Top Ten Tips

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Identify the Role

Before advertising a position, be sure to have a job description

available so you can let your potential volunteers know exactly what they

are being asked to do and approximately how much of their time it will

take.

A task is more likely to be completed successfully when your volunteers

know that their contribution is important and that others are counting on

them. Let them know the importance of what they are doing and how the

job fits into the organisation’s goals, and also let them know that they were

selected because they were the best person for the job.

3

Make Contact

Ask people to volunteer their services. You will get better results with a

one-on-one contact.

Try to reach out to as many sources of potential volunteers as possible and

don’t limit yourself to friends and current volunteers.

Encourage existing volunteers to ask their friends, family members or co-

workers to get involved. Offer ‘family challenges’ or ‘workplace challenges’

so groups of people who know each other can get involved.

Schools, training colleges, career advisors, service groups, kindergartens,

clubs, etc – tell them about the types of volunteers you’re looking for or

offer to be a guest speaker at their events.

4

Use community media

Contact your local community newspaper about profiling existing

volunteers and make sure the volunteer talks about the benefits of

volunteering with your organisation.

Advertise for volunteers on the free community notices on the radio

and television.

Promote your organisation’s services and advertise for volunteers in special

newspaper features. You can often get suppliers and other businesses to

take ads on the page to cover the cost, or you could band together with

other voluntary organisations and have a page focused on volunteering.

Ring radio announcers and talkback shows to speak about the work of your

organisation and your need for volunteers.

5

Identify the target group

Research your own locality; understanding your potential audience

will help you decide what to emphasise about your volunteering

opportunity.

Identify a specific group you would like to target; it will help you pitch your

message to the right audience:

People with a particular skill set

People who can make long term commitment

People who would like to learn a specific skill

This will also allow you to match interests with roles such as:

short term or flexible roles for students or corporate volunteers

longer term or ongoing roles for retirees, or

seasonal opportunities for baby boomers

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Reasons for volunteering

Promote your volunteering opportunities to match with people’s

motivation for volunteering:

Make a difference or bring about change

Use their skills

Develop new skills

Test out other careers

Build up their experience

Have access to training, and

Make friends and socialise

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Be ready for action

Make sure you are ready to receive enquiries; this includes informing and

preparing any relevant staff.

Be ready to respond to enquiries from a variety of sources, phone,

email, or web.

Prepare a brief information kit that provides general information about:

The organisation and program

The volunteer role and expectations (position description)

The benefits of volunteering with you

Application form

Information on any police checks or screening requirements

8

Documentation

Make sure your documentation is up-to-date.

Some of the documentation that supports an effective recruitment process

include:

Recruitment pathway flow chart or check list

Position description

Information pack

Interview questions proforma

Selection criteria

Reference check proforma

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Be adventurous

Don’t be afraid to include new and untried approaches in your volunteer

recruitment efforts. Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean

it can’t work.

Be creative, innovative and energetic.

Take some risks – it adds to the excitement of any volunteer recruitment

plan!

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Go online... Use online databases to find volunteers:

Volunteer Connect – http://www.volunteeringtas.org.au

Go Volunteer - http://www.govolunteer.com.au

Seek Volunteer - http://www.volunteer.com.au

Use bulletin boards on the internet to post enticing ‘situation vacant’ messages.

Use the internet and social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Bebo, Youtube and blogs to promote the work of your organisation, your events and volunteering positions available.

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Evaluate

Even the best planned volunteer recruitment campaign may not

immediately result in volunteers racing to your door.

Be realistic about what you can achieve.

Increasing your number of volunteers and raising your organisational

profile can take time, but it is always time well-spent.

Track your results, determine what worked and what didn’t and start

planning now for the next recruitment drive.

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