Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC)

Recruitment Methods

Volunteer Engagement Module

Summary

Ensuring that you attract the right numbers of the desired types of volunteers is a key component to any volunteer program. This guide provides strategies for engaging volunteers given busy schedules and competing interests. It provides various approaches that VOC has successfully used to recruit volunteers for more than 30 years.

Overview

Key Takeaways:

• When setting your goals, it is important to consider recruitment of volunteers from two distinct yet related vantage points: 1) overall annual organizational targets and 2) project-specific needs.
• Publicize volunteer opportunities to prospective volunteers, including using print materials, your organization’s website, and social media as well as your partners’ communication channels.
• Identify the most appropriate staff, board members, or volunteers to attend outreach events on behalf of your organization, making sure that whoever attends is well-versed on the messages of the organization, knows the various programs and has excellent overall communications skills.
• Seek project volunteers who belong to user groups for hikers, hunters, anglers, mountain bikers, trail runners, backpackers, wildlife aficionados, environmentalists, native plant enthusiasts and other interest groups or clubs.
• Post your projects on multiple online calendars; email communications to individuals and groups, previous participants, people who live in the geographic vicinity of upcoming projects, university groups, and businesses.
• Have clear messaging about the value of the outdoor volunteer experience and the reasons why someone would want to join your project.

Trail Types Covered

General. All trail types are relevant.