Recruiting volunteers at the last minute for one-time events

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Abstract

Good program management includes knowing where to look for additional volunteers when last minute events or needs come up. This effective practice shares suggestions offered by members of the NSSCTalk e-mail discussion list in September 2002, as well as additional techniques on how to find volunteers to meet special needs at the last minute.

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Issue

Recruiting volunteers to assist at occasional one-time or special events.

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Action

Create on-call lists from initial recruitment application materials (Shared by Susie Reehl, WestArk RSVP, rsvp@ipa.net)
  • Maintain a special on-call list for one-time events or tasks. Have volunteers sign up on the initial enrollment form if they would like to be included for these types of events. Include examples of activities volunteers can expect to help out with on occasion. For instance, "Volunteers assist with charity golf tournaments, local festivals, or collecting movie tickets. "
  • Maintain a special mailings on-call list to help other agencies with bulk mailings. Have volunteers sign up on the initial enrollment form if they would like to help with this type of activity. Include examples of tasks the volunteer will be expected to perform. For instance, "Volunteers assist with folding correspondence, labeling, stuffing and closing envelopes."
Educate new volunteers about special events (Shared by Nan Hart, RSVP/VC, Rutland, VT, rsvprutlnd@aol.com)
  • Apprise new volunteers that these special events may come up. Often, even if they take on a permanent assignment, volunteers are willing to serve at special or short-term tasks periodically, especially if they know in advance that this might be a possibility.
  • Call on volunteers who have expressed an interest in performing a specific task. For example, some programs have volunteers who specifically do mailings. The volunteer coordinator has a list of people to call on for these types of placements. It may take some time to develop the list, but it is worth it.
Look within the community for potential volunteers (Shared by Staff Sgt. Ron Veazie, Retired Chief of the 24th Mission Support Squadron's Commander's Support Staff Recruitment Efforts, Florida, seniors@slonet.org)
  • If your community has a military base you might try utilizing the military for additional volunteers to help out with special events. There are always a lot of people in the military (both active and retired) looking to get involved and help in the community. Call the Administrative Office at the military base in your community for help in recruiting these additional volunteers.
Seek out other individuals or groups who might support program efforts: (List excerpted from the Texas Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service website, August 2002)These include:
  • Advocacy groups
  • AmeriCorps Programs
  • Business and professional organizations
  • Chambers of Commerce
  • Churches and religious groups
  • Community Service Restitution Programs
  • Conferences/Special Events
  • Corporations and small businesses
  • Employment Assistance Programs
  • Families
  • Job Seekers
  • Job Training Partnership Act and other job training programs
  • New residents of the community
  • Parents' groups
  • Public agencies and retired personnel
  • Realtors (welcome wagon packages often include volunteer information)
  • Rehabilitation agencies/programs
  • Retired Executives, Teachers (associations)
  • Schools, especially service-learning programs
  • Scout troops or other youth groups
  • Service organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary Clubs and Junior Leagues
  • Sororities and Fraternities
  • Students seeking internships and service opportunities
  • Student vocational training programs
  • Unions and Trade Associations
  • United Way
  • University/college/community college organizations
  • VISTA volunteers

Utilize volunteer directories and referral services (from the Community Services Council, Newfoundland and Labrador)

Your own organization may have a directory of past volunteers or volunteer applicants to whom you may want to refer. People who have volunteered in the past may be willing to volunteer again. There may also be people who applied to volunteer with the organization in the past and were never contacted. In addition, there may be volunteer referral services in the area such as volunteer centers and university volunteer bureaus. These are excellent channels to access a pool of eager volunteers. Also, there are web sites that advertise volunteer positions and include a directory of people who are willing to volunteer their service.

Recruit from the large segment of the workforce who do not work "normal hours"(Excerpted from, "Finding Daytime Volunteers" an "On Volunteers" column in The Non-Profit Times, 1991, by Susan J. Ellis)

A whole subcategory of potential volunteers involves people who are self-employed or work on commission. They can choose to volunteer during a weekday and "make up" the work time later. For example consultants and artists, anyone who works at home, sole practitioners in the fields such as accounting or public relations, or real estate agents.

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Context

Recruitment is a critical part of volunteer management, and an ongoing process even after a program is established. The possibility that other non-profit agencies may ask to "borrow" volunteers is something that can be built into a recruitment plan, creating greater program efficiency and fostering goodwill in the community. Service programs often receive requests to share volunteers with other local non-profit organizations and must occasionally seek assistance from other programs for help providing service at special events.

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Outcome

Having a volunteer pool to count on and/or knowing where to look for volunteers to serve on one-time and special projects helps programs run more efficiently, supports the success of service organizations, and fosters goodwill in the community.

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Posted On

September 20, 2002

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Resources

NSSCTalk is an e-mail discussion group, created primarily for the participants in the National Senior Service Corps, a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Anyone with related concerns, however, is invited to join in.

To subscribe by e-mail, send a blank message to join-nssctalk@lists.etr.org

Or subscribe via the Lyris Listmanager web page at http://lists.etr.org/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=nssctalk/.

Related Practices

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Related sites

Texas Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service

Energize, Inc.

The Community Services Council, Newfoundland and Labrador

Topic Areas

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