Ask the Expert: Russ Donahue — AmeriCorps Recruitment 101
MARCH 2007
Russ Donahue, AmeriCorps director, Bremerton, WA
Russ Donahue has been an AmeriCorps director in Bremerton, WA, with Kitsap Community Resources/AmeriCorps since it’s inception in 1993. He recently served as a consultant to the EnCorps Recruitment and Development Initiative with the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory as an expert on recruiting and placement, and he has conducted workshops on various national service topics over the past 12 years. Kitsap Community Resources/AmeriCorps is a national service program that engages 36 full-time and 40 summer-only community members in service throughout Kitsap County. For more about the Kitsap Community Resources AmeriCorps Program, go to www.kcr.org.
Recruitment 101: What Every Program Director or Supervisor Should Know
A successful recruitment strategy is the foundation for a thriving AmeriCorps program. AmeriCorps programs live and die by how well they network. The individuals you select and place within the community represent your program every day; their interactions either enhance or detract from your organization’s reputation. Following are a number of important approaches that help develop a solid cadre of new members.
The first thing directors need to realize is that recruitment is not an event, but a process. Part of a solid recruitment plan includes frequent presentations to local high schools, colleges, fraternal organizations, parent-teacher organizations, governmental agencies, military spouse groups, and similar associations. These should be scheduled and held at least monthly. The Kitsap Community Resources/AmeriCorps program conducts about three or four presentations each month throughout the program year. This has resulted in an average of over 500 applicants a year for the past 12 years. Obviously not all applicants will meet the basic criteria, but increasing the number of applicants does allow for a more selective screening process.
The second most effective recruitment tool is your current members! Utilizing members to assist in this process yields enormous payoffs, and encouraging them to talk about their experiences is an excellent advertising instrument. Have members accompany you when making community presentations to allow those interested in joining AmeriCorps to ask direct questions of those already serving within the community. Sometimes members recruit individuals from within their immediate family, among friends and acquaintances, and even from informal conversations with people living in the community. No matter how well we illustrate national service positions through job descriptions, outreach, interviews, and advertising, allowing interested parties the opportunity to hear from current members helps prevent “sticker shock” once an individual becomes a member. Realistic expectations lead to greater member satisfaction—and higher rates of retention—during the program year.
After receiving applications, screening and placement of members is the next most critical step an AmeriCorps supervisor or director faces. After screening out clearly unqualified applicants (such as those who don’t pass criminal background checks or fail to meet standards or stated qualifications), it’s important to involve host agencies who will work directly with new members. This allows for a “second look” at the applications by an involved party, creates buy-in with the host agency staff, and adds another level of assessment for specific talents or skills that a director or supervisor may not be looking for during the initial screening.
Once the potential candidates are agreed on, the next step is to decide how to conduct the interviews. We generate a list of potential questions to ask each candidate, agree on which ones to use, and then commit them to writing so that each applicant is asked the same questions. This ensures all prospective members are treated equally and fairly, allowing for an “apples to apples” comparison when evaluating multiple candidates after the interviews. It is definitely worth considering including host agency staff in the interview process; this creates buy-in from the host agency and adds another level of insight for those candidates with similar qualifications. During the interviews good note-taking is crucial, especially if you interview many candidates. Don’t rely on your memory to supply the details!
Ask the Expert (click on each link to view answer)
Q: You mention that it is important to convey "realistic expectations" to potential members as a way to increase retention. Are there other strategies that program directors and supervisors can use to increase retention rates?
Q: What are some of the most important questions to ask of potential members during an interview?
Effective Practices
- Recruiting community service members and keeping them focused
- Planning your recruitment process
- Retaining volunteers through long training periods
- Retaining members through conflict resolution
- Making ends meet on a service member's budget
- Interviewing volunteer applicants using role playing
- Using a team project to conduct a group interview
Library Resources
- Care and Feeding Volunteers
- Volunteers: How To Get Them, How To Keep Them
- Secrets of Motivation: How to Get & Keep Volunteers & Paid Staff!
- Count Me In! 501 Ideas on Recruiting Volunteers
- 77 Ways to Recruit Volunteers
Links to Other Useful Websites
