Abstract

From the perspective of a potential volunteer, a volunteer fair is a great way to become familiar with different organizations, and to explore opportunities by talking with representatives in a casual atmosphere. This effective practice draws on the experience of three RSVP programs to demonstrate planning and promotion, and associated activities in implementing a volunteer fair. Information comes from a submission by Susan Ballengee as well as knowledge shared on the NCCSTalk e-mail discussion list in 2001 by Katy Allen-Caballero and Susan Peacock Reehl.

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Issue

Recruiting new volunteers is an ongoing challenge that must be dealt with continuously in order for a program to remain viable and sustainable.

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Action

According to the program director of the RSVP of Daviess County (Washington, IN), effective practices for holding a volunteer fair for recruitment efforts include the following:

• The RSVP of Daviess County holds a "Volunteer Fair" every fall at Washington's community building.
• The event is highly publicized, with the intention of bringing people in who are thinking about volunteering and those who are already volunteering, but want to see what else is available.
• RSVP creates a festive atmosphere with refreshments provided as a service at no cost by one of the workstations.
• Area local non-profit and community service agencies are invited to participate at no charge.
• Each organization or agency sets up a display or a booth and RSVP provides banners, made on their computers, to identify the different stations.
• Each agency gives a door prize, which helps bring people to their booth.
• At the conclusion of the fair, an evaluation questionnaire is filled out by participating agencies, which gives RSVP important feedback for the following year.

According to the program director for Senior Programs at Lewis Street, in Rochester, New York, effective practices for holding a recruitment fair include:

• Senior Programs at Lewis Street holds a Celebration of Health and Heritage Fair twice a year — in September or October in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, and one in February for Black History Month.
• Senior Programs invites speakers related to living well and staying healthy, along with speakers celebrating heritage.
• In the past, local health insurance carriers have funded the event.
• Door prizes are offered, as well as lots of giveaways from donors (such as United Way Gifts-in-Kind).
• Senior Programs provides food (snacks or a meal depending upon funding and appropriate to the heritage being celebrated) and invites area agency representatives to set up booths.
• All current volunteers are invited and asked to bring a friend (or two or three) that meets the qualifications for program enrollment.
• Senior Programs offers incentives to current volunteers if they refer a friend that joins and completes their probationary period.
• The event is highly publicized and Senior Programs works to involve as many other agencies as they can.
• At the fair, all attendees are asked to sign in, so that afterwards Senior Programs can do follow-up.
• During the fair, Senior Programs attempts to make personal contact with attendees and complete as many applications as possible on the spot.

According to the program director of WestArk RSVP, Arkansas, effective practices for their two-day recruitment fair at a local mall include:

Advertising:

• WestArk RSVP advertises the fair through area churches (300 plus) in a two county area, and on local television and radio, and through electronic bulletin boards.
• The program director teaches a short seminar on how to be successful at the fair for the small organizations that do not have marketing departments.
• Participating in this event is a requirement to be on the WestArk RSVP Advisory Council.

Organizations are asked to:

• Set up and display a booth prior to the time of the fair
• Have someone present throughout the five hour event each day
• Not engage in selling or fundraising during the fair

Recommendations for recruiting:

• Decide what volunteers you are trying to recruit. (Having a volunteer job description is very helpful.)
• Decide who will work the display booth and train them (Satisfied volunteers make the best recruiters.)

Make sure everyone working the booth:

• Knows the purpose of the fair — recruiting new volunteers
• The time they need to show up — what to wear, where to park, when to take breaks
• Is familiar with the handouts (fliers or brochures)
• Is enthusiastic about volunteering
• Realizes their limits — what questions they can and cannot answer

When setting up displays:

• Think vertical
• Use pictures of previous volunteers and events
• Use large quantities of inexpensive items for giveaways, as opposed to expensive items that you can only buy in small quantities

When someone expresses interest at the booth:

• Make eye contact
• Act glad to see them
• Smile — be polite and friendly
• Hand them information
• Speak to them— initiate a conversation, ask them a question
• Don't read a book — they won't interrupt you
• Stop talking when they approach — they won't interrupt you

Remember to:

• Dress professionally or in volunteer logo clothing
• Wear a nametag

Know:

• The public perceptions of your agency
• Your biggest barrier to getting volunteers
• The client population you are dealing with (sick, homebound, low-income)

It is also important to:

• Visit the other displays
• Stay for the duration of the fair
• Have a plan if someone wants to volunteer!

Additionally, WestArk RSVP holds a recruitment contest for their current members.

WestArk RSVP:

• Sends or gives current volunteers five business cards which have their name on one side and information about the volunteer fair on the other side. Volunteers are encouraged to give these cards to friends and neighbors and urge them to attend the volunteer fair.
• Any prospective member that brings a volunteer's recruitment card to the RSVP booth at the fair receives a free gift (local restaurants and nearby resorts might donate meals and hotel stays for prizes).

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Context

Located between the forks of the White River in the heart of southwest Indiana, Daviess County encompasses 424 square miles with beautiful prairies, rolling hills and rich bottomland. This close-knit community embraces visitors and charms residents with a simple lifestyle and special spirit. Residents take pride in their community and roll up their sleeves to help their neighbors. Small towns with populations ranging from 350–11,000 make up Daviess County. The Amish fulfill a very important role in the community, displaying their skills as craftsmen at auctions and in their stores and restaurants. Alfordsville, Cannelburg, Corning, Elnora, Montgomery, Odon, Plainville, and Washington, as the county seat, unite to offer many social, recreational, civic, and cultural activities, enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.

Rochester is the third largest urban area in New York State, and, in 1990 was one of ten communities in the nation to receive the All-American-City award as a great place to live. Rochester is uniquely centered within the heart of the Northeast Region, providing an economic bridge to Washington, New York, Toronto, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, Baltimore, and Montreal. Within a 400-mile radius that includes twelve Northeastern states and the two most populous Canadian provinces, Rochester reaches out to more than eighty million people — over one-third of the total U.S. population.

Fort Smith, Arkansas is an exciting travel destination that uniquely combines the history of the "Old West" with the gentle charm of the antebellum "Old South." Fort Smith offers travelers of all ages glimpses into its distinctive past through restorations, attractions, museums, and festivals that make its history fun and exciting. An energetic city of 80,000 people, Fort Smith is known for accommodating visitors with a blend of "southern hospitality" and "western openness" — anxious to share its past while yet busily planning for the future.

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Outcome

• A Volunteer Fair is an excellent way to recruit volunteers; potential volunteers are able to see a variety of opportunities in a relaxed and fun format.
• Additionally, the event can also foster good station and public relations.

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Evidence

For the RSVP of Daviess County success is determined by the:

• Number of attendees
• Number of participating agencies
• Number of volunteers recruited
• Evaluations completed at the end of the fair

In Arkansas, the WestArk RSVP

• Added approximately 50 volunteers in 2001
• Gained over 20 new volunteers as a result of the recruitment contest in 2003
• Nearly 40 charities participate in the fair annually

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Posted On

September 8, 2004

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For More Information

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Related Practices

• Identifying a target market and using direct mail postcards and fliers to recruit Foster Grandparents
• Turning telephone inquiries into recruitment opportunities

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Related sites

Senior Corps

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