|
Volunteer Management more ideas in the
Ultimate Ideas Newsletter
How to lead, recruit and retain more volunteers and members!
Issue 6
From Volunteer Management Newsletter Part 1 to Part 2 Continued...
'Must Join' Committees - A Case Study
9 Tips on Volunteer Recruitment for New
Committee Members
A quick extract from Joan Mitchell's email on her recruitment goal...
Dear Judy - Have you researched the problem of getting people to go on committees? Any assistance you can offer would be helpful to me.
Joan Mitchell
Okay, hands up anyone else who has found it difficult to recruit people to volunteer as committee members? Here are 9 quick ideas for Joan and for you.
Tip No 1 - Pick Me
Being a committee member is not for everyone - it really is a specialist volunteer position. It is not a 'come one, come all' recruitment technique. Target the people with skills that would be most useful to your committee and then ask them directly as part of your volunteer recruitment strategy.
Tip No 2 - Get Clear
Get very clear what is required as a committee member. Roles, tasks and time commitment all should be 'honestly' presented up-front. 'White lies' to get someone to say 'yes' - such as 'it won't take much time at all' or 'there's nothing much to it' are fraught with danger. This is rarely the case. It diminishes their role as a committee member and set someone up to fail by saying 'yes' to a commitment without knowing all the facts.
Tip No 3 - Time Out
For those in volunteer management, there are 2 main questions people consider when asked to volunteer. One question is 'how much time will this involve?' Make sure there is a definite time frame for committee members. The longer the term of office the less likely someone is to say yes. Being on the committee forever excites very few potential volunteers. A '2 plus 2' term is often a good option. The volunteer commits for 2 years and then can leave or commit for a further 2 year term. But be flexible! A 1 year term with the option of another year might just help some people to say yes. It's time to remove some of those rules and regulations that get in the way of your volunteer recruitment efforts.
Tip No 4 - Two Heads
A second question potential volunteers consider is 'can I do it?' With too many committees, the previous treasurer, secretary, etc leaves as another person is elected at the annual general meeting. The new committee member basically start from the beginning in their learning curve. Ensure a smooth transition process with committee members serving for a 2.3 year term. This means you serve on the committee for 2 years and then assist your replacement for 3 months afterwards as they 'learn the ropes' from you.
More great ideas on committee members and volunteer recruitment continued next page...
We welcome links to this page of the newsletter http://www.morevolunteers.com/newsletter6b.htm and are happy for you to forward the newsletter to others who volunteer and/or are involved in volunteer recruitment volunteer recognition and volunteer management.
|
