Blog #2 – here we go! So, if you attended the 2017 UCT Convention, then you also heard from our Wednesday morning presenter, Julie Vreeland from MAVA (Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration) on The Right Stuff – Recruiting and Retaining the “Right” Members. In case you weren’t able to be there, we’ve put together some key takeaways for you and your councils! Now you can understand the two blogs; there’s just so much great information to share! Keep reading…
Julie Vreeland – The Right Stuff – Recruiting and Retaining the “Right” Members
- What is Member Recruitment? It is a process to attract and invite people to consider involvement with your organization
- The Most Revealing Stats About Recruitment:
- #1 way to recruit members: Personal Ask
- Among those who were asked by someone to volunteer, 50% were asked by a friend
- Among those who learned about their member activity through participation in an organization, 56% learned of it through their place of worship
- Reasons for Members to Volunteer:
- Over 96% percent listed feeling compassion toward people as an important reason to volunteer.
- 91% volunteered as a way of giving back to the community.
- Just over 90% were motivated to volunteer because they believed that those who have more should help those with less, while 83.2% reported volunteering as an important activity to people they respect.
- Less frequently identified as motivations for volunteering were that someone close to the volunteer was involved or would benefit from the activity (68.7%) and to meet new people (66.4%).
- Key Concepts:
- You must address member barriers before you reach your potential in membership recruitment. Until you identify and address people’s possible resistance to joining your council, you will not reach your potential in membership recruitment.
- Members’ needs must meet organizational needs.
- Recruitment asks must be strategic.
- Trained, effective people should be utilized as recruiters.
- You need the right tools to help you recruit.
- Recruitment Techniques to Avoid
- Bait and switch
- “There’s nothing to it.”
- “We’re desperate, anyone will do…”
- “You’re a CPA. We can use one of you!”
- “We have lots of needs…HELP!”
- “I’m tired of doing it. Anyone else want to do it?”
- What Draws New Members In?
- Can see the impact
- Uses talents
- Flexibility of hours
- Short term commitment
- Learn new skills
- Project management
Check out MAVA’S RESOURCES list of national websites that post volunteer positions.
We (UCT) love providing these educational opportunities at the annual convention. If you missed this year’s convention, we hope to see you in Savannah, GA at the 2018 UCT Convention for even more exciting presentations!
Questions or want some more information on our speakers at the 2017 UCT Convention? Contact Community Outreach Manager Jen Szymczak.
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