Recruiting Volunteers: Extending Our Reach

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Recruiting Volunteers Extending Our Reach

• Marilyn K. Lesmeister
• Volunteer Development
• Oregon State University Extension 4-H

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Goals Nov. 09 Staff DevelopmentFocus on
Volunteers

• Participants will
• Identify at least 2 ways to involve and/or
  recruit volunteers in the local 4-H program.
• Identify one step they can take toward involving
  a new volunteer (s) in the local 4-H program.
• Discover more ways to support one another in
  professional volunteer program roles.

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Setting the Stage

• In the next 60 minutes, we will
• Review key concepts in groups of people where
  you might do volunteer recruitment
• Consider recruiting volunteers who are not
  currently 4-H volunteersand, for 4-H roles
  beyond the County Fair
• Begin plans for expanding the pool of 4-H
  volunteersthat could be written into our 2010
  Plan of Work!

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Your Dreams?

• If resources were no problem, what 4-H program
• would you
• start or expand?

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Why Recruitment?

• High quality volunteer partnerships,
• and a large quantity of diverse
• volunteer partnerships,
• help achieve a successful
• 4-H program.

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Recruita fresh supply!

• Webster defines recruit as to
• Obtain fresh growthto grow
• Get additional supply
• Fill up, restore
• Reinforce and to invigorate
• Increase the health, vigor or intensity

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Recruitment is the 3rd Step

• 1st Know what you need volunteers, to do.
• 2nd Design a valuable assignment.
• 3rd Decide when, where, how to recruit.
• Susan Ellis, The Volunteer Recruitment Book, 2nd
  Ed. 1996

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What are VALUABLE volunteer roles?

• Describe what a
• valuable volunteer role
• might look like?

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Value is subjective.

• The value of a volunteer role
• is defined by the individual volunteer.
• LISTEN
• to each volunteer
• before assigning him/her to a 4-H role.

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3rd Step Where to begin recruiting?

• Among
• Coffee-groups at a local congregation?
• Employees at the Garden Store?
• Residents at summer motor home park?
• Teen members of the DECA club?
• Discussion
• Add to this list. Name groups in your community
  who have not yet been invited to be volunteers in
  4-H?

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Tasks to accomplish Step 3

• Brainstorm groups of people who may enjoy this
  volunteer role.
• Select the most appropriate technique(s) to
  communicate with that/those audiences.
• Do it!
• Be prepared to applicants to contact you, by
  having time to move through application, being
  ready for their orientation, and having ways for
  them to contribute quickly.
• Susan Ellis, The Volunteer Recruitment Book, 2nd
  Ed. 1996

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Common Messages for all Volunteers

• Have some type of role description.
• Communicate how their role is necessary to the
  4-H program.
• Communicate ways the volunteer will benefit.
• Give sufficient amounts, of appropriate, and
  timely information (e.g., resources, files,
  deadlines) .
• Communicate minimum expectations.
• Allow flexibility to do job creatively. (There is
  usually more than one good way to do everything.)

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Lets Expand Our Reach

• Short Term Volunteers
• Corporate (Business) Volunteers
• Middle Management Volunteers
• Generational Differences in Volunteers (Xers)
• Teen Volunteers
• Family Volunteers

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Short-Term Volunteers

• Key Concepts
• Break big roles into smaller tasks.
• Think about a team getting the job done.
• Provide necessary info files, details.
• A role description isnt always necessary.
• An orientation is necessary.
• What to do? Why to do it? What are resources?
• Keep a file of short-term things to do.
• Ideas? Discussion

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Corporate Volunteers

• Key Concepts
• Prepare. Do your homework. Find a contact.
• Understand the mission of that company.
• Appeal to that mission.
• Whats a example of an appeal?
• Be specific. What type of vols? When? Where?
• Make it easy. Stay in touch.

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Middle-Management Volunteers

• Key Concepts
• Identify things you are currently doing well
• Delegate ?
• Share info liberally
• Support dont interfere
• Examples?
• National Resource
• TAXITaking Anyone into eXpanded Involvement

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Generation X Volunteers

• Key Concepts
• ASK how theyd like to be involved.
• Be ready to answer the question, How does the
  volunteer benefit from this this role?
• How much needs to be included in a role
  description?
• Staff representatives to share ideas?

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Teen Volunteers

• Key Concepts
• ASK what theyd like to do.
• Plan ways for teens to have appropriate
  benefitssuch as career experience, or a way to
  obtain a scholarship reference (by providing
  names and contact info for supervisors where they
  volunteer).
• Be flexible.
• Provide ways for friends to volunteer together.
• Other ideas?

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Family Volunteers

• Key Concepts
• Families participate in 4-H frequently. Are there
  ways to plan family volunteering?
• Plan multi-generational roles.
• Provide a good orientation at beginning of day,
  to outline what everyones role is.
• Make it FUN. ? ? ?
• Purchase Special Event insurance.
• Example Camp Clean-Up (together, prizes,
  separate , fun)

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Do you see new possibilities?

• How can you
• extend your reach through
• new 4-H volunteers?
• Sharing
• Thoughts for your 2010 SOARS Plan of Work?

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Everyone Ready! Seminar

• November 16, a seminar New Approaches to
  Recruitment will be available through Everyone
  Ready!, a national resource for Extension staff
  sponsored by the National 4-H Council and
  Monsanto, Inc.
• 1) Register for Everyone Ready!
• 2) Log in at your convenience.
• 3) Take advantage of national experts.
  Participate, ask questions and share ideas from
  Nov. 16 Dec. 19, 2009.

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Recruiting Volunteers Extending Our Reach

• Marilyn K. Lesmeister
• Volunteer Development
• Oregon State University Extension 4-H