This guide will help you recruit and engage new volunteers by focusing on the values and characteristics of the next generation of leadership. Aligning the goals and objectives of the organization to match your target volunteers will assist in successful volunteer recruitment and retention.
Assess current volunteer opportunities to attract a diverse group.
- Offer opportunities with varying levels of commitment, including different times and methods.
- Create an inventory of available opportunities.
Target specific residents for recruitment with certain skill sets.
- Potential volunteers like to use their skill sets to assist an organization.
- Use existing volunteers to recruit new residents.
Prepare descriptions and next steps for interested volunteers.
- Specific information of what job entails.
- Engage immediately.
Reach out and partner with neighborhood affiliates.
- Use the neighborhood profile tool (available through the neighborhood relations office) to identify partners.
Host an open house or social events to introduce volunteers to your organization.
- Make your association visible with fun, social events using existing volunteers.
- Talk about the mission and vision of the organization.
Ensure that volunteer engagement opportunities allow for meaningful contribution.
- Demonstrate how efforts are bettering the community.
- Volunteers do not want to make a contribution; they want to make a difference.
Create projects that meet the needs of the neighborhood and the individual volunteer.
- Volunteers need to know that the association is invested in them.
- Match skills and abilities with volunteer opportunities.
Create volunteer teams.
- Volunteers like to work in groups and feel connected to others.
- Volunteering is about completing a task and having fun.
Celebrate volunteers.
- Volunteers need to know their contributions are valued. Thank volunteers often.
When engaging a younger generation, it is important for the goals and objectives to be clear and concise. Goals should reflect the mission of the organization and objectives should work toward that goal. The problem isn’t always that younger generations lack commitment, but that the goals are unclear.
Generation X
(Born 1965-1980)
Values
- Contribution
- Feedback and recognition
- Autonomy
- Time with a mentor
- Flexibility
- Work/life balance
- Value outcomes and performance
Characteristics
- Adaptable
- Independent and self-reliant
- Productive
- Comfortable with authority but not impressed with titles
- Technically competent
- Dislike being micromanaged
Generation Y
(Born 1980-1994)
Values
- Self-expression
- Life enjoyment
- Social and family relationships
- Respect is earned
- Change
- Diversity
- Flexibility
- Relaxed work environment
Characteristics
- Adapt rapidly
- Crave change and challenge
- Committed and loyal when dedicated to an idea
- Global in perspective
- Multitasking
- Active involvement
- Like to work in teams
- Like everything now
- Question authority
- Feeling of entitlement
Generation Z
(Born 1994-2004)
Values
- Individualism
- Technology
- Instant action and satisfaction
- Everyone is equal
- Social responsible corporations and products
Characteristics
- Challenge in interpersonal communications
- Self-discovery is important
- Multitasking
- Self directed
- Communicate and have interpersonal relationships via technology
Your organization needs clear direction. In order to chart that direction, it is important to determine the social and physical needs of your organization. Conduct a needs assessment of your organization – what are the concerns, issues and interests? Schedule a meeting to ask questions of your members to set realistic short and long-term goals.
Goal: A goal can simply be defined as a statement of what your neighborhood organization wants to accomplish. What do you want to accomplish over the next two to five years?
Write down a current goal for your organization (Example: To physically improve the neighborhood by implementing a beautification project).
Objective: An objective is a statement that explains how your association will reach its goal. Your objectives need to be specific, address the identified issue or goal, measurable, achievable, realistic and have a deadline.
Write down a current objective for your organization (Example: Create a site plan identifying all the common areas and medians requiring landscaping by September 1).
Setting Goals the 'Smart' Way
Specific: Goals should be simply written and clearly defined. (What, Why and How)
Measurable: Goals should be measurable with evidence that you have accomplished the goal.
Achievable: Goals should be achievable; they should stretch you slightly so you feel challenged, but defined well enough so that you can achieve them.
Realistic: Goals should measure outcomes, not activities.
Time Frame: Goals should be linked to a time frame that creates a sense of urgency, or results in tension between the current reality and the vision of the goal. For example, By December 31, 2013 the ABC Association will increase its paid membership by 5%.
Be Aware of Neighborhood Needs
Through the process of setting goals for your neighborhood organization, the needs of your neighborhood will come into focus. These needs give your organization a purpose and meaning.
Achieve Your Projects
By setting time limits for when you want to finish a project, your organization can anticipate how much work is ahead and set its schedule accordingly.
Strive Toward a Mark
Goal setting keeps your members enthused and motivated. If your association has set a target date to complete a project, then the energy level of members will increase as that target date draws nearer.
Keep Members Active
If your organization has set goals, there will be plenty of projects. If the members of the organization are not busy, then it’s time to get them working to accomplish your existing goals or set new ones. An added benefit is that goals may help maintain member interest and participation in the association.
Questions to consider when recruiting:
- Why does our neighborhood organization want to recruit more volunteers?
- What role do volunteers currently play in the organization and what role could they have?
- What are barriers to volunteers participating with your organization?
- Do we offer new and challenging opportunities that utilize technology?
- Do we provide opportunities for volunteers to learn?
- Do we allow volunteers to be creative with projects and empower them to make decisions?
- Do we provide various options and flexibility to get a task completed by focusing on the end result?
- Is volunteering with your neighborhood organization fun?