Finding the Right Volunteer: Act Quickly!

Act Quickly! Someone is Interested

• Act quickly and reply to their communications in a timely manner.
• Give them the information they need to proceed, such as:
  • Job description
  • Application
  • Process for becoming a volunteer – make sure it is easy to understand
    
    
• Set up a meeting right away, even if the actual meeting doesn’t happen for a while.

Check this reference chart to get a 'bird's eye view' of the Recruitment Process.

"I like clear instructions and guidelines and one point of contact when looking for a volunteer opportunity and once I start volunteering." - Volunteer

Recruitment Ideas from the field (free and paid):

• Advertisements (print, radio, television, internet)
  • Use attention grabbing titles and power words (e.g. “you”, “free”, “because”, “new”) – e.g. “Because YOU can make a difference!”
  • Have a call to action – e.g. “Volunteer today!  You may change someone’s life.”
  • Let people know how they will make a difference
  • Use pictures/videos
    
    
• Look for companies that have Employer-Supported Volunteering
  • Some companies encourage and give their employees work time to volunteer
    
    
• Online Recruitment:
  • Your website
  • Volunteer Centre Website
  • Kijiji (community section), Linked In, Craigslist
  • Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
  • Community pages
  • Other organization websites
    
    
• Other Places to Recruit
  • Word of Mouth
  • Volunteer Centre
  • Partners
  • Posters/Brochures/Flyers/Bookmarks
  • Community Events
  • Library – one specific way is to print the request on the due date slips or bookmarks with borrowed books
  • Community Centre
  • Seniors Centre
  • Churches
  • Post-Secondary
  • Coffee News
  • Volunteer Fairs – at the event, get contact information and set follow-up appointment times right there for better success
  • Information Session at your organization
  • Coffee shops
    
    
• Some organizations will help you recruit. For example, Bow Valley College looks to find volunteer placements for its students and staff. Look to see if there are organizations who connect volunteers to community organizations in your community.   

Activity: Map out the volunteer resources in your community. Where are the volunteers coming from? Where could they come from that hasn’t been thought about yet?

• Do you have a seniors’ centre that would like to help create materials?
• Work experience students?
• A company that pays their employees to volunteer?
• A post-secondary that has a class where students have to do work for another organization as part of their projects?
• A book club that wants to give back to their community?