Recruiting Volunteers: The Lifeblood of Nonprofits
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posted by Shelley Gillespie, Venture Court Productions, President |
Nonprofits love volunteers. After all, they are the lifeblood of many organizations. When budgets are tight— and they always are with nonprofits— volunteers take up the slack.
So, how do you recruit volunteers who will integrate well with your paid staff, perform the functions they are assigned, and stick around?
Recruiting those committed and talented volunteers does take time and a strategic approach.
An example from my past— I was a regular volunteer for my alumni organization and usually said, "Yes" when asked for anything. At one meeting, I was asked to run a particular volunteer effort and said, "Yes," without really thinking about it. As the officer who had asked me walked away, I suddenly realized that the volunteer position was going to take place during the time my son was scheduled for an extensive surgery and recovery period. Not a good time to volunteer.
So, I quickly found the officer and explained that I wouldn’t be available this time. She looked put out and walked away.
Did they ask me to volunteer again? No, they did not. I subsequently took my volunteer efforts elsewhere.