Spring is in the air and with it brings change. Perhaps one of the biggest changes will be the return of in-person meetings for chapters. It's also is an opportunity for new members to experience what our veteran members have in the past, including face to face networking, interactive sessions, and a chance to get involved as volunteer. New members, or current, will have the chance to meet the current chapter leaders and volunteers and learn about the ways they can help. More importantly, it’s a chance for our current volunteers to get to know new members and learn about how they would like to contribute and the skills they would like to learn. Either way, the chapter, its members, and the volunteer can benefit from the experience with the right approach.
Match goals/interests – Start by asking prospective volunteers about themselves. What are some of their goals or interests that volunteering can support? What skill would they like to learn or improve? When a volunteer’s needs are met, they are more likely to stay engaged.
Not everyone is a leader – Not everyone wants to be the leader. There may be those that simply want to help or support the chapter or as mentioned, learn a new skill, or explore an interest. It’s important to keep this in mind when recruiting new volunteers to ensure their experience is tailored to their needs, but also serves the chapter.
Alternate benefits – While leadership skills are what first comes to mind when you think of volunteering, think about some of the other benefits that you have gained as a volunteer. You have likely expanded your professional or personal network. You probably learned something about yourself through the experience. You may have also gotten some practical training, depending on the role you served. Make those benefits known to your prospective volunteers as they may be looking for something similar.
Think small - Small opportunities can lead to big change. We know one of the biggest reasons some members don’t volunteer is the time or term commitment. Re-think how some of your volunteers’ roles or tasks can be broken down into smaller jobs, or micro-volunteering opportunities. Perhaps you develop an ad-hoc committee for your spring meeting, and when the spring meeting is over, the committee dissolves. Or ask a different volunteer to develop the newsletter each issue. Whatever the task or role may be, consider ways you can divide and conquer.