Using recruitment contests to reward volunteers who enlist new members
Abstract
Successful recruitment efforts connect candidates who need what a program has to offer and who possess the skills and aptitude to accomplish the program's goals and objectives. Using current volunteers to recruit new members is a great recruitment strategy — because members who are happy speak worlds about a program. And rewarding volunteers who recruit new members shows them that you appreciate their efforts, and creates incentives for additional recruitment. This effective practice was compiled from contest ideas shared by Senior Corps directors on the NSSCTalk e-mail discussion list in June 2005.
Issue
Recruitment is one of the most critical aspects of program management, and oftentimes one of the most difficult.
Action
Senior Corps directors use the following strategies to reward members who have successfully recruited candidates for their programs:
At our banquet last year we placed a referral form in each RSVP volunteer's packet (also mailed to those that did not attend). For each referral (the referred person had to register with RSVP and report hours for at least a quarter), the RSVP volunteer was entered in a drawing at our next banquet. The RSVP volunteer that referred the most potential volunteers received a gift certificate (any small prize will do). A local grocery store donated 200 dollars worth of gift certificates — so we had two drawings for 50 dollar gift certificates, which we gave to our two top recruiters.
- Shared by Linda K. Nelson, Project Director, RSVP, Fargo, ND 58103Phone: (701) 893-9089 or 1-866-345-RSVP (7787); E-mail: rsvplinda@cableone.net
- Provide a day off with pay for each person recruited who successfully completes training and is placed.
- Offer gift certificates, if funding allows.
- Shared by Brenda Lax, Program Manager, Foster Grandparent Program of Jackson, Clay, and Platte Counties, Kansas City, MO 64109Phone: (816) 784-4519; E-mail: brenda_lax@kcmo.org
Give a twenty-five dollar recruitment bonus to any current Foster Grandparent who recruits a new Foster Grandparent who completes the orientation class. (This is much less expensive than putting ads in the paper.) The experienced Foster Grandparents tell their friends and acquaintances all about how they love their work so that the new Foster Grandparent has a better idea of what they're getting into when they go through orientation.
- Shared by Del Kennedy, Director, Foster Grandparent Program of Central Pennsylvania, Selinsgrove, PAPhone: (570) 374-9196; E-mail: acken@ptd.net
Give a twenty-five dollar gift certificate to a store chosen by the Foster Grandparent to current Foster Grandparents who recruit new members. Award the bonus after the new Foster Grandparent completes orientation and successfully serves 90 days of their new assignment. Fund incentives with money from your advisory council or board.
- Shared by Beth O'Hara, FGP of PEACE, Inc., Syracuse, N.Y.E-mail: bohara@peace-caa.org
For each successful referral, give a gift basket full of small to medium items. (A "successful" recruitment is one where the person finishes training and begins work at the volunteer station.) Baskets can be assembled without using any program money by having your program clean out its storage space of old gift items, as well as stockpiles of new unused and unwanted items at home. Collect baskets that are lying around; alternatively you can find them at local stores for an inexpensive price.Generally, each gift basket has about 20 different things in it, so it's pretty big and chock-full of things, and each one is unique.The items in the gift baskets can include any of the following:
- Donations from Hallmark cards
- Promotional items from vendors
- Items from the Dollar Store
- Brand-new items found at the agency's thrift store, such as candles in holders
- Re-gifted (unused) items such as tubes of body lotion, books, slippers
- Kitchen gadgets
- Photo albums
- Refrigerator magnets
- Flashlights
- Cans of fancy nuts
- Jewelry
- Jewelry box
- Decorative candles
- Photo frames
- Shared by Kathy Karr, Director, Foster Grandparent Program of WY/CO/KCK, Kansas City, KS 66102Phone: (913) 621-5255, ext. 161; E-mail: kkarr@catholiccharitiesks.org
- Shared by Sheryl Silva, FGP/SCP/RSVP Augusta, GAE-mail: ssilva@seniorcitizenscouncil.org
Context
Recruitment has always been a challenge for Corporation-funded projects. And because today's seniors are working longer and looking for more personally satisfying volunteer opportunities, implementing carefully considered recruitment strategies constitutes wise program management.
Outcome
The results of a program's recruitment process directly impacts morale, motivation, respect, retention, quality of service projects, relationships with service partners and community members, funding, and the ability to focus on the program rather than spend the majority of time addressing problems.Senior Corps directors who reward current volunteers for their recruitment efforts report that:
- Incentives or bonuses are much less expensive than putting ads in the paper.
- It feels good to be able to reward a current volunteer who has made the effort to recruit another good Senior Corps member.
Evidence
For the 2004-2005 program year:Of the 20 new volunteers enrolled in the Foster Grandparent of PEACE, Inc., Foster Grandparents referred 14. Syracuse, N.Y.
The Foster Grandparent Program of WY/CO/KCK increased from 88 to 115 active Foster Grandparents. And still the calls keep coming in, all referred by current Foster Grandparents. Now we have a waiting list to join our program! Kansas City, Kansas.
The end result was 150 new RSVP volunteers — two people had referred six new volunteers. (About ninety-nine percent of those referred are recruited.) Fargo, North Dakota.
Posted On
July 10, 2005For More Information
Resources
The Resource Connection: Recruitment and Retention
Source Documents
Related Practices
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