subject: 10 Steps To Effective Volunteer Management, Volunteer Recruitment And Recognition Programs [print this page] Volunteer Management programs can often feel overwhelming to develop and deliver. When working with those involved with volunteers, here are the 10 steps I suggest to ensure your volunteer management, volunteer recruitment and recognition program success.
1. START WITH BITE-SIZE PIECES
Here is how to stop yourself feeling overwhelmed at the thought of developing your recruitment, recognition or retention plan. Use a series of mini-plans for tackling one thing at a time? Break down all of your recruitment, retention and recognition programs into smaller, easier bite-size pieces. An example, is to put a recruitment message on every piece of paper that leaves your organization or group. On your brochures, business cards and letters. Then move on to another recruitment idea. Always aim to begin with bite-size pieces.
2. THINK IN TERMS OF MINI-PLANS
Still a further example of a mini-plan is to concentrate on recruiting just one more volunteer to undertake a specific job. Brainstorm a number of ways to explore to fill the position. For example, to find a receptionist, consider targeting secretarial colleges, work experience students, job retraining schemes or recent secretarial retirees?
3. MAKE SURE TO KEEP SCORE
For every mini-plan, design a system to assist you evaluate which strategies are the most effective. You need to keep score. Rate the time and effort involved, the responses and costs to decide on the overall effectiveness for all mini-plans. Keep using what rates well and remove the rest, as your time is better used on methods that give you the results.
4. MAKE SURE TO SEE THE OVERALL VISION
Even when you have a series of mini-plans, you must keep your overall goals and vision in mind. See all mini-plans as a vital part in your complete recruitment, recognition or retention plan. It's all about your jigsaw puzzle in which each piece contributes to a final beautiful picture.
5. ROAD TEST AS YOU GO
Smart businesses select a small market to test a new product before committing more resources and time. If you've a great recruiting or recognition idea, test it first before going ahead on a big scale. For example, say you wish to focus on a large corporation to recruit more volunteers, then you could start with a department in the corporation to focus on and test. Being sure to test all your ideas will help you save time, money and resources. You will find out whether you are moving in the right direction before embarking on a large-scale campaign.
6. TRY AND TEST DIFFERENT IDEAS
Do not be scared to include new approaches in your recognition, recruiting and retention programs. Even though it might not have been attempted before does not mean that it will not be successful. Be innovative and creative. Take risks and then test their value.
7. SEE HOW YOU ARE DOING
Develop a strategy to visually depict how you are progressing at a glance. For example, design a graph that will visually show your progress to your goal number of new recruits in your recruiting plan. As our new recruits come on board, begin filling in the graph. This will keep your motivation going as you move closer to your goals.
8. EVALUATE AND REFINE YOUR PLAN
Continue to evaluate all your recruiting, retention and recognition plans to make sure you are on track. Continue to look for ways to refine every mini-plan. Ask yourself: how can we simplify this? How can we do this better? What do we need to change? Refine your plan while you are learning from experience.
9. HAVE PATIENCE
Even your best designed recruitment plans will not always immediately mean that volunteers will come flocking through the door. Even the most effective recognition and retention campaigns can often take time to produce results. Be realistic about what can be achieved. Continue to tweak and test your ideas and be patient.
10. HAVE FAITH TO REACH YOUR GOALS
Do not be disappointed with setbacks to your plans, they are all part of learning. It is how you deal with and learn from those setbacks that is most vital. There's still an enormous number of potential recruits just wanting to be recruited and retained by you.
USE THESE 10 STEPS FOR PROGRAM SUCCESS
To help you achieve ongoing success, always keep in mind these 10 steps in your programs on volunteer recruitment, volunteer recognition and volunteer management.
