newsletter3.htm

Welcome to Issue No 3! We have been truly delighted with the enormous number of people who have signed up for this newsletter. So keep spreading the word and we will keep giving you 'quick read' ideas and tips to help you gain, sustain and retain more volunteers.

The surest way to increase your chances of getting your goals is to write them down in detail.

Goal Setting Tips To Focus and Increase Your Volunteer Recruitment and Retention

Over 90% of people never engage in any goal setting activities during their life-time. Setting goals is an essential part of any volunteer recruitment, retention and recognition plan - yet few people do it. Let's look at 5 ideas to really focus your volunteer recruitment and retention for the coming year.

Too many people talk about their goals and never write them down. Goals not written down are just wishful thoughts. Committing them to writing is the fastest way to move goals from your head, to hand, to paper and to focus your energy and drive.

Keep it to a few 'quality' goals that you are committed to rather than lots of 'quantity' goals. Otherwise, you only end up discouraged with a long 'to do' list which is nearly impossible to achieve. Right now, stop reading and write down just 3 goals - 1 volunteer recruitment goal, 1 volunteer retention goal and 1 volunteer recognition goal.

At our 'ultimate ideas' workshops we ask people to get specific on just 1 recruitment, retention and recognition goal for the next 12 months. Often the goals begin as very general - 'I want to recruit more volunteers' 'I want to retain more volunteers'. By asking a series of questions we take these from general statements to specifically targeted goals. Look at your 3 goals and ask some specific questions. For example, if 1 goal is to recruit more volunteers, ask:

How many hours of volunteer time are needed from these new volunteers? 5, 10 or 20 hours?

The more questions answered, the more you can refine your goals and focus your recruitment efforts. So your goal may be to recruit 20 more male volunteers aged 45 to 65 years with people based skills to befriend and visit older men in nursing homes for up to 2 hours per week.

Brainstorm an action list of everything you can think of that will need to happen to achieve each goal. Look at your list and organize it into an action plan - what you need to do first, second and so on. Now attach a deadline next to each action as it will force your subconscious to begin the process NOW of moving towards your goals. Here is 1 tip to recruit those 20 males - save your energy and go where you will have the most success. Target males who already have a caring mindset, they are more likely to be responsive to this type of volunteering role for men - they are already 'sold on the idea'. Mature age males undertaking university studies in psychology, social work and other caring professions would be a focussed target group to begin with.

Finally, remember that your goals do not exist in a vacuum so aim to engage others in achieving these goals. The best people to assist you in recruiting, retaining and recognizing volunteers are your current volunteers. Have you developed a recruiting team or recognizing team of volunteers whose only role is to assist in achieving those recruitment, retention and recognition goals. Why not start by letting all your volunteers know how to subscribe to this newsletter then after each issue ask them for their feedback on these ideas - What ideas would work well in our organization? What other ideas do you have? Take every opportunity to involve your volunteers.

BONUS! How would you like to be even more successful in your recruitment efforts? Then just email us a very SPECIFIC recruitment goal for this year. Several lucky readers will receive a FREE 'target' consultation idea, published in the next newsletter, where we will show you how to 'target market' your recruitment efforts to really focus and capture those volunteers you want.

Be aware of societal trends and how they can impact upon your current and future volunteers. The greater your responsiveness to these trends and the needs of different volunteers, the more successful your long-term volunteer recruitment, retention and recognition program.

In our recent Australian workshop tour, participants identified over 100+ trends affecting volunteering now and in the future. In further issues of this newsletter we will consider more of these trends but let's quickly look at 7 important trends.

The traditional definition of a family is undergoing rapid transformation.There are now more single parent families, blended and step families, and family units with same-sex parents. Many couples are delaying childbirth or deciding not to have children, and more people are choosing to remain single and live alone. Ask yourself how you can adapt your recruitment strategies to benefit from these trends.

Did you know that only one-third of the workforce still work “standard” hours of 9 to 5, Monday to Friday? There are more women working, more casual and part-time workers, and more home-based businesses than ever before. Fewer people now hold a job for life, and most people now change careers several times during their working lives. Get your creative juices flowing and explore ways to make these trends work for you.

Changing business relationships

Have you heard the latest buzz words in the corporate world – “triple bottom line”? Companies are now reviewing their performances not only in terms of profits, but also by their environmental record and their contribution to the community. Consumers are choosing to support businesses that are both environmentally and socially responsible. This trend has created exciting possibilities to form community based business partnerships between business and the voluntary sector.

Changing lifestyles of the Baby Boomers

Remember the Baby Boomers because of their sheer size and numbers are a very formidable force and will continue to reshape and redefine volunteering. You can read more about Baby Boomers and Volunteering in our newsletter sign-up bonus Article No 2 and BOOMNET Report

In our increasingly litigious society, the threat of litigation may deter some volunteers, as nobody likes the idea of being sued. Maintain adequate insurance cover and reassure potential volunteers that they are covered under your motor vehicle, professional indemnity, personal accident and public liability policies.

More and more people are using the internet to search for volunteering opporunities. If your message isn't there, potential volunteers will be slipping through the net. As well as searching for volunteer roles, people are also using technology to carry out volunteer work online. The range of online volunteering assignments is only limited by your imagination.

Technology promised us increased leisure time, a more relaxed lifestyle and less stress. We may have got just the opposite! Mobile phones and email have made us continuously contactable. People have become 'time-strapped', feeling they have no time for their families, let alone for voluntary work. Be aware of these factors and focus on providing volunteering projects that allow people to feel 'time enriched' rather than 'time poor'.

Want to keep volunteers who are feeling time poor coming back again and again? You have to be very creative in finding ways to give them back time - here is 1 idea from the field. In 1 organization, in exchange for 3 hours of volunteer work each week, another 'fruit and vege' volunteer takes orders each week and buys fresh fruit and vegetables in bulk for all the other volunteers at the local markets. Buying in bulk means that all the volunteers save money and volunteers know that they don't have to worry about finding additional time to shop.

Dr Judy Esmond is a leading expert on how to gain, sustain and retain volunteers. She is author of best selling books and numerous research reports on recruiting, retaining, recognizing and rewarding volunteers. Subscribe to her 'Ultimate Ideas' Newsletter filled with 100s of ideas on volunteer recruitment, retention and recognition at www.mtd4u.com

Want to reprint part or all this newsletter for non-commerical use? We would be happy for you to do so. Please ensure to always include the above signature line in its entirety.

Just email Judy with the details and please direct a courtesy copy to judy@mtd4u.com or by mail to: Dr Judy Esmond PO Box 402 Victoria Park, WA 6979

Do you have ideas, suggestions or questions on volunteer recruitment, volunteer retention and volunteer recognition that you would like to share? We would be delighted to hear from you and will acknowledge any ideas, questions and answers published. Just email judy@mtd4u.com now.