Methods of screening potential volunteers

Application Forms Application forms are an easy form of initial screening when recruiting new volunteers. Not only will you learn something about the background of an individual, but you may find out exactly what she is looking for in a...

Marketing and recruiting volunteers

While the needs of organizations will differ, the basic steps involved in volunteer recruitment remain essentially the same. Organization must be sure to: identify volunteer and agency needs; create clear volunteer job descriptions; define target volunteer groups; develop a timeline;...

Developing a volunteer program: Initial assessment

Designing and implementing a volunteer program from scratch is not easy but it can be a lot of fun. Similarly, revamping an existing program may be a somewhat stressful task, but with the understanding, input, and cooperation of all, it...

The wide gray lines – Managing volunteer boundaries

"Good Fences Make Good Neighbours" - Robert Frost "Mending Wall" The contemporary gurus tell us we have entered the Information Age. It might as readily be called the Age of Blurred Boundaries. In every realm boundary issues seem to be...

Tricks-of-the-trade: Revamp your recruitment message

"Eat at Joe's Café - We have food we need to sell!" Sound tempting? I didn't think so. Yet easily 90% of all volunteer recruitment ads read much the same way. Their authors focus on what their organizations need rather...

Recruiting volunteers for hard-to-fill positions

We've all been there. We've inherited a program with a ragtag collection of volunteer positions, some based on old expectations of volunteers, some poorly thought out, some created to address a single need that no longer presses, some simply unpleasant...

Five distinct types of fundraising volunteers

Fundraising becomes easier when a nonprofit group has the right array of volunteers. What are the right types? Twenty years of experience have led me to cluster them into five unique styles. 1. The Decision-Makers When decision-makers are good, they...

We must learn to cultivate retirees as a national resource

The place of the retiree in society is emerging as one of the most important subjects for debate in Canada today. As the first of the baby boomers turn 50, retirement is becoming an increasingly important topic, particularly since the...

Treat volunteers as a non-renewable resource

The hours volunteers give to make programs and special events successful, and the fundraising contact they have with your donor base, makes them key spokespersons. Volunteers can be your organization's strongest recruiters, whether for additional volunteers, or for financial contributions....

When is a volunteer ‘burnt out’?

How will you know when you are approaching volunteer burn-out, and what can you do about it? You are approaching "volunteer burn-out" when some important aspect of your personality changes for the worse - and stays there! If you were...
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