Recruiting Young Volunteers

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Recruiting Young Volunteers

• Jeanette Bressler, Ph.D., MSW
• Director of Research Temple University CIL

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Civic Involvement by Generation(Keeter, Zukin,
Andolina, Jenkins, 2002)
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Volunteerism among Teens and Young Adults

• There are currently almost 40 million young
  adults between the ages of 15 and 25. This
  generation has the highest rate of volunteerism,
  though they are more likely to volunteer
  episodicallyfor special events or over a
  summerrather than taking on regularly scheduled,
  ongoing volunteer responsibilities.

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Motivation to Volunteer among Youth

• Compassion for those in need and desire to do
  something about it
• Wanting to work for a cause that is important to
  them
• Belief that if they help others, others will help
  them
• Hoping to meet others their age

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Motivation to Volunteer among Youth - continued

• Wanting to volunteer alongside their friends
• Seeking experiences that will enhance their
  applications to college
• Wishing to gain leadership and career skills
• Wanting to be productive during free time

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What Young People Want from Organizations

• Being given important responsibilities
• Being inspired by the organizations leadership
• Knowing what is expected of them
• Having the chance to participate in key decisions
• Seeing the effects of their work

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What Young People Want from Volunteering

• FLEXIVOL
• Flexibility
• Legitimacy
• Ease of Access
• Experience
• Incentives
• Variety
• Organization
• Laughs
• (Gaskin, 1998)

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Tips for Involving Young People as Volunteers

• Work with youth groups, voluntary organizations,
  religious institutions, student government, and
  schools
• Cultivate opportunities for youth to lead and
  teach
• Involve youth in meaningful decision-making and
  planning
• Market your program as an opportunity to meet
  people from diverse backgrounds sell older
  adults as offering diversity and interesting
  life experience

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Tips continued

• Encourage family volunteering young people who
  volunteer along with parents, grandparents and
  siblings are more likely to volunteer on their
  own
• Try to match volunteers interests and abilities
  to the tasks they are asked to do
• Be specific and concrete in your recruitment
  message provide examples of what a volunteer
  might do
• Focus on the benefits to the young person new
  skills, new friends
• Make sure there are plenty of opportunities for
  fun and socialization

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Barriers to Youth Volunteering

• No one asked them
• They dont know how to get involved
• They lack free time and have other commitments
• They arent interested in or feel uncomfortable
  with an issue
• They lack transportation or other support
  services (Points of Light, 1994)

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Shaping Your Message

• Use internet resources to motivate. These sites
  use language to market to youth
• www.youthnoise.com (see next slide for sample
  text from home page)
• http//www.americaspromise.org/youth/index.cfm

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From www.youthnoise.com
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From Americaspromise.org
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Use the internet

• Use the Internet to increase interest in an
  intergenerational topic or in intergenerational
  volunteering.
• A class assignment of searching the Internet for
  local volunteer opportunities in which youth work
  alongside older adults
• Asking students who will be working for a
  meals-on-wheels program to do research on aging
  and nutrition.