3 Tips For Recruiting Long-term Volunteers

There are many business and organisations which rely heavily on volunteers. Many charity and heritage organisations rely on volunteers. The Iron Bridge Gorge Musuem Trust is an industrial heritage organisation which runs ten museums and manages 35 historic sites in the Iron Bridge Gorge area in Shropshire. Without the help of volunteers the trust would not be able to operate as it does today. Many of the volunteers have been there for many years so they are doing something right

When it comes to recruiting long term volunteers, let’s be honest, it is hard to do. Getting volunteers on board is tricky enough but keeping them for the long term is even harder. So the questions I have tried to answer in this article are: how do you increase the number of new volunteers? How to increase the volunteer’s commitment to staying long term? How can you increase the effectiveness of volunteers?

Tip 1

If you run an organisation which relies heavily on volunteers as an employer or head of the organisation you need to make sure that each and every volunteer believes they are a valuable resource. Act with them as you would a normal employee. Give them praise when due and make sure you make it clear to them that the work they do is invaluable.

Tip 2

Think about what specific needs you want from volunteers and create titles. Make sure these titles are accurate descriptions of the work that needs to be carried out by that volunteer. Know what you have to offer and tell this to the potential volunteer. Many organisations that use volunteers will offer lunch vouchers or transport costs. Make sure this is made clear and the steps required obtaining these benefits.

Tip 3

Make sure they feel part of the team. If you have employees in your organisation as well as volunteers make sure they are all treated the same. You may need to hold a meeting with the paid employers to ensure they treat volunteers in the same manor. Then whenever a general meeting is held make sure all volunteers are invited so they can have their say.

If your business needs young volunteers it will be worth signing up with the major social and professional networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn if you haven’t already. Young people will find you faster also be able to share their experiences with their friends on link who may also want to join up as a volunteer.

By: Caz

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Farsight Recuitment are a Construction agency for Derby and the Midlands offering Scaffolding Jobs UK and much more.