Where Are They? : Recruiting Volunteers

“Where Are They?”: Recruiting Volunteers

Roundtable Discussion

Our Common Struggles:
·  No show volunteers
·  Corporate volunteers
(how do we get them?)
·  Diversity
·  Finding day-time volunteers
·  Volunteer recruitment in general
(where do you start?)
·  Fast, easy ways to recruit
·  Schedules of volunteers not aligning with our needs
·  Specialized skill volunteers
(how do we get them?)
·  Setting up a Volunteer Intake Process / What we’re currently doing:
·  Posting on Minnesota Literacy Council (MLC)
·  Posting on Hands On Twin Cities
·  Posted on VolunteerMatch
·  Craigslist
·  Sending out opportunities on College Listservs
·  Retirees (Retired& Senior Volunteer Program- RSVP)
·  Retired Educators Association Minnesota (REAM)
·  Personal connections (friends/family)
·  Faith-based groups
·  Workforce Center (minnesotaworks.net)
·  E-monthly newsletter
·  Email chimp/constant contact
·  Adult learners’ contacts
·  Current volunteers
·  Corporations
·  School districts- welcome centers

Introductory Questions

Brainstorming Solutions

Specialized Skills/Diversity
¢  Condo/Apartment Flyers-
through residential managers
¢ Businesses:
·  Honeywell
·  Medtronic
·  Piper Jaffrey
·  General Mills
·  3M
·  Target
¢  Current Adult Learners doing Outreach
¢  Create Special Projects for volunteers
¢ Update messaging
¢  College multicultural groups
¢ College alumni
¢ International Service Learners
¢ Bar Associations-
young attorney clubs
¢ Highlight a specific program-
to gain attention for your organization as a whole
¢ The Page Foundation
¢  Have a volunteer with certain skills come and train your teachers / Fast, Cheap, & Easy: Ways to Find a Volunteer
¢  Post in the Library
¢  Get the word out to current volunteers
¢  Give out cards to volunteers to give to other AND to post in libraries, coffee shops, churches
¢  Hold an Open House or Info Session (MLK Jr. Day for example)
¢  Social Media
¢  Get the word out in schools/to teachers
¢  School Conferences
¢  Jubilee.org
¢  Network! Make Connections that can “trickle down”
¢  Virtual Volunteering- What can people do to volunteer from home?
¢  Service Learning Classes