#TuesdayTips

Описание: This week's #TuesdayTips come from threads of volunteers sharing their frustrations with trying to volunteer, and why people choose certain organizations over others to share their time and talents.

Three main reasons are clear from various discussions and social media threads in recent weeks:

1. No follow up from the org; most people said they either never got a reply from the org about becoming a volunteer, or the reply was days or weeks too late. If you are a department of one and stretched thin for time and tasks, then state the realistic timeframe that volunteers can expect a response, ideally within 72 hours/3 days. Also, most Volunteer Management Software (VMS) or email marketing programs have automated reply features, so make sure you are using all of the functions of the technology you have to work smarter (not harder) with the volunteer on boarding or screening process.

2. Too many "hoops to jump through"; when potential volunteers do get a reply from the org, there are too many steps or barriers to the process *that were not clear in the recruitment posting*! The good news is this can be solved with having clear information in the recruitment listing, setting and meeting expectations for the volunteers for a reply time, amount of training, if there's a background check, or other steps to the process for each role. With clear information, people can self-select what role with what org is best for them.

3. Ongoing COVID-19 health concerns; we're still in a major death and disabling pandemic in the USA and much of the world, and volunteering for certain high-contact roles doesn't feel safe enough for many people. Make it clear in all advertising and recruitment messaging what safety measures are in place for volunteer roles that are directly working with the public/clients, indoors or outdoors, masking, vaccination requirements, etc. Add or adjust roles be remote, work from home, etc. as much as possible. The biggest demographic many orgs have relied on for volunteers for decades has been retired people. By current COVID impact data, 1 in 13 people or 7.5% of the USA population has either been disabled by or died from COVID, and the majority of those are aged 50 and over.

I've linked a video with this one that explains some steps (SUCCESS) to marketing and messaging for volunteer recruitment, too. If you have been "drawing from the same well" of mostly retired people, expand to new audiences and talent pools for better results. Volunteers should accurately reflective the community your org is working with, and if that's not the case, it takes intention and action to diversify the volunteer pool and strengthen relationships within the community for success.