How do you get more volunteers?
Every volunteer organization I’ve been part of has had a a small group of dedicated individuals who wished more people volunteered to help, to distribute the workload.
If you want more people to help, you need the following four things.
- Know specifically what needs you have. “Volunteer to help!” is not effective. Help on the attire team from 6-8pm on Tuesday, April 23 is effective.
- Communicate your needs. Explain why it’s not working without their help.
- Have tools for success available. Up front – before they sign up – describe the tools that you can give them to help succeed. Binders, google docs, pictures, one-on-one meeting time. Whatever it takes for them to feel confident in their success.
- Solicit signups directly. “Jane, can you volunteer for one of these six things?” Followed by, “Sam, Jane just took this item; which of them can you do?”
When I have been in meetings where all four of those things were in place, it’s always been a lot easier to engage volunteers in helping. Then we can all work together to make the world better.