Volunteer background checks: New options and programs

In April, the province of Alberta, along with Volunteer Alberta, announced a new initiative: a three-year pilot program to cover the costs of police information checks (PICs) for eligible volunteers in nonprofit and voluntary sector organizations. The subject of volunteer...

Understanding volunteer motivations

I am frequently asked, "How do we motivate our volunteers?" My response is, "You don't." Volunteers bring their own unique motivations to their work. A good volunteer manager learns to identify those motivations and then helps each volunteer achieve a...

A People Lens©: A response to volunteer recruitment challenges

It seems these days that there aren't enough volunteers (including board members) to go around. If you work with volunteers, you are probably nodding your head in agreement. Statistically, studies like the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations confirm...

Career Q&A: Choosing the right volunteers for your organization

I am in the process of establishing a foundation and would like some advice on where to start looking for qualified, experienced board members and volunteers to get things off the ground with the best chance of success. I have...

Shifting views of retirement and the implications for volunteer-involving organizations

Will they or won't they? That is the $64,000 question. As baby boomers edge toward retirement, there is lots of speculation about how they will spend their retirement years. Baby boomers have done many things differently than the generations before...

Governance Q&A: Is it okay for family members to work or volunteer in the same organization?

Is it okay for family members to work or volunteer in the same organization? Recruiting our family members as volunteers has been part of nonprofit life from the start. They are often a wonderful source of time and expertise, willing...

Volunteer recruitment brochures: How to tap into the marketing power of testimonials

When it comes to recruiting new volunteers, it's no secret that your current volunteers can be your most effective salespeople. They have, after all, experienced the benefits of volunteering at your organization first-hand. And when they began, they had the...

Methods of screening potential volunteers

Application Forms Application forms are an easy form of initial screening when recruiting new volunteers. Not only will you learn something about the background of an individual, but you may find out exactly what she is looking for in a...

Marketing and recruiting volunteers

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;...

Tricks-of-the-trade: Revamp your recruitment message

"Eat at Joe's Café - We have food we need to sell!" Sound tempting? I didn't think so. Yet easily 90% of all volunteer recruitment ads read much the same way. Their authors focus on what their organizations need rather...