Recruit e-learning volunteers
What is the best and fastest way to find new volunteers? What do you need for that? With this e-learning you will learn this and more in six handy steps.
Reading time: 30 minutes
a recruitment plan in six steps
In this e-learning we divide recruiting volunteers into six handy steps. At the end of these six steps you will have a complete recruitment plan. Maybe not every step is applicable or you have already taken it. That's nice, because then you can just skip it.
the 6 steps
1. what is your goal?
Every good plan starts with a goal. Make them as concrete and measurable as possible, for example: 'Within three months I want to find 8 new volunteers in the age group 45 to 50 years for project X.'
This helps you to get to work in a targeted manner, to measure whether you are on course, to make adjustments where necessary and to be able to evaluate.
You may not make it, but that's okay. Shoot for the stars and land on the moon, according to this beautiful English proverb. And also from the things that don't work, you learn how to do it.
Tip : are the tasks as you formulated them still 'of this time'? Would you respond to it yourself? And your neighbor or nephew? Perhaps it is possible to offer more flexibility. Because too little flexibility is the biggest barrier to volunteering. Do a thought experiment: could you do something just once a month? By adjusting your tasks, you can often sharpen or increase your goal.
2. who are you looking for?
Start dreaming. Who would your ideal volunteer be? Think of: interests, traits, age and more. This is what we call a persona (or maybe you have several personas) and it helps you with the next step.
Now that you have a persona, complete it with the requirements:
- Which skills or qualifications are really required? Challenge yourself here: is it really necessary or desired? Can you learn it or does it have to be there already? Realize: the more requirements, the smaller your chance of a match.
- Is there an age limit?
- Also consider mobility, language, etc.
Tip: Personas help you clarify what you are looking for, so that it is easier to address the right person later on. But don't forget to be open to anyone willing to volunteer their time and talent for you!
3. what do you have to offer?
Now it's time to put yourself in your dream volunteer position. Ask yourself: ' Why should my dream volunteer work for me?'
Pessimistic thinking can also help you here. What could prevent my dream volunteer from applying? What doubts does this person have? Hint: the fear of losing too much time, not being able to spend enough time and not being able to keep promises, being nervous about starting in an unfamiliar place or with unfamiliar people, and the fear of not being able to stop much for. So think about how to tackle it. It often helps to name the degrees of freedom, flexibility, guidance, evaluation and whatever else is applicable. Or even better: share an experience story of a current volunteer!
In the article on The Happy volunteer you will find more tips on how to respond to this.
4. HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE TARGET GROUP?
To ensure that your call reaches as many dream volunteers as possible, select the channels and resources that match your persona.
Where is your ideal volunteer located? A few example channels:
- Via via (via colleagues, volunteers, clients, etc.)
- Your own workplace and website
- Social media
- 'Intermediaries' such as the volunteer center, a volunteer platform, neighborhood platform or marketplace
- Newspapers, local leaflets and publications
- Public information places such as the library, town hall, waiting areas for care, etc.
- Events, fairs or local markets
- Online advertisements (Google, social media)
Then choose the resources that suit your chosen channels:
- flyers
- posters
- Online texts
- Videos
- (you can go as crazy as you want here!)
Tip: Use the best combination for you at the moment. So that can change over time. Our favorites are via (link a funny reward to it), your own site and social media and the intermediaries such as NLvoorelkaar, which often have a large reach.
5. the message
Now that you know what you're looking for and what you have to offer, it's time to pour this into an irresistible communication message that immediately appeals to your dream volunteer.
Because a picture often says more than 1,000 words. So start with the image that fits best and evokes emotion. Tip : don't have your own material? Check out the free photo and video banks like Unsplash and Pexels
Then it's time for the text. A few general tips:
- Start your text by answering the 'why' question: why should a volunteer come and make a difference to you?
- Describe specifically what you are looking for. Tell it as you would tell it to your neighbour, which helps to keep your language warm and understandable.
- Overcome the initial fear and appoint how often and when (and the flexibility in this) you ask someone
- Of course you should not forget the benefits of volunteering and your organization
- And conclude with how people can respond. Very obvious but this is sometimes forgotten!
In addition to content, writing style is also important. Match your word choice and sentence structure to your persona. Tip: with this website you can discover whether your texts are B1.
don't forget your network!
The best recruiting trick is still through the grapevine. Through colleagues, volunteers, members and clients. Research has shown that being asked is the way most volunteers get started. And of course your current volunteers are the best to tell you why it's so much fun with you.
And maybe you can stretch it a little bit. Ask your entire network (everyone who is involved in some way or has a warm heart for you) to think of me, forward a newsletter or hang up a poster #dare to ask.
6. How do we get started?
With your recruitment goal, target group, message and resources you can now map out the activities. Are you going to organize an open day? Put your vacancies on your website and NLvoorelkaar? And publish an interview in the local paper?
What suits and is possible depends of course on your resources: time and budget. Use the Pareto principle or the 80-20 rule : 80% of your result is caused by 20% of your time. So start with the activities that will yield you the most with the least amount of time/money.
You can now put all intended actions in a schedule, which forms your recruitment plan:
- Which actions will be carried out, including any repetitions, evaluation, adjustment, etc.
- Division of tasks: who prepares, who executes, who is involved/responsible
- Time planning: when what happens (and depends on each other)
Don't forget to bring the budget!
Tip: Don't forget in your recruitment plan how you are going to follow up on the reactions that will naturally flow in ;-). Where do they come in? Who coordinates and picks up? There's nothing more demotivating than responding to a volunteer job and then getting no response...
Finally, cherish those volunteers
Of course, when you start recruiting, you don't want your efforts to be undone after a short time because volunteers quickly stop. So take good care of your existing volunteers with attention and appreciation. From a quick 'how are you' to a sweet free card if someone has been there for a while, it often costs nothing (also hardly any time) but yields a lot.
KNOWING MORE?
The volunteer landscape is constantly changing. Fortunately, there are many organizations that are keeping a close eye on these changes. Make sure you stay up to date on everything that is going on, so that you can connect even better with your volunteers. The surveys, reports and toolkit below can help you with the recruitment of new volunteers.
trend report volunteering
NLvoorelkaar is researching together with Prof. dr. Dr. Lucas Meijs of Erasmus University annually reports the latest trends in the field of voluntary work, voluntary commitment, self-reliance and loneliness.
volunteer policy and management
You want to keep the recruited volunteers. NOV collects all information about volunteer policy and management.
toolkit boyproof
Whether you are already an experienced youth worker or have yet to start, with this toolkit you have extra tips, materials and tools for recruiting young people for volunteering.
can we help you?
You're in the right place at NLvoorelkaar: we are happy to support you by putting you in touch with all the volunteers in your area easily, quickly and effectively.
On our platform you can:
Post free volunteer jobs
Easily search and find the best volunteers
Find information and tips about working with volunteers