TABLE OF CONTENTS · support clubs in their efforts to recruit and retain the right people, with the right skills, who are available at the right time . “Strong, sustainable clubs

1. Knowledge barriers

Goalofthisbooklet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

MessagefromVIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2. Basic barriers to volunteering

Thetop5listandleveragemotivators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Respondingtothebasicbarriers

a .Notenoughtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

b .Notenoughinformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

c .Notasked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

d .Notclosetohome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

e .Notnecessary:Iboughtapermit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3. Silent barriers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4. Communication barriers

Comparetwoapproachestorecruiting

a .Broadbasedpublicappeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

b .Persontopersoninvitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Extendapersonalrecruitinginvitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5. The rookie volunteer

Atypicalprofile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6. Beating the barriers - last words checklist

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15

02 | OFSC - Volunteers in Action

©2006TheOntarioFederationofSnowmobileClubs(OFSC) .Allrightsreserved .PermissionisgrantedtoOFSCmemberclubstoreproducetheinformationinthispublicationinwholeorinpart .

TheVolunteersinAction(VIA)CommitteereportstotheOFSCBoardofGovernorsandisresponsibleforguidingtheVolunteerDevelopmentProgram .Thecommitteeiscomposedofgrassrootsvolunteerswhofocusonprojectsinvolunteertraining,recruiting,retentionandrecognition .

For more information contact [email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A guide to effective recruiting practices | 03

1. Knowledge barriersGoal of this booklet: More effective recruiting through club volunteer trainingThepurposeofthisbookletistosupportclubsintheireffortstorecruitandretaintherightpeople,withtherightskills,whoareavailableattherighttime .

“Strong, sustainable clubs have an adequate number of volunteers.”

Ensuringthatyourclubhasasupplyofentrylevelvolunteersrequiresasignificantandongoingeffortbyallvolunteers,andaninvestmentoforganizationalresources .Thisshortguidebookaimstobuildpracticalknowledgeabouteffectiverecruitingmethodsandprovidehelpfultips .Usingtheideasandtechniquesdescribed,mostclubvolunteerswillbebetterabletohelppotentialvolunteersrecognizethatsomeoftheirreasonsfornothelpingoutmaybebasedonincorrect,incompleteoroutdatedimpressions .

Since2001theVIACommitteehasbeencollectingvolunteerrecruitmentsuc-cessstoriesfromclubs,andreviewingresearchonvolunteertrendsinOntario .

Sharingthesegreatideaswasthechallenge!

WiththesupportoftheOntarioTrilliumFoundation,thecommitteeispleasedtoprovidethisbookletasatrainingresourcetoOFSCclubs .As‘ambassadors’fororganizedsnowmobilingandtheirlocalclub,clubvolunteersacrosstheprovincecanuse

theinformationinthisguidetohelpbreakdownthebarriers,realorperceived,aboutwhatpre-ventspeoplefromcontributing .Byworkingtogetherwithyourclubexecutiveandvolunteercoordinatoryoucanhaveapowerfulteamtacklingvolunteer

recruitinganddevelopment .

Best wishes for continued success in volunteerism.

Message from the ‘Volunteers in Action’ (VIA) Committeeby Liz and Bruce Robinson

04 | OFSC - Volunteers in Action

2. Basic barriers to volunteeringReasons for not volunteering

Motivators:Overcoming perceived barriers

Thefollowinglistsummarizesthefindingsofasurveyonwhypeopledon’tvolunteerconduct-edatseverallocationsduring2005-2006byVIAwithnon-volunteeringsnowmobileriders .Therespondentscouldcheck

offoneormorebarriersfromalistofninefactors .Belowarethetop4selections .Itisencouragingtoobservethatonly7%saidthattheywere“notinterested” .Thepercent-agesinthisstudyaresimilartotheresultsofthe2000CanadianCensuswhichreportedon“ReasonsForNotVolunteering” .

Thesamesurveyasked“Whatmightattractyoutobecomeavolunteer?”Understandingthereasonswhypeoplevolunteerhelpsyoutapintotheirinternalmotivatorswhichyoucanusetostimulateinterestandencourageparticipation .

Aswiththebarrierspercentagelistabove,becauserespondentscouldselectoneormorereasons,thepercentageswillnotaddto100% .

Tip:Whenpractical,trytoincludethesepositivereasonsinyourrecruitingmessagestoleverageinvolvement .

a. Not enough time 39%

b. Not know how to get involved

d. Not close to my home

c. Not been asked

e. “I bought a permit.”

a. Believe in the club 58%

b. Improve trails 54%

c. Use my skills 50%

e. Be outdoors 33%

d. Be with/make friends

42%

2. Responding to the basic barriers:2a. Not enough timeThiscommonlycitedbarriercanstemfromseveralverydifferentfactorsthatmayberootedinoutdatedassumptionsaboutvolunteering .Yourchallengeistolearnwhatspecificallytheirperceivedtimebarrieris .Whenappropriate,offerexamplestothepotentialvolunteertoincreasetheiraware-nessofthevarietyofvolunteeropportunities

thatrequireonlyafewhourseachseason .

Ask why they don’t have enough time, and you may find two time barrier factors.

A guide to effective recruiting practices | 05

“ When it comes to volunteering, it seems that a few folks have ‘the earth is flat’ out-dated ideas. My gift is to open the door for potential volunteers to a wealth of new possibilities for helping out.”

Rose Vanstrien, Thamesford S/C.

TIMEBARRIER ONE“ I can’t commit hours and hours of time or help throughout the whole year.”

Thepressuresofmodernlifearereflectedinanewtrendinvolun-teerism .Accordingtothe2002CanadianCensus,75%ofthepeoplewhovolunteerdosoforonlyafewhours(under20)eachyear .Thus,75%ofyournewvolunteersarelikelytobeofthis“Episodic”type .

Giventhebusypaceofmostpeople’slivesthislimitationistobeexpected .Sohowcanyouencour-ageandwelcomethesepeople?

ThefirsttaskmaybetoassessthewillingnessoftheclubtoworkwithEpisodicvolunteers .Iftheclubisnotcommittedtosupportandvaluethistypeofcontribution,recruitingwillbeveryrestricted .Formoreinformationseethesectioninthisbookletcalled“SilentBarriers” .

FACT:

75%of volunteers are Episodic

2. Responding to the basic barriers2a. Not enough time (continued)How can the club invite and involve episodic voulunteers?

06 | OFSC - Volunteers in Action A guide to effective recruiting practices | 07

1. Beginyourrecruitingcampaignwellbeforehelpisneeded .

2. Whenrecruiting,suggestthatmanytaskscanbecompletedathomeandoveraperiodoftimethatprovidesflexibility .

3. Offerpotentialvolunteersaclubcalendar(socialevents,workdays,etc .)tohelpthemfityouractivitiesintotheirschedule .

4. Letthemknowit’sOKnottoattendallclubmeetings .

Keepintouch;regularcommunicationhelpsensuretheyfeelconnectedandawareofcluboperationsandsocialevents .

1. Include ‘time focused’ wordsinyourrecruitingmessagelike:“…..only a few hours would be a big help”or“Even just a day, is A-OK” .

2. Promote awareness of the wide variety of club tasksthatcanbecompletedinshorttimeperiodssuchassingledayevents .Offer“jobsharing”orbreakBIGjobsintosmallerunits .

3. Start building relationshipsbyinvitingpotentialvolunteerstosocialevents .

4. Provide a club mentortonurtureasenseofbelonging .

5. Supply brief trainingtimestobuildconfidence .

6. Use recognition to motivatelargercontributions .

Remember,theseentrylevelvolunteerscanbethesourceoffutureclubdirectorsiftheyareencouragedto‘grow’withintheorganization .

Withtheincreasinguseoftheinternet,morepeopleareabletovolunteertheirtimebycompletingworkathome .Severalvitalclubfunctionssuchasadministration,newsletterpublishing,webmain-tenance,orpersonallyphoningmemberscanbescheduledtosuitthetimelinesofvolunteers .

TIME BARRIER TWO

“ I’m not available at the right time.”

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06 | OFSC - Volunteers in Action A guide to effective recruiting practices | 07

“ Since we started putting the volunteer invitation and contact info for the Club Volunteer Coordinator on the web page, we are getting on average one new volunteer inquiry each month!”

Claudio Sulpizi, Blue Mountain S/C

2. Responding to the basic barriers2b. Not enough informationTwofactorscanlimitinvolvement:notknow-inghowtocontacttheclubornotknowinghowtohelptheclub .Thissecondleadingbarriermayseembafflingtolongservingvolunteersbutconsiderthatmanypeoplearenotfamiliarwiththe‘behindthescenes’partofcluboperationsorareuncertainaboutwheretheywouldfitin .Removingthisbarrieriswellwithinthecontroloftheclubandcanbeeasytofix .

Today,peopleareinundatedwithcom-mercialprintflyersandTVadstell-ingthemtobuythisordothat .Theseconstantimpersonalappealsforactioncancreatealevelofindifferenceorresis-tancethat’shardtoovercome .Often,amoredirectpersonalrecruitingapproachmaybenecessary .Overonequarterofsurveyedpermitholdershavetheopinionthatiftheywerereallyneededorwanted,theclubwouldaskthem .Thismayexplainthesuccessofphonecampaigns .

1. Tell them how:CraftarecruitingmessagethatalwaysincludesavarietyofeasywaysforpotentialvolunteerstocontacttheVolunteerCoordinator(Including-address,email,orphoneifappropriate) .

2 . Tell them often:Don’tmissanyopportunitytoextendawarminvitationtohelpbuildthebesttrailsystemandoperatethebestclub(Include-maps,website,mailings,PSAs,media,communitypresentationsandevents) .

3. Tell them what:Listthevarietyofvolunteertasksavailableandreassurethemthattrainingisavailable(Recruitsmayneedanorientation) .

4. Make a match:YourWelcomingCommitteemustpromptlyrespondtoquestions,outlineopportunitiesandexpectationsandgathertheircontactinformation .Inordertosecureastrongcommitmentfromanewvolunteeritisvitaltomatchtheirneeds,interestsandskillswiththecorrectposition .

“ It seems simple.......... every club volunteer is always keeping an eye out for indi-viduals who could be valuable contributors and personally asking them to consider helping the club.”

Joe Bras, District 14 Governor

Buddy System:Viewedfromadifferentperspective,thisbarriercanberelatedtooneofthemostfundamentalaspectsofvolunteering-interpersonalrelation-ships .Somepeoplearereluctanttosignuptohelpoutwhentheydon’tknowanyone;itcanbeaverysignificanthurdle .Apersonalinvitationprovidesthepotentialrecruitwithatleastoneclubvolunteerthattheynowknowwhocanserveastheirmentor .

2c. Not been personally asked to volunteer

TOP TIPS

2. Responding to the basic barriers2d. Not close to my homeTheappealofgetting“outofthecity”isoneofthemotiva-torsthatspurpeopletobuyacottage,orgotrailriding .Partofthatattractionisaboutre-connectingtotheirruralroots,beingpartofasmallercommunity,orjustgettingoutdoors .Thesemotivatorsholdtrueforvolunteeringwithruralandnorthernclubs .Whilemanyoftheseweekendvisitorsareunabletoattendsomefunctions,theycanbringawealthofskillsandknowledge .Increasinglythe“longdistance”contributorcancompleteavarietyofvaluabletasksfromhomeusingtheinternetas“VirtualVolunteers” .

A guide to effective recruiting practices | 0908 | OFSC - Volunteers in Action

“ It’s interesting that 25% of Canadians volunteer, yet only 3 to 4 % of snow-mobile trail riders choose to volunteer with a club. I can only guess why... but maybe it is because we haven’t tooted our own horn enough?”

Bob Bawtinhimer District Volunteer Coordinator,

Northern Corridor S/A

2e. Not necessary to volunteer: I bought a permitOrganizedsnowmobilingisstrongandsustainablebecauseoftwovitalfactors:theuserpaysystemanddedicatedvolunteers .Ridersthatpurchaseatrailpermitandbelieve“…thereforeIdon’tneedtovolunteer”,failtorecognizethatsecondessentialfactor,volunteerism .Yourrecruitingmessageshouldaddressthismis-guidedattitudethatappearstoexcusetheirpossibleserviceresponsibilities .

“ Agri-tourism has city folks come and work on the farm..... We should look at our fall trail building work in the same way? Those people would need some supervision....but it could be a way to bring new out-of-towners into the club.”

Gerry Hughes, Treasurer, Muskoka Snowmobile Region

Help riders:

1. Understand the Value-Clubsare“PoweredbyPermits”and“DrivenbyVolunteers” .Qualitytrailsoperatedbynonprofitclubsofferoutstandingvaluebecauseofvolunteers;don’tmissanyopportunitytoremindridersofthiseconomicfact .Increasingawarenessisalogicalrecruitingstartingpoint .

2. Understand the Benefits-Beingavolunteerbringsavarietyofenrichingexperiences:fellowshipandnewfriends,orasenseofachievementtonameafew .Useyourphotostoshowoffthoseintrinsicvolunteermotivators .Onlypicturesofsmilingfacescanconveythefunorteamspiritvolunteersfeel .Sellthenotionthatbecauseoftheirservicewiththeclub,volunteersenjoyandarerewardedwithawholelotmorethanjustagreattrailexperience!

3. Understand the Need-54%ofthosesurveyedsaidtheywouldhelptheclubto“Improvethetrails” .Tapintothatmotivationwithphraseslike:“Makeadifference”,or“Yourparticipationasavolunteerhelpsensurethebesttrailsever” .Listandbrieflydescribespecifictasksthatrequiremorevolunteers .

TOP TIPS

Share this “glass is ¾ full” notion with riders who use the ‘bought a permit’ barrier.

Why settle for just a great ride?

3. Silent barriersAseldomdiscussedbarriertoattractingnewclubvolunteersisassociatedwiththegeneralimpressionorperceptionoftheclubasawholebypotentialvolunteersinthecommunity .Howwelltheclubwelcomesnewrecruits,orensuresapositiveandopenworkingatmospherecanbeadifficulttopictoevaluateordiscuss .Ifanegativeclubimageorperceptionproblemdoesexist,thenleftunexaminedandunaddresseditcanbeasignificantsilentbarriertoincreasedparticipation .


An International Year of the Volun-teer study found that 51% of people said that the ‘atmosphere within the organiza-tion’ greatly affected their decision to volunteer with an organization.

Is it helpful to ask.....Whowouldchoosetoservewithaclubwhoappearstohaveapublicimagethat:

• Iscontrolledbystressedoutworkaholicswhoseemunwillingtoshareresponsibilitythroughdelegationandmentoring?

• Isclosedto“Outsiders”orrejectspotentialvolunteersthatcancontributeonlyafewhourseachseason?

• Islimitedinitswillingnesstoinvestingraciousdemonstrationsofappreciation?

• Ismiredinnegativity,pettypoliticsanddomineeringpersonalities?

• Isunabletohaveahealthybalancebetweenabusiness-likeapproachtocluboperationsandafunfilledsocialdimension?

ResourcesUseChapter1oftheClubVolunteerCoordinator’sR&RGuidebook,availablefromyourdistrict,tohelpgeneratediscussioninthiscriticalorganizationaldevelopmentarea .

VisittheVOLTSwebsiteandseethesectiononClubClimate .

4. Communication barriersThe message:InformationontheBasicBarriershasprovidedyouwiththerawmaterialfordevelopinga‘recruitingmessage’ .Thatmessagewillvarydependingontheaudience(Example:speakingtoyouthvs .aprintmediareleaseforthegeneralpublic),themedium(Example:shortwebitemvs .detailedarticlesinaclubnewsletter),andthetimeofyear .

Preparingapowerfulrecruitingmessagerequiresgoodcommunicationandmarketingskills .Aneffectivemessageisfocusedonpromptingaction .Itshouldgivecleardirectionaboutwhattodo:“EmailourVolunteerCoordinator”,“Returntheenclosedcard”or“Clickonthe‘Apply’button” .

The medium:Therearetwotypesoftransmissionmethods,eachwiththeirownpro’sandcon’s;a) Broad Based b) Person to Person .Formaximumeffectacombinationofbothisnecessary .Overcomingcommunicationbarriersforrecruitinglieswellwithinthecontrolandscopeofcluboperations .

WorkingwithyourClubVolunteerCoordinator(CVC),haveaclubdiscussionaboutwhichapproachesbestsuittheneedsofyoursituationandsummarizethoserecruitingactivitiesinastepbystepworkplanoutline .


4a) Broad based recruiting

Thiscommonandtraditionalapproachcarriesyourmessagetoahugenumberofpeople,buttypicallyyieldsveryfewresponses .

Examples:Purchasedprintadspace,websites,maps,MediaReleases-PSA’s,participatingincommunityevents,membermailings,presentationstocommunityagencies,postersinschoolsandpublicplaces,andinformationatpermitoutletsanddealerships .

• Raisesoverallawareness&supportinthecommunityabouttheclub’swork

• Onepersoncanorganizeacampaign

• Reachesnon-snowmobiliers-over5%ofclubvol-unteersarenottrailriders

Pros

• Requirestimeandfinancialresources

• Takesmanyrepetitionstohaveeffect

• Craftingamessagerequiresgoodmarketingandcommunicationskills

• Verylownumberorresponses

Cons

Response rate

4. Communication barriers4b) Person to person recruiting (P2P)

What is it?

Aclubvolunteerextendsapersonalinvitationtoapotentialvolunteer .

How does it work?

Allclubvolunteersareonthelookoutforindividualswhocouldbegreatcontributorstotheclub .Whenaclubvolunteergetstoknowapotentialvol-unteer,theycanofferinformationabout


1. Recruitingisaresponsibilitythatmustbesharedbyall .

2. TryingademonstrationofP2Pataclubmeetingcanhelpsomepeopletoovercometheirreluctancetogiveitatry .

3. GivingeachclubvolunteeraP2Pbrochurecanhelppromptactionandpromoterecruitingconfidence .

4. Apositiveandinvitingtonefortheinviteisessential!

25+

Response rate

whytheyhaveenjoyedservingwiththeclubandhowtheclubwouldbenefitfromtheirassistanceinarolethatmatchestheirinterestsandabilities .

Are clubs using this approach?

The2004VIA-AGMsurveydiscoveredthatonly28%ofclubsareactivelyusingthis

highlyeffectiverecruitingmethod .

• Virtuallynocost

• Free‘AidtoP2PRecruiting’brochuresareavailableforyourvolunteersfromVIA

• Offerstargeted/selectiveapproach

• Canbeusedbyallvolunteers

• Canoccurthroughouttheyear

• Buildsrelationshipwithnewrecruits

• MayrequiresomecoachingandencouragementsomorevolunteersareawareofthePersontoPersonmethodandarecomfortabletryingit

ConsPros

Key resource: The ‘Aid to P2P Recruiting’ brochure (French version available)

• HelpstomotivateclubvolunteerstousetheP2Pmethod

• Coversvolunteeringinfoon:Reasons&Benefits,Tasks,andClubs

• Hasapouchtocarryyourclubeventscalendarandinvitationletter

• Offersatear-offApplicationFormtocollectcontactinformation

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%

6 Key Elements Phrases that may help build your own invite

1. Opener • “Seemstomethatyoumightenjoyvolunteeringwithoursnowmobileclub . . . . . . . .”

• “I’dliketoinviteyoutothinkabouthelpingoutwithourclub . . . . . . . . .”

2. Personal Benefits • “I’vebeenwiththeclubfor___yearsandIhavereallyenjoyed . . . . .(thepeople,trailwork,etc) .”

• “Ihavefoundthe____workveryrewardingandIthinktheclubvolunteersareagreatgroupofpeople .”

3. Specific Tasks • “Therearelotsofdifferentthingstodo,butrightnowweneeda_____(position)ora_____ .”

• “Therearelotsofthingstodothatrequireonlyafewhours,orcouldbecompletedathome .”

• “Thenext________(workday,meeting,event)is___________(date) .Icouldgiveyoualiftthere .”

4. Give it some thought • “Here’sourbrochurethattellsaboutvolunteering,andontheinsideisabitofinformationabouttheclub,datesandsoon .OurVolunteerCoordinator’scontactinfoisalsolistedthereifyouhavequestionsaboutwhat’sinvolvedinhelpingout .”

• “I’llputmyemailandtelephoneinfointhisspaceonthebackofthebrochuresoifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasegivemeacall .”

5. We’ll keep in touch • “Ifyouareinterestedinhelpingout,justfillintheformonthebackof follow-up thebrochureandIwillpassitontotheclub’sVolunteerCoordinator andthey’llgiveyouacall .”

• “Giveitsomethought,andIwilltouchbasenextweek .”(Getbackintouchpersonallywhenyousaidyouwould .Itshowsyoucareandmakesthepersonfeelimportant .)

6. Wrap up • “Iknowtheclubwill/wouldappreciateyourhelp .”


4. Communication barriers

4b) Person to person recruiting (P2P)Speaking points for extending a personal invitation

5. The Rookie volunteer:A typical profileWhat they give:

• Usuallymakeasmallnumberofshorttimeduration(episodic)commitments

• Oftenvolunteerforseveraldifferentnon-profitsorcommunityprojects

• Enthusiasmisprimarilyforaspecificprojectorclubevent(Ex .Snowarama)

What they want:

• Awelldefinedjobdescriptionthatmakesgooduseoftheirtimeandabilities

• Anopportunitytousetheirskills

• Trainingthatenhancestheirabilitytodoagreatjob

• Toservewithanappropriatelevelofassignedresponsibility,supportandsupervision

• Anenvironmentwheretheyfeelencour-agedtoaskquestionsandofferideas

• Tasksthatmayprovideachancetovolunteerwiththeirfamilyorfriends

• Motivatedbyrecognition

Targeted recruitingThisapproachincreasesyourchancesofsuccessbyselectingaparticulargroupwitheitherahighparticipationrateoravestedinterest .YouthandRetiredfolksaretwogoodexamplesofrecruitingtargets .Byfocusingonatargetyoucantailoryourrecruitingmes-sagetobestappealtothatgroup .

Example:Ifyoudeterminethatincreasedinvolvementoffamilieswouldstrengthentheclub,thentargetyoureffortsbyhavingarecruitingposteratthecommunitycenterthatincludesphotosofhappyclubvolun-teerswhoarewomen,couplesandfamilies .Provideseveralmethodstocontacttheclub(ClubVolunteerCoordinator)andlistspe-cific,definedavailabletaskswhichappealtoandsuitthattargetgroup .


Did you know?

The highest participating age group is 17 to 24 year olds with 37% of that youth population choosing to volunteer!

(2002CanadianCensusData)

Recruit the right person:

Recruit someone who can dedicate a solid effort to the Club Volunteer Coordinator position.Thereisalotinvolvedinsuccessfulrecruiting . . . .whowillleadthatvitalclubfunction?HelpandencourageyourVolunteerCoordi-nator,andensuretheygettrainingontheR&RGuidebook-BuildingaPlan

Who will drive your volunteer work?

Map out a plan for the club on recruiting:

Don’t leave it to chance! Usethestrat-egiesdescribedinthisbooklettoguidetheplanningprocess .Willrecruitingbeoneofyourtopprioritiesandreceivehu-manandfinancialresources?Aneffectiveplanisbuiltthroughdiscussion .Itmusthavetheunderstandingandbuy-infromallclubvolunteers .

Just Ask:

27%ofsurveyrespondentssaidtheywouldvolunteerifsomeonepersonallyaskedthem!

Be prepared for the Episodic volunteer:

EverywinningprosportfranchisehasasupplyofRookiesbeingbroughtupthroughtheranks .YourEpisodic‘farmteam’needstofeelthattheyaremak-ingavaluedcontributionevenifitisinshortbursts .GetreadyforEpisodictypevolunteersbyusingthestrategiesdescribedonpage6ofthisbooklet .

Sell the experience - Get some PEP working for you:

• Use the “Public Education Program”(PEP)packagewithaDVDandpre-sentationspeakingnotestohelpyoubetterinformyourcommunityabouttheworkoftheclub .Tellthemaboutwhyvolunteersareneededandthebenefitsofserving .

• Use the Media PSA’s and write Media Releasestopromoteapositiveim-ageoftheclubandorganizedsnowmobilinginyourarea .

Make it easy to sign up: Almost1in3surveyrespondentssaidthat“notknowinghowtogetinvolved”

preventedthemfromvolunteering .


6. Beating the barriers: last words checklist

Persistence and Patience:

Reachingpeoplewithyourpositivemessagetakestime,andalteringat-titudestakesevenlonger .Sodon’tgiveup;stickatit . . . . . . . . .ittakesawhileforthenotionofbeingavolunteertosinkinandforresultstooccur .

Rate your responsiveness

Set the hook:Everyfishermanknowsthatifyoudon’tsetthehookquicklyafteranibble . . . . .thefishwillgetaway .Toooftenexcellentpotentialvolun-teershavelamentedthattheyleftamessageoremailedtheclubwantingtohelpoutbutnoonereturnedtheircall .Researchsuggeststhatifanin-quirygoesunansweredformorethanaweek,thepotentialvolunteerwillfindsomewhereelsetoserve .Howdoesyourclubreceiveandrespondtovolunteerinquiries?


Make a match - Get them involved right away:

Theysignedontodosomething,somakeagoodfirstimpressionbytakingthetimetogettoknowthemandthenmatchingtheirskillsandinterestswiththerighttask .Offerthemenoughinformationontheclubsotheygetabasicunderstandingofhowthingsworkandwhodoeswhat .Eveniftheycan’tstarttheirparticulartaskrightaway,youhavemadethemfeelthattheyarepartoftheclubandinvolved .Abigpartofvolunteeringisbasedoninter-personalrelationships .Ittakestimetofosterasenseofbelonging . . . . .butitallstartswithyourfirstinteraction .

Piggyback on high profile events:

Takeadvantageofthehypeandinterestassociatedwithcommunityorna-tionaleventssuchas“NationalVolunteerRecognitionWeek”inthethirdweekofApril .Peoplearemorelikelytovolunteerwithanorganizationthattakesthetimetograciouslyhonourtheirvolunteerswithpublicrecognition .

NVW “National Volunteer

Words are important:

Whenwritingyourrecruitingmessageconsidertheimpressionsomewordscangive .Forexample,“Weneedvolunteers”cansounddesperateordemanding .“Newvolunteersarewelcome”soundsmorepositiveandselfassured .Certainlyitiswisetoavoidthreateningstatementssuchas“Weareclosingthetrailsifwedon’tgetmorevolunteers” .

Recognition Week”

I’m a believer: Since our club started using the recruiting tips that the Volunteers in Action Committee has promoted through their training programs, the increase in recruiting success at the club has been dramatic.

Cindy Bendle, Volunteer Coordinator, Hillsburgh Snow Roamers S/C

We were stressed and feeling burnt out. We finally realized that we needed to do a better job of recruiting in order for the club to survive. Luckily one of our most effective recruiting efforts is a social...so not only do we attract new people but we are having fun while we’re at it!

Vicky Cooper, Secretary, Bluewater Town and Country S/C

Could this be one of your new volunteers?I’m a new volunteer this season and glad for it. I filled out an on-line applica-tion form on the club’s website...and the very next night I got a welcoming email from the Volunteer Coordinator. Even though there was no work for me at that point I was invited to attend a meeting and introduced to the Execu-tive.... they all seemed so glad to meet me. I read through my orientation package and was surprised how much work goes into running a club! I’ve helped a couple of times this season, at a fundraiser and one day tearing down signage ....it was a hoot.

Best of all I’ve made a few new friends and they are great to go riding with. All and all I would recommend it, in fact I’m going to ask my friend to start volunteering too. As a young woman, I admit I had reservations about signing up, but I am so pleased with my club... the way they made me feel part of the group and appreciated.

The Volunteers in Action Committee on behalf of the OFSC gratefully acknowledges the

financial support for this training booklet from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, receives annually $100 million

of government funding generated through Ontario’s charity casino initiative.

The Volunteers in Action Committee on behalf of the OFSC gratefully acknowledges the

financial support for this training booklet from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, receives annually $100 million

of government funding generated through Ontario’s charity casino initiative.

Contact the ONTARIO FEDERATION OF SNOWMOBILE CLUBS:Phone:705-739-7669Fax:705-739-5005

Email:volunteer@ofsc .on .caOnline:www .ofsc .on .ca

Documents

TABLE OF CONTENTS · support clubs in their efforts to recruit and retain the right people, with the right skills, who are available at the right time . “Strong, sustainable clubs