7 Keys to Recruitment

1. RECRUITING the volunteers you need: get everyone involved know the job - find the one to fill it get short-term commitment initially, may lead to long-term involvement
   
2. RETAINING the volunteers you have: with appealing, active programs with lots of fun and involvement with volunteer satisfaction
   
3. RECLAIMING volunteers who leave: find out and correct causes for leaving by reclaiming volunteers personally
   
4. REFERRING the volunteers who change schools or communities: through friends - pass names along to the proper person to follow up by looking wide - keep in touch with other groups
   
5. RECOGNIZING volunteers you have: "pat on the back" for a job well done prompt issuance of thank you notes and/or awards and certificates personal face-to-face contact as often as possible
   
6. REFUSING/REJECTING volunteers who are not suitable: screen all offers of service carefully if volunteer has to be rejected, follow up tactfully (would another position be more suitable?)
   
7. ROTATING volunteers who need more challenging work: allow people to follow their interests watch for volunteers who need & could serve better in a more challenging job be firm in relocating volunteers who would be more effective in other positions

The important role of the volunteer coordinator cannot be over emphasized! At least one parent or staff person must be willing to devote time and effort to keeping the ball smoothly rolling.

7 Laws of Volunteer Satisfaction

Implementing following seven laws can help your volunteers experience greater satisfaction:

1. Treat all volunteers as though they are prospective volunteers (continually remind them of the benefits of volunteering)
2. View volunteers as partners -- an important part of a team.
3. Consider recruitment and retention as serious business.
4. Give your volunteers the tools they need to build skills and develop personally and professionally.
5. Prepare for the inevitable conflicts that arise in any type of relationship with this thought in mind, "It's how you handle problems that sets an organization apart from others".
6. Invite volunteer complaints instead of just responding to what comes in.
7. Foster exchanges among your volunteers to obtain ideas on how to better satisfy volunteers. Also, test what you assume is working, including your best programs.

Believing in Volunteering

One who is convinced is a great convincer. Reinforce this notion to active volunteers and encourage them to "talk up" volunteering, using their own great experiences as a springboard for conversation.

Creative Themes

Look for new and creative themes that will help promote volunteering. Here are some ideas:

• Ride the Volunteer Wave -- use a seagull as a mascot, and position the bird on a surfboard riding the waves. Draw the waves at varying heights, and cap the wave crests with the volunteer numbers reached at different points.
• Soar into the Future -- Picture a flying saucer soaring through space. Draw shooting stars, and include the number of volunteers recruited within the stars.

Volunteering Makes a Whale of a Difference -- Depict a whale jumping over rocks to freedom. Use the rocks to show the number of volunteers reached.

Once they're hooked ...

Make a good first impression

Make volunteering easier

Is transportation a problem? Can you facilitate car-pooling? riding on the school bus?

Is child-care a problem? Can you organize a child-care room for some events?

• Ensure that volunteers are contacted.
• Be sure to ask the volunteer's interests and match the volunteer to the task.
• Introduce them to other volunteers, teachers etc.
• Ensure they are provided with the training they need.

Communication

Set up an Information Table

Capitalize on occasions when parent come to the school for other purposes -- parent-teacher interviews, concerts, assemblies ... Set up an information table about volunteer possibilities at the school.

Newsletters -- An Effective Tool for Keeping in Touch

• What makes a newsletter successful?

  • Articles brief and to the point
  • Quality of printing/reproductions good
  • Appropriate headlines and interesting stories
  • Layout shows good balance between text, headlines, and graphics
  • Frequency of distribution is consistent issue to issue
  • Content involves readers; provides ways for input and feedback
  • Issues thoroughly planned & organized

  How do you plan a successful newsletter?

  • Compile a list or anticipate activities, events, observances and holidays
  • Keep a file of interesting articles, tip, news, and graphics
  • Develop a month-by-month calendar
  • Develop practical production schedules and deadlines
  • Form a newsletter committee or team

  How can you obtain and keep readers?

  • Understand you readers -- most are busy and over-committed
  • Realize your newsletter competes for readers' attention and time
  • Provide only information that is useful, valuable, concise and easy-to-follow
  • Be inclusive -- make sure your news-letter reflects the culture of your readers
  • Highlight the wonderful projects or programs you are implementing

Personal Contact

Personal contact is best. We all know how often notes get lost in bookbags! A volunteer coordinator could initiate a telephone tree. Current volunteers could contact potential volunteers. Ask for email addresses on your volunteer form and develop a mailing list.

Use as many other means of communication as possible -- community service announcements on the radio, in the local paper, posters in the local store . You may feel you're "flogging a dead horse" but it's amazing how often, in our busy society, people just don't hear about events or requests!

Focus on the Facts

In your everlasting quest to recruit and maintain volunteers, you continually strive to convey the worth of volunteering. But what if you don't have the resources to print a fancy brochure? An economical alterna-tive to address questions is a fact sheet.

A fact sheet is a quick and inexpensive communication tool that highlight benefits, goals and accomplishments. You can store this document on your computer and print it out as needed.

While presentation is important -- and the bells and whistles of a polished colour brochure are nice -- what volunteers and prospective volunteers want to see and hear about is what they can do for you and what you can do for them.

Useful Feedback

Only 5 percent of dissatisfied individuals will specify what is wrong. Finding out what the other 95 percent think takes asking the right questions. Specific answers can come from such questions as "What can we do to improve our program?"; "If you were running the program, what changes would you make?" Once you have the answers, make sure you follow through.

Recognition

You Can't Give Too Much Recognition to Long-Standing Volunteers

The longer volunteers contribute, the more recognition they deserve. You may want to institute a "year pin" program. Special presentations at meetings for outstanding service and dedication are also an excellent retention tool. Consider implementing a Distinguished Member honour. Although plaques and certificates may seem cliché, they become proof of accomplishment, for all the public to see, in the life of a long-standing volunteer. Remember, it takes more to recruit a new volunteer than it does to keep a volunteer.

Volunteer Resources

Volunteering for the Future: Developing School Based Volunteer Programs

Volunteering is an avenue through which youth can gain practical education. It works particularly well in rural areas where opportunities for co-op education, and job shadowing may be limited. It helps youth develop communication, leadership, and problem solving skills as well as an increase sense of responsibility.

This publication outlines two possible models (as part of the curriculum or extracurricular) of youth volunteer programs and contains detailed information on developing and running a program.

Copies ($10 each) can be obtained from the Volunteer Centre, Community Services Council, Suite 201 Virginia Park Plaza, Nfld. Dr., St. John's NF A1A 3E9. Tel: 709-753-9860. Fax 709-753-6112. Email: csc@thezone.net. Website: www.csc.nf.net

Volunteering: How to Build Your Career by Helping Others

This 48 page booklet, targeted to potential volunteers, outlines "how volunteering pays off", "how to get involved","working with a volunteer organization", and "putting your volunteer experience to work for you". It could be a useful tool in attracting volunteers to schools. It is available from the Learning Resources Distributing Centre, 12360 - 142 St., Edmonton, Alberta T5L 4X9. Tel: 403-427-5775. Fax: 403-422-9750. Website: www.lrdc.edc.gov.ab.ca

Copies are $4 each or $3 ea. for 10 or more.

Volunteer Canada

National organization. The provincial branch is The Volunteer Centre at the Community Services Council (see above for address). Workshops on volunteer management and information on screening volunteers available as well.

1 Nicholas Street Suite 532
Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7
Tel: 1-800-670-0401, 613-241-4371
Fax: 613-241-6725
pbowen@volunteer.ca
www.volunteer.ca

Canadian School Volunteer Network

The website, www.prom.on.ca/csvn, is not fully developed but has some information as well as three handbooks that can be downloaded.

Making the Most of Volunteers

A resource guide for volunteer groups, available for $20 + HST from Extension Community Development Cooperative, P.O. Box 5054, Station C, St. John's, NF A1C 5V3. Tel: 579-8950 Fax: 579-3526

extcoop@seascape.com

Working with Volunteers in Schools: A Handbook for Educators

A handbook developed by the Ottawa-Carleton Learning Foundation, 340 March Rd., Ste. 401, Kanata, ON K2K 2E4; 613-241-0462.

The Cuffer, September 1997

"Don't get left out in the COLD: you'll receive a WARM welcome!" Article on volunteer programs. Copies available from the Federation.