Volunteer Management and Other Ideas on Volunteer Recruitment, Retention and Volunteer Recognition!
Ultimate Ideas Newsletter
How to lead, recruit and retain more volunteers and members!
Issue 21
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Welcome one and all. Let's get you thinking with more ideas in this issue.
I remember when I used to sit on hospital beds and hold people's hands, people used to be sort of shocked because they'd never seen this before. To me, it was quite normal.
Princess Diana
We must constantly build dykes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
Martin Luther King Jr
From our latest E-book Beyond Just Words! 502 Inspirational Quotes for Those Who Serve |
Volunteer Recruitment: Touching Base - 6 Ideas to Increase Your Volunteer Recruitment Conversion Success!
We're constantly striving to keep this newsletter a 'quick read' for you so here are 6 ideas to spark your own ideas and 'flashes of brilliance'...
Recruiting volunteers is about building relationships
When all is said and done as a volunteer manager, recruiting volunteers is about building relationships. It’s about keeping in touch with prospects and developing a rapport with them so that when they are ready, willing and able to volunteer, they’ll come to you. Take the first step and start following up your contacts today.
You need to keep in your volunteer prospects mind
As business educator Wendy Evans suggests: when people say 'no', they usually mean 'not now'. So
when someone declines your invitation to volunteer, don’t take it personally. Ask if you may contact them in the future – perhaps their circumstances will have changed. If they agree, stay in touch via volunteer newsletters, invitations to functions, and a phone call every so often. Make sure that if it becomes possible for them to volunteer, your organization is the one that comes to mind.
We've worked with several organizations that have used this idea of follow-up in their volunteer recruitment plan. They just kept in touch with prospects who had previously said no and were stunned at just how many said 'yes' to volunteering for them at a later date. Following up can be your most powerful volunteer recruitment strategy for those in volunteer management.
Use a 90-day cycle to keep in touch
How often should you renew and refresh contacts? In business, a 90-day cycle is considered the most effective timeframe. Of course, this will depend on your resources, but regular contact is essential. Aim to vary the way in which you maintain contact, perhaps by a volunteer newsletter twice a year and personal notes, a telephone call or even a visit in-between times. This is not about being pushy, it's about keeping in touch.
Set a goal of how many volunteer prospects will be contacted each day or week
If you have a large number of contacts, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the task of keeping in touch with them all. One way to manage this is to set a goal to contact three people per day from your database of prospective volunteers. This may be by writing a card, emailing or giving them a call. If you do this, you will have contacted nearly two hundred people after just three months! Multiply that by the number of people on your volunteer recruitment team doing the same and that’s a lot of networking. Or you can establish a follow-up recruiting team whose only job would be to maintain contact with all prospects using a formula such as the 90-day cycle.
You can be the 'next cab off the rank' when a volunteer is looking for a change
If a prospect is already involved in volunteering elsewhere, all is not lost. Keep in touch to position yourself as 'next cab off the rank'. If they need a change of scenery or have more time available, they might just choose to volunteer for you. It's not about stealing volunteers but people often want a change. If their current organization doesn't offer them other volunteering opportunities, then this person should not be lost to the world of volunteering. Be there as their first choice when they are looking for a change. This is just great volunteer management.
Remember - attracting and recruiting volunteers are not the same
As we mentioned in the last volunteer management newsletter - 'attracting' and 'recruiting' volunteers are not the same thing. You first have to attract their attention before you can recruit them to become a volunteer for you. If you keep in touch with prospects then you will certainly continue to attract their attention. When managed well, this strategy of 'keeping in touch' makes people feel special and important and increases the chances of them saying yes to volunteering for you and your organization.
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This article is adapted from the book Count Me In! 501 Ideas on Recruiting Volunteers.
It's one of the best selling books on volunteer recruitment for a reason - it is absolutely packed with 501 ideas written in the 'quick read' style of this newsletter. If you haven't got a copy of the book and are really serious about recruiting volunteers then get your hands on a copy today. We know that you'll get so many new ideas that are guaranteed to increase your recruiting success!
You can ensure that you then retain even more volunteers by getting the sequel Count On Me! 501 Ideas on Retaining, Recognizing and Rewarding Volunteers. |
YES, YES, YES!
For those who are wondering and have contacted us!
YES, YES, YES there are still some limited places available in all locations (except Melbourne) for the THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY Workshop.
Melbourne Day 1 is SOLD OUT! We're sorry but we just couldn't fit anymore people in. However, there are still places for DAY 2 in Melbourne on 'Dealing with Difficult People' so you can book in for this half-day workshop.
Our best advice is to book your places so you won't be disappointed and within a couple of days we'll email you a confirmation letter and an invoice. You can then put the invoice into your system for payment. We know payment can take a while in some organizations so we'd rather make sure you're with us on the day and the payment can follow!
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What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?
The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY
AUSTRALIAN WORKSHOP TOUR 2007
This is a high content workshop packed with even more advanced ideas for you. But think of what you'll also learn from a room full of people involved in volunteer management programs who'll be sharing with you their best and yes, their worst strategies.
CHECK OUT ALL THE DETAILS HERE
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Enjoy!
Judy
Dr Judy Esmond is a leading international expert on how to gain, sustain and retain volunteers and members. Join up and receive FREE membership to her 'Ultimate Ideas' Mastermind Group and get the FREE E-Book and newsletter filled with 100s of ideas on volunteer management, volunteer recruitment, retention and volunteer recognition at www.morevolunteers.com
P.S. In the last volunteer management newsletter issue we told you the most read item in any newsletter...a GOOD, CLEAN JOKE or even better a GOOD, CLEAN CARTOON.
Have a guess what is the next most popular item? No, it's still not the message or article from the Director - The 'Big Boss'. It's interesting or quirky facts or helpful hints for living. Once again - we'll leave you to explain this to the 'BIG BOSS' as to why their message is being replaced with a 'quirky fact and a helpful hint' in all future volunteering newsletters!
Save some time, energy and resources! Are you looking for ideas for your own newsletters or other material? Take advantage of our FREE service. You may reprint part or all of this or other newsletters for non-commercial use only. This is upon the understanding that you include a link back with the following information: Dr Judy Esmond is a leading international expert on volunteering. Get her FREE E-BOOK and newsletter at www.morevolunteers.com
We also welcome links to this issue of the newsletter http://www.morevolunteers.com/newsletter21.htm and are happy for you to forward the newsletter to others involved in volunteer recognition, volunteer recruitment, retention and volunteer management.
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