Recruiting & Keeping Volunteers!

Recruting &
Keeping Volunteers

HERE'S SOME GREAT IDEAS FOR RECRUITINGVOLUNTEERS
What kind of service projects do students enjoy most? In my experience students enjoy projects that are hands-on, with a good deal of interaction with the clients / those being served. Students like to get dirty, sweaty, and work in teams with their friends- or have opportunities to meet new friends. For a guaranteed successful project, answer these ten questions during your planning sessions.

Here's a few ideas:

Flyers
Giveaways (t-shirts, buttons, pens, bumper stickers, etc.)
Tabling
Surveys
Flyers and Leaflets
Phonebank
Events (Fundraisers, Service projects, Volunteer Fairs, Bake/Food Sales)
Class presentations
Word-of-mouth

THREE MAIN RECRUITMENT METHODS

1) TABLING: The Four Golden Rules

You don't need a table.
Tabling is an active, not passive, activity.
Never leave a table unattended.
Make it fun and highly visual.
Other tips on tabling:
Have a quick five second intro to "stop" passing students.
Give them something to take away to read later.
Have students sign-up for something. The act of signing one's names goes a long way to having them make a real commitment.
You are there to activate interested students, not convert uninterested ones.
Have an activity planned within one week of when you table.
Plug-in interested and super motivated students RIGHT AWAY. Don't wait. Have them help you table!

2) PHONEBANKING
Your student activities department probably has some type of freshman orientation. Get plugged into that. Speak at these orientations. Students will probably fill out a "student interest card" of some kind which lists different clubs and organizations on campus with which they can get involved. Make sure your center is on that list. Use those names and phone numbers to recruit volunteers. *Call three to four days to remind students before the event. Never throw away sign-up lists old projects. Create a database or file of volunteers.

The Four Golden Rules of Phonebanking

CONNECT- Tell the student who you are and where they met you.
CONTEXT- Tell them why you are calling, explain your program and how they can get involved.
COMMITMENT- Get them make that commitment to your event or program. Don't be confused- a "Yes" is not a commitment. Use the words, "I'll sign you up."
FOLLOW-UP- Review what they just committed to- specific date, time, place, name of person to see.

3) CLASS PRESENTATIONS
This is one of the most effective forms of recruitment. The faculty allowing you to come in to speak gives you credibility, you have a captive audience, and you have a "qualified" or specialized audience (i.e. if you are recruiting for an environmental project, go to environmental classes). Tips on Making Good Presentations

Be energetic. Information does not inspire! Your vision, energy, and a good project will!
Find a pace which is comfortable for you and isn't too fast or too slow. Keep it under five minutes!
Be open and personable. Smile!
Remind yourself who you are and why you are there.
Tell what you're going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Then tell 'em what you told 'em.
Keep your talk focused! Introduce yourself / Tell the problem / Tell the solutions which you are working on/ Tell them how they can get involved / Pass around a sign-up list / Thank the professor.

14 THINGS TO DO
TO KEEP VOLUNTEERS AROUND

After recruiting volunteers, find or develop opportunities for them to get involved right away.
Have clear goals and expectations of what volunteer will do.
BE FLEXIBLE- have volunteer projects on weekends & weekdays, morning and evenings. This kind of diversity of opportunity will enable students to balance school, work, family, and service!
Make sure volunteers understand the importance of the task they are doing, and how it fits into the overall project / agency / mission.
Never allow people to feel that you wasted their time or that they weren't really needed.
Provide food & refreshments after projects.
Keep up on and celebrate birthdays of committed volunteers.
Provide a structure so that those who want to can take on roles of greater responsibility.
Give honest and sincere praise, say "Thank you", make people glad they came and participated.
Make the project an "event"- make it more interesting than staying home and watching it.
Recognize volunteers in speeches, media, meetings, etc.
Give out shirts, pins, buttons, etc.
Have parties, retreats, picnics, and other "off-duty" events.
Give students titles- Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator, Lead Organizer, etc.

Enter your IDEAS here!