ of the people volunteering for the organization. For instance, a seniors home may envision youthful volunteers to interact with residents. A womens’ crisis centre may envision women who have experienced violence in the past to connect with women currently using services.

Defining target volunteer groups allows an agency to market and recruit volunteers more effectively and efficiently. Organizations using volunteers are in a competitive market. They will often fare better when they target their marketing and recruitment in chosen areas (i.e. in high schools, seniors centers). Even if an organization wants a diverse volunteer network, it should keep in mind where it is advertising, and to whom the advertisements are targeted.

These are but a few examples of the myriad of places and ways to advertise one’s organization. If an agency is looking for a diverse volunteer population, it is a good idea to incorporate all of the above ‘target groups’ (i.e. multicultural centers, colleges, seniors centers, etc.). It is a real achievement for an agency to have volunteers representative of the community it serves!

Developing a Timeline

You want to get your volunteer program moving. You want to start as soon as possible. You envision beginning training/orientation next week. Your volunteer program will be running in full force next month! As exciting as it is to do things ‘spur of the moment’, recruitment and marketing takes time. Don’t rush yourself and your program, and don’t rush potential volunteers. Most importantly, do not set yourself up for failure by planning spur of the moment events.

Promotion of ‘events’, such as training, orientation, etc., should begin at least six weeks before the actual event (not including the time it takes to create job descriptions, etc.). Six weeks will give you enough time to put up posters, hand out brochures, contact the media, and do all of the other things you planned to do. Naturally, the more time you have to prepare and promote, the more successful you will be. If you can plan three months in advance, do it! It will reduce the pressure of a tight deadline, and will allow more opportunities for getting your message out. Time lines may not be as appropriate for on-going promotion. In this case, a simple list of goals or ‘tasks’ may be more helpful.

Time lines will differ greatly, depending on the extensiveness of the orientation, the number of time allotted each week for promotion, the number of times training/orientation is run each year, and how familiar one is with promotion. Time lines should be flexible; new ideas will pop up, and some seemingly good ideas just won’t work. Don’t be afraid to add items- the more you promote, the better you will become at it!

Brainstorming and Implementing Recruitment Ideas

There are many ways to market volunteer positions. Some agencies create volunteer brochures, business cards and posters. Some create media releases to fax to local media and applicable organizations or centers. Others enter volunteer fairs, write letters to the editors and/or work with local volunteer organizations.

There is no single ‘right way’ to recruit volunteers. However, when possible, it is best to utilize a variety of means because the more people see or hear of something, the more likely they are going to remember it, and perhaps want to get involved! This is a fundamental advertisement strategy. However, unlike many businesses and corporations, nonprofit organizations usually have a small advertising budget, if they have one at all.

Low cost and no cost advertising is possible if one is prepared for a little work (the good news is that it gets easier the more you do it!). Most communities have places for organizations to advertise for free. Each agency will have different recruitment and marketing ideas and abilities. Finally, don’t forget networking. It plays an important role in advertising one’s agency.

Excerpt from “Volunteer Synchronicity”. To order this 400+ page manual please call (250) 762 2355 or e-mail the Kelowna Women’s Resource Centre at kelwomenscentre@telus.net.