General Recruiting Tips
Before deciding on a recruitment strategy, it is important to know what you need from the volunteers you are trying to recruit. The practice of writing position descriptions helps you think through what you want from volunteers and how you need to prepare for them in terms of training, supervision and support. Clarifying this in advance will allow you and the volunteer to determine if the position is a good fit. It will serve to screen out volunteers who are not appropriate for the position – saving both you and the volunteer time.
When describing a volunteer position, be clear about what commitment you will be asking volunteers to make. If appropriate, define an opportunity as a short term project, with a clear deadline and end point, rather than a long term and/or open ended commitment. People who sign up for a short term volunteers often stay on if they find the work is rewarding – but they may never sign up if the initial commitment seems overwhelming or ill defined. If you really need someone who can commit to 10 hours a week for a year, for instance, be straightforward about that. It is better to wait for the right person than to take an volunteer who will abandon the project if it is a bad fit.
Elements of a Recruitment Message
While the content of the message – format, style, tone – will vary depending on the audience and method of distributing your recruitment message, the basic elements of a recruitment message, regardless of format or length, include:
- Need – What is the challenge or need?
- Solution – How will the volunteer’s efforts address the need?
- Advantages – What do volunteers get from volunteering?
- Description/Contact – What will the volunteer be doing? Where, when and for how long?
Recruitment messages cover the who, what, where, when, how and why of a particular opportunity, but not all of these elements are equally important. In general, spend more time on the need, solution and advantages, and less time on logistics. Focus on the benefits of volunteering – and you can go beyond the satisfaction of “giving back.” When you describe benefits to volunteers, you’re really addressing their motivations, both altruistic and self-interested. People volunteer for many reasons – and often have more than one motivation. Some simply want to support the Appalachian Trail, while others want to gain a specific skill or meet new people. You can refer to the experiences of your volunteers when making an appeal – many people respond positively to the experiences of others.
Publicize Your Volunteer Opportunities
The strategy you choose to get your message out will depend in large part on who your audience is. When trying to reach as many people as possible for a Trail-wide event – like a National Trails Day project - you’d use a different technique than when trying to attract a new board member. Consider these questions before you decide how to get your message out:
- What needs to be done, and who would want to do it?
- Where will you find them?
- What is the best way to communicate with this group?
- What motivates the group?
Sometimes this process is a straightforward, but it can be particularly helpful for when you are having trouble finding volunteers for a particular position.
One of the most effective ways of recruiting volunteers is to ask people – in person – to volunteer. Having written position descriptions, you’ll have material to distribute (also see below). If you’re trying to recruit someone for a particular position, tell them why you think they are such a good fit – it is flattering to be asked. If they refuse, remember that “no” does not mean “never” – the timing or position might be wrong for a volunteer at that time you ask, but in the future he or she might be available.
An easy way to reach a wide audience, the web is the first place many people go to search for information. The A.T. volunteer database is available to all clubs for posting volunteer opportunities – and managing volunteers. Other free sites where you can post volunteer opportunities include Volunteer Match, Idealist, your local volunteer center among others.
Other common methods:
- Mass media -- print and broadcast
- Public speaking
- Outreach to membership and professional organizations, youth groups and other nonprofits
- Slide shows
- Articles in local newspapers and newsletters of other organizations
- Referrals from individuals associated with your organization
- Volunteer fairs
Interviewing and Orienting New Volunteers
When you hear from a potential volunteer, always respond with enthusiasm. Move quickly to set up an interview with the person, either over the phone or in person. Unless you have recruited the volunteer personally, this is your first opportunity to make an impression on a potential volunteer.
The depth and setting of the interview will vary depending on the position – if you are recruiting for a position that requires special skills and/or a greater commitment – it is best to spend more time on the interview, holding it in person if possible. Even when recruiting for a less-demanding position, it is helpful to speak with the potential volunteer first. During the course of the conversation, either one of you may realize that the position is not a good fit. The interview serves as a screen in this case, saving time for both of you.
Before speaking to the volunteer, have an idea in mind of what type of qualities you need for a particular position; if they have not expressed interest in a particular opportunity, have some position descriptions on hand to discuss with them. In addition to finding out more about the potential volunteer’s interests, skills and experience, make sure the volunteer understands the requirements of the position. If both you and the volunteer feel the position is a good fit, you’re ready to move on to the next step. If you feel the person is not a good match for any open position, politely let them know during the interview – don’t leave them hanging.
The volunteer orientation helps volunteers understand how they fit in your program, familiarizes them with any relevant policies and procedures, and makes them feel welcome. Again, the orientation will vary depending on the volunteer’s position. Someone participating in a one day event will not need as extensive an orientation as a new board member.
Retention: Keeping Volunteers
Not all volunteers are destined to become long-term volunteers – a volunteer’s life circumstances, interests or temperament may make a long-term commitment impossible. If a volunteer finds the opportunity fulfilling, however, they will be motivated to continue volunteering. Discovering what motivates a particular volunteer is a key challenge for volunteer managers; volunteers may be driven by a variety of causes – both altruistic and self-serving – and the motivation may change as the volunteer’s life circumstances change.
Probably the easiest way to figure out what motivates your volunteers is to ask them: during a scheduled meeting, informally during casual conversation or just by keeping your eyes open for signs of dissatisfaction – particularly if the volunteer is valuable to your program. (This attention to the motivational needs of your volunteers is a form of informal recognition.)
Dealing with Conflict
All of the planning and effort you put into planning for volunteers – developing volunteer policies, defining interesting position descriptions, recognizing volunteers for their efforts - is intended to keep conflict to a minimum. When volunteers understand what is expected of them, problems are less likely to arise. When they do, often they can be resolved quickly by referring to the position description or to policies covered during the orientation. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you’ll need to reprimand a volunteer. In its gentlest form, this can be part a discussion you have with a volunteer who seems dissatisfied – as noted above. If caught early, you may be able to turn the problem around – finding a solution that works for both you and your volunteer. For more serious problems, you may need to reprimand a volunteer. State the problem clearly and directly, let them know what behaviors/actions need to change, and then move on. If your volunteers have clear guidelines for conduct and performance, serious problems can be minimized.
Rewarding, Motivating and Retaining Volunteers
Recognizing volunteers for their efforts not only serves to thank and reward them, but also helps to motivate them. When people are recognized in ways that are meaningful to them, they are more likely to continue to volunteer. The challenge for a manager of a volunteer program is finding the form of recognition that best suits the individual volunteer.
People volunteer for many reasons, and those reasons may change over time as their lives – and the time and skills they want to give – change. Someone who starts volunteering because he want to "give back" after completing a thru-hike, for instance, may eventually want family friendly volunteer opportunities, or the chance to learn a new skill. Though some volunteers will move on as the interests or circumstances change, volunteer managers who pay attention to the needs of their volunteers can make sure they recognize their volunteers in a way that keeps them motivated.
Informal and Formal Volunteer Recognition
Of the two basic forms of volunteer recognition, formal and informal, formal recognition is the more traditional and structured form of recognizing volunteers. Typical examples include awards, annual parties or events held on a national service day. Formal recognition can be an inspirational and motivating experience for volunteers. It brings together all members of an organization – long-time volunteers and newcomers and offers an opportunity to publicly acknowledge and celebrate volunteer efforts.
Despite the value of formal recognition programs, they should not the only way that volunteers can be recognized. Traditional formal recognition programs only get at one type of motivation – public acknowledgment of volunteer efforts. Many programs have restrictions on the number of people who can be honored; you can only have one "volunteer of the year" each year, for instance.
Informal recognition, based on the day to day relationship between volunteer and manager, is often an easier and more effective way of showing appreciation to your volunteers. Ranging from simple, but sincere, personalized thank you or a birthday/service anniversary card* to recommending a volunteer for a promotion or training opportunity, informal recognition can be targeted at particular volunteer’s motivational needs. Much more varied than formal recognition, informal recognition is an effective way of acknowledging efforts as well as a way to build a better volunteer program.
*The volunteer database can help you track birthdays and other anniversaries Recognition Tips
Whether recognizing volunteers formally or informally, there are general guidelines to keep in mind.
Make Recognition a Priority: Recognition is a way of motivating your volunteers – and unmotivated volunteers will not stay with your program. It does not have to be expensive or time consuming, common courtesy and attention to your volunteer’s needs are among the most effective forms of recognition. If your primary form of recognition is an annual dinner or other event – look for other ways to acknowledge and recognize your volunteers throughout the year.
Be Sincere: Be honest when recognizing your volunteers and recognize or acknowledge them for the types of work you want to see more of.
Be Balanced: Effective recognition involves a balancing act – you want to be fair and consistent in the way you recognize all your volunteers, but also need to take each individual’s motivational needs into account. Have many ways of recognizing volunteers, and make sure that all volunteers are aware of the options available to them.
Appalachian Trail Recognition Programs
ATPO and the ATC have several programs that can help you recognize your volunteers.
Awards for Hours and Years of Service to the A.T.
The ATC provides awards – pins, patches, caps and vests – to volunteers based on the number of cumulative hours they have completed, while ATPO gives Silver or Gold awards for volunteers who have completed 25 and 50 years respectively, to the A.T. at each biennial.