This article is my ode to David Letterman. Let’s call it the list article.

Where are the top 10 places to find volunteers? I will make it more interesting and give you the top ten most common sources to search for volunteers and 10 that you may not have thought of.

But let’s start with the obvious — these should be the no-brainers:

1. Charityvillage.com. A website specifically focused on the nonprofit sector with a huge database of information on volunteerism…need I say more.
2. Volunteer centres. Depending on your region, volunteer centres are a vast source of volunteers with skills and staff with a willingness to help you find the right people for your needs.
3. Schools. Many students now have a community service requirement in order for graduation and high school or post secondary schools also have great networks for posting volunteer positions; this would include private schools and single program focused schools, for example security and law enforcement.
4. Employee/employer driven volunteer programs. Many companies have employee volunteer programs and support organizations on many levels.
5. Newspapers and mass marketing websites, such as Craigslist, Kijiji, or Get Involved.
6. Career counselling centres and programs. A great resource for engaging those who are looking for employment, newcomer programs, integration programs.
7. Volunteers, donors and others who are connected to you.
8. Sporting clubs and associations. There are thousands of these in every community.
9. Local government offices that have volunteer centres attached to them, chambers of commerce or boards of trade.
10. Volunteer fairs, displays and educational forums.

Don’t forget any and all events that you have for your organization, including asking your internal consumers (staff) to assist. This may be a great opportunity for your health care staff/counsellors to promote volunteerism within your organization.

But now, if you think a little more, you’ll realize there are many more ways to find volunteers. Here are ten less obvious places:

1. Associations within the school systems. Within each university and college there are multiple clubs and associations with specific themes. Many of these are listed in the university directories and are run by students for students. This could include fraternities and sororities. The only catch is the contacts can change annually. Remember as well, that clubs are time sensitive around school schedules.
2. Retirement programs within companies (Bell, Hydro, law firms). This may be an opportunity to have a conversation with human resource departments to discuss opportunities for employees to become engaged with your organization as they transition.
3. Associations of like-minded people (for example, engineers association). Don’t forget your own networks and associations.
4. Course specific college programs that may have a community service component (security guard, fire and safety programs, cooking schools etc…).
5. Social networking sites. Social media is becoming one of the fastest and most extensive networking tools especially for engaging youth and students. Put it out there through your Facebook page or LinkedIn page and see what happens.
6. Suppliers of merchandise or services that you receive.
7. Canadian Almanac and Directory. This publication provides the most comprehensive picture of Canada. It includes sections on Arts and Culture, Associations, Education, Government offices, Hospitals and Health Care Facilities.
8. Networking clubs that link people together on a specific focus (book clubs, art gallery and museum groups).
9. Community websites. More and more websites are popping up with a focus on unique diverse communities and how you can get involved.
10. Home and school associations. School clubs with specific focus may be able to assist in special projects.

It can also be really helpful to just take notice of who and what surrounds you. Walk around your neighborhood: it’s surprising how many of us do not know who is around the corner, on the floor below, and across the street. Strike up a conversation on the elevator one morning and see what happens…take a walk or drive around your community and see what’s there.

I could not resist giving you eleven less obvious choices — it would be easy to keep going, but this is a good start. Once you know what you are looking for in a volunteer, the first point of contact should be the target that is closest to your needs.

And don’t wait until you need volunteers — you can work on building your database every day. It’s helpful to keep a journal of ideas for future reference. I even have a file on my computer where I copy website addresses that I come across and names and ideas that I meet along the way.

Think about sharing volunteers amongst agencies as well. If you have volunteers that are just helping out once a year, why not share resources? Send out opportunities to your entire network of volunteers.

Approach your volunteer recruitment or marketing as a creative activity and one that may involve some degree of trial and error. As you can see, it’s a great brainstorming exercise and there is no one right answer that fits everyone, but the one tried and true approach is to continually engage in conversations with people: if you’re not shy to engage in a two-way conversation, you are on the right path.

Lori Gotlieb is the Manager of Community Engagement for The Arthritis Society, Toronto Region and the founder of Lori Gotlieb Consulting. Lori is an internationally published author and workshop facilitator. Lori can be reached at lori.gotlieb@rogers.com.