Author: Rebekah Coenen

Volunteer Appreciation: Identifying Incentives That Matter

Rebekah Coenen

A year ago, volunteering looked a lot different than it does now in 2020. While the COVID-19 health crisis keeps a lot of volunteers safely at home, I still remember the bustling of volunteers at springtime events only a year ago. While I’m sure we will all be back to a new normal eventually, I realized there was value in my nostalgic reflection.

“What excites volunteers to come back, year after year?” I wondered. More specifically, I thought, “What will excite volunteers to return next spring, after we get through all of this?”

First and foremost, I’m sure it will be community spirit that brings volunteers back through the doors of our local nonprofits, festivals, and marathons. You know what they say – distance makes the heart grow fonder. We’re all eager to reunite and (re)start contributing to the missions that matter most to us.

Beyond that, I’m sure good ol’ incentives will be another motivator to returning volunteers, especially in the years to follow. From my reflections of last year, I identified what really made incentives valuable to our volunteers.

So, jump in my time machine and travel back with me just one short year to identify incentives that mattered.

The sun was shining and the air was light with the promise of warmer weather around the corner. Volunteers were bustling around from table to table preparing for the local fun run, ‘Spring has Sprung’. Tented tables for check-in and distributing bibs for the runners accompanied by merchandise tables and food trucks, lined the perimeter of a parking lot.

I found one volunteer, Steve McMillian, while he filled orange water coolers to be put out throughout the 5K and 10K course. He has been volunteering for SHS, as he affectionately called it, for 3 years. “I moved here about 5 years ago and my buddy always seemed to have this new stuff in the spring. Finally, I asked him where he was getting it from, and he told me about SHS and their awesome swag bag,” McMillian said. His friend would have a new tee shirt, sunglasses, bottle opener, even a phone case one year. “The big thing is the logo is always really cool and different. It really feels like they spend time thinking about what is actually good stuff to get.” 

Plenty of other events use swag to incentivize volunteers to sign up for a shift or two, but seems that SHS has it down to a science. When I asked other volunteers what their favorite piece of swag was this year, I got a few different answers, but the top three favorites were tee-shirts, pens, and free meal during your shift. 

I was surprised something as simple as a pen made it on the list. Second time volunteer, Macy Roads, summed it up, “getting a good pen that writes well and lasts a long time – that’s hard to come by. I wouldn’t say it’s the only reason I am back again this year, but it didn’t hurt.”   

Once the race started I caught up with Susan Hampton, the head volunteer coordinator for SHS, to find out what she had to say about the legendary “swag bag” of Spring has Sprung. She wasn’t sure whose idea it was originally, but now they are rolling with it. “It has become sort of a tradition,” she said. She works with the other committee members of the team to come up with fresh new ideas every year, but a few of the things remain that same. Remember those pens? 

“A revelation we had this year was that not everything needed our logo on it.” She referenced the phone case from a few years ago. She still had her phone in it, actually. One of their more popular ideas, “but we plan on revamping and making it trendy, instead of just the same logo as the tee-shirt like this one.” 

Other events often get products from local or national vendors with that company’s logo on it, but SHS has turned the swag into advertising for their event to encourage more volunteers by providing desirable items. “If you have cool looking sunglasses people are going to ask where you got them and open it up to a conversation about the event instead of just the visual,” Hampton said.

While some events also include free entry to be a volunteer, SHS does not. Hampton said the committee has considered, but many of the volunteers are needed during the event, “it would really shrink the shifts the volunteers running would be able to work.” The race also raises money for a good cause, “I would hate to take away any money we raise for the Youth Shelter.” 

So, you can get more than just a bag of incentives in exchange for spending your weekend helping out at the Spring has Sprung race, you can help make a difference too.

Jumping out of my time machine and moving forward again, we all might benefit from reconsidering our volunteer incentives. Consider what volunteers will want (ex: pens that write well), what volunteers will need (ex: a free meal to keep their energy up), and what will matter to them (ex: a small volunteer registration fee that will go straight to a good cause).

Looking forward to volunteer days we’ll have together again down the road. Stay well.

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Interview Questions for Volunteers

Rebekah Coenen

Some events call for specialized volunteer positions. You may need someone with a background in the medical field, experience with children, or strong communication skills. If you are coordinating an event with positions like these, you may consider holding interviews for your volunteers.

Before getting started planning for these interviews, first identify why you may need them:

  1. Required, specialized skills. Working with children, aiding in medical work, and handling money are a few examples. 
  1. Limited positions. Sometimes you can just do an announcement for when your site opens for sign ups, but you might need to interview for any leadership roles.  
  1. Working with a small team. It is important that team dynamics and expectations are understood by new volunteers. Interviewing candidates ensures you are doing that. 
  1. Higher level of commitment needed. If this is not your average volunteer shift, it is good to make sure expectations are clear right from the start so you don’t end up short-handed.  

Here are 10 questions and tips to find out if your candidate is good fit:

  1. Why are you interested in this position?
    • This is a fairly basic question, so if they can’t answer it, that’s not a great sign. Make sure to know what kind of answer you are looking for. Is it enough if it looks good on college resumes? Or do candidates need to show more heart than that?
  1. Describe a time you would change a decision you made.
    • No one is perfect, and it is important that everyone on your team is able to be conscientious, self-reflective, and honest about their work.
  1. What is your past volunteer/job experience?
    • Even if you have resumes to look at, it’s always best to hear it from the candidate directly. This helps you better understand their attitudes toward their history of work experience, as well as their aspirations.
  1. What are your 3 best qualities?
    • This can give you good insight into what the candidate thinks is important. Maybe you need someone that is a people person, or good under pressure.
  1. What amount of time are you able to commit to the position?
    • This is just logistics. Know the dates, times, and hours weekly you’ll expect from them. Then, ask what they’re able to commit to.
  1. Pose a situational question.
    • The actually question will depend on what position you are interviewing them for. You could ask about a time they had to work with a difficult child or parent, or were short in their cashier drawer. It will help determine how they will handle tricky situations on the job. 
  1.   How would you describe your communication style? 
    • You may already have some ideas of their communication strengths and weaknesses, based on the interview itself. However, give them a chance to express it in their own words. You may discover something insightful!
  1. Confirm they have the certifications, or other requirements needed. 
    • Do they need to be bilingual? CPR certified? If so, take the time to verify that information.
  1. Identify a handful of their volunteer interests. 
    • Maybe they are applying to volunteer in one department, but they are better suited for another department. The interview process allows you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate, then place them in the role best suited for their strengths and preferences.
  1. Save time for the candidate to ask you questions. 
    • The interview process really goes both ways. This lets them get a feel for if the position is really the right thing for them too! 

It is very important not to ask questions that could be considered discriminatory. Do not ask about a potential volunteer’s gender, race, political beliefs, relationship status, financial status, or religion. That includes asking where they were born, where their parents were born, if they own a home, or if they have children. Although some of those questions may seem innocuous, or like you are just trying to make a connection, the interview process is meant to see if they meet the qualifications you are looking for. Save the more personal chit-chat for later on.

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Great Expectations: Communication Tips for Volunteer Coordinators

Rebekah Coenen

As a volunteer coordinator, you have expectations of your volunteers. You expect they arrive on time for their shifts, act respectfully to other volunteers and participants, and perform their jobs well. Although we may lose sight of this from time to time, volunteers also have expectations of volunteer coordinators!

Although volunteer coordinating comes in many different (and equally fabulous) styles, one thing separates a good coordinator from a great coordinator: effective communication. Of course, communication comes in many different styles as well. And, in the last decade, technology has facilitated countless new channels of communication – emails, texts, DM’s, and more.

Volunteers expect you to uphold timely, informative communication.

No one likes to feel in the dark or out of the loop, so keep your volunteers informed! Volunteers need to know what to expect, what to prepare for, and what to deliver on at every step in their volunteer journey – at least in the beginning. Offer guidance to your volunteers at every stage, and they’ll feel safe and confident in their new role in the organization.

Make sure you use the appropriate communication channels, too.

As technology has woven itself into our social fabric, we’ve all adopted certain assumptions and expectations of various digital communication channels. For volunteer coordinators, here are some quick guidelines…

Email: Unless you observe push-back from younger volunteers (Millennials and Gen Z), use email communication as much as possible. This establishes a professional tone. An extra handy tip – in VolunteerLocal, you can automate confirmation emails, schedule reminder emails, and send broadcast emails to volunteers in an entire event, or even a specific shift in the event. Of course, attach documents, links, or pictures if you like, too!

Phone Calls: This is a great way to touch base with your volunteers, especially with new updates/news. There are some things to be aware of though!

  • The younger the volunteer base, the less comfortable they often are with phone calls (especially from unknown numbers). The older the volunteer base, the more comfortable they are with a phone call.
  • You may hope that the phone call is brief, but some folks like to chat! Make sure you keep track of the time so you don’t suddenly find yourself an hour behind schedule.
  • A phone call is not a written record. Sometimes it’s helpful to have important information in writing so it may be reviewed later.

Text: Considering that text messages are widely accepted as an informal mode of communication, remember to keep your texts professional. Texts might be helpful for sudden updates/announcements. Another handy tip – VolunteerLocal also allows you to send texts to volunteers, without leaving the platform. Sudden thunderstorm? Tell your volunteers to seek shelter, stat!

Although you may want to give your communication style and channels some thought in the beginning, it usually becomes very natural once you’ve established a system for communicating with your volunteers. Your volunteers will sincerely appreciate the effort, too. With consistent, informative communication, they’ll be well prepared and ready to volunteer! Remember, VolunteerLocal has a whole tool belt to help you pull this off. Never leave a volunteer hanging – jump in with immediate, scheduled, or automatic emails and texts, whenever you need.

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Volunteer Coordinators: Identify Your Strengths!

Rebekah Coenen

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Some of us have a natural knack for numbers, words, or remembering obscure fun facts. It is no different for volunteer coordinators!

You could be a rock star at finding locations, or perhaps networking to recruit volunteers. The trick is to find your strengths and leverage what comes naturally for you. Take our quiz and see what are your top strengths! 

  1. On a wintery Saturday night, where are you most likely to be? 
    1. On a couch staying warm! I might invite a couple friends to watch our favorite show together.
    2. Planning my next vacation somewhere warm!
    3. Hosting a murder mystery night! 
    4. Bundled up, trekking around downtown for a fun night out. 
    5. Usually having dinner or coffee with a friend you haven’t spent much time with recently. 
  2. You are in your element the most when: 
    1. You are called on to do something you didn’t really want to do. The sense of duty brings out your best qualities. 
    2. You have plenty of time to plan for whatever is being thrown at you. 
    3. Everyone else is at a loss as to what to do. You can take charge and give directions 
    4. Flying by the seat of your pants. Whatever happens you can figure it out. 
    5. When there is too much to do in one day. You make sure the most important things get done. 
  3. Your favorite outfit could be described as:
    1. Stylish and expressive
    2. Practical 
    3. Business casual
    4. Simple. 
    5. Well-coordinated, most of your closet goes well together.
  4. Your favorite house hold chore is: 
    1. Cooking
    2. Dishes
    3. Vacuuming 
    4. Mowing the lawn 
    5. Laundry 
  5. Your biggest pet peeve is: 
    1. When people say “pet peeve”. 
    2. Dishes in the sink when the dish washer is dirty and not full.
    3. When people look at their phone when you are talking to them. 
    4. When people say they can’t do something, but really mean they won’t.
    5. When people are late.
  6. What is your favorite part of coordinating an event? 
    1.  Working with all the volunteers and coordinating their shifts. 
    2. All the planning to get your site up and running to make sure it is easy for volunteers to sign up.
    3. Having a list of what needs to be done and making sure someone is doing it. 
    4. Making decisions and changing anything last minute to make sure your event is running smoothly. 
    5. Working out a schedule before the event and accounting for all the multitasking you and your volunteers will need to do. 

Mostly 1’s – Communication skills 

You are a people-person that has a knack for getting your point across without rubbing anyone the wrong way! Though occasionally you have to make some people unhappy, they don’t resent you for it. You are able to listen and understand almost any view point. This can make it tricky to be decisive sometimes, but you always seem to make the right choice. If only it could be a little faster. 

Mostly 2’s – Organization 

Spread sheets, color coding, you are ready for some serious planning! You have thought of EVERYTHING, and you have back up plans for your back up plans. It’s not all about being prepared – although that’s most of it. It’s more about avoiding unnecessary work. If you get it all organized and right the first time, you’ll have less work next time, so you probably have some of that time management sauce too. 

Mostly 3’s – Delegation 

You have learned that you can’t be everywhere at once and have become a master and delegating. It takes a lot of trust in your volunteers to know they will handle each task well. It also takes a lot of security because you relinquish a lot of control. Good job for harnessing the ability to relax and not micromanage. Communication is also key, so you’ve probably got a bit of a knack for that as well. 

Mostly 4’s – Adaptability 

You are the kind of person one may describe as unflappable. Running low on water? Or pens? Or someone not show up for a shift? You have the answer and make any situation work. Need a sign? 10 minutes later you have Macgyvered something no one else would have thought of. 

Mostly 5’s – Time management

Nothing bothers you more than wasted time. That doesn’t mean you don’t take a break. It just means when you are working on something, you are working hard and efficiently. Once you set yourself to a task you will finish it in one go, or nearly.  

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For the Love of Snail Mail

Rebekah Coenen

Over the years, advances in technology have distanced many of us from regular engagement with the postal service. These days, you can email, text, call, or even video chat without delay. Although physical mail has seen a decline in day-to-day use, that doesn’t make is useless. There are certain situations in which snail mail provides benefits that internet-supported communication just can’t beat.

  • Accessibility: Not all volunteers have reliable access to phones or emails. Sending physical mail is one way to ensure your message reaches far and wide. Getting ready to announce a big event? Recruit even more volunteers with a mailed invitation!
  • Appreciation: As a volunteer coordinator, it is important that your volunteers know how sincerely you appreciate them. There is something special about receiving mail – don’t you think? In the age of convenience, a mailed card shows you put more time, care, and planning into your thank-you note. Or, perhaps you would like to send your volunteers thank-you gifts! Whether you are sending cards or swag, the postal service can help you show your gratitude.
  • Signatures, Documents & Payments: Usually, digital solutions will do the trick. (In case you’re wondering, VolunteerLocal supports digital signatures, document uploads, and payment processing!) However, some organizations and communities are still warming to the idea and prefer to rely on printed documents for their records. Others don’t have access to the printers and scanners needed to send/receive these items. At the end of the day, it’s nice to know you can always count on good ol’ mail as a backup plan.

As a tech company, we see technology as a tool to solve daily challenges – including, of course, the challenges of volunteer coordinating! However, we would be remiss to show some love for good old fashioned snail mail, when it has a number of unique benefits of its own.

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Streamlining the Signup Process

Rebekah Coenen

One of the best ways to keep volunteers happy and returning year after year is by streamlining your signup process.

We’re all familiar with online forms that seem to ask for your whole life story. It’s important for volunteer registration forms to strike the perfect balance between collecting the important stuff, without asking so many questions that potential volunteers bail halfway through. 

After all the effort you put into recruiting volunteers and orchestrating your events, you don’t want your signup page to be the thing that stops volunteers from signing up. So let’s simplify!

Collect only what you need! It’s best to keep your form short, and (if you can) collect all the information at once. We recommend name, email, and mobile phone number, to start. Depending on your event, you might need to get different information from volunteers who select certain jobs. For example, do volunteers in the Medical Tent need to be CPR certified? Would an ideal ‘set-up’ volunteer have some experience using power tools? Take the time to think about your event, the specific roles you need filled, and the qualifications necessary for those responsibilities.

Less is more. Think of what positions you MUST fill to keep the event moving – check-in, ticket sales, set-up and clean-up. This will make your signup form shorter, easier to navigate, and will avoid an overflow of volunteers with too many hands and not enough tasks to fill.

Revisit, reflect, and request feedback about your process. As much as we would all love for everything to go perfectly the first, second, or fiftieth time, it often doesn’t – and things change over the years. Go back and ask your volunteers for feedback about the event and include questions about the signup process. Make sure to take notes along the way, and remain open-minded to re-working your processes in order to better support your volunteers.

Partner with VolunteerLocal. Excel spreadsheets and Google docs have long been the bread and butter for volunteer coordinators. We’re here to replace those jigsaw puzzles for you. We work with all types and sizes of events, for all different size budgets. Just like your signup process, we’re here to keep things streamlined, simply, and easy for you and your volunteers.

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Event Production Tips to Produce a Flawless Multi-Day Experience

Rebekah Coenen

If you made the brave and perhaps daunting choice to host a multi-day event, we at VolunteerLocal applaud and support you! Coordinating volunteers for one day is crazy enough, and you have added a whole other layer. This can double the number of shifts, alongside the number of volunteers needed to fill them.

Here are some things you’ll want to consider as a means to keep everyone from burning out before the final shift has ended. 

 

1. Location changes – If you are coordinating for a charity race there could be a marathon one day, and a 5k the next, or maybe a kid’s race. Chances are the main event hub will stay in the same location but you might have a different starting or end point. Don’t forget to add or subtract those shifts. A good way to keep yourself from getting spread too thin is delegating one of the smaller tasks to a volunteer and having them help you coordinate.

 

2. Overnight Security – Are you leaving the merch tent over night? It would mean no unpacking and repacking the next day. It’s probably better to hire out security instead of recruiting volunteers. You need to coordinate and make sure the security company knows exactly what you need, but they should be able to handle the rest.

 

3. More Shifts – It’s a no brainer that more days equals more shifts which probably means more work, but it doesn’t have to mean getting overworked. Delegating is a great way to keep everything moving quickly and keep your sanity. You physically cannot be everywhere at once, so don’t try

 

4. More Volunteers – More shifts (hopefully) means more volunteers. This is a great place to use delegation too. Maybe you can organize a few tiers of volunteers, one tier would be daily volunteer coordinators. They would see that all the shifts on their day are filled. Another tier could be morning and afternoon coordinators. Having levels broken down would free up more of your time to focus on big picture issues and not get bogged down by filling every single shift.

 

5. Watch Out for Micromanaging – It is really easy to get wrapped up with having to know exactly what every volunteer is doing, or how many shifts everyone is signed up for. Communication will help everyone understand the mission and tasks for the event, so if you have communicated well, it’s time to let go and trust your volunteers.

 

Are you feeling overwhelmed by all you have to do? Make sure you take care of yourself and your passion. No matter how much you love your cause and working with volunteers if you don’t allow yourself any grace you could burn yourself out.

Check out our blog with strategies to make sure you keep your passion for volunteer coordinating alive: https://blog.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer-coordinator-burnout-and-how-to-avoid-it/

 

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Requesting Feedback from Volunteers

Rebekah Coenen

What do you do after the race as been run, the kegs are empty, and the unsold art is safely packed away? 

Receiving feedback can sometimes be scary, but it is vital to improving our events and the volunteer programs that make them great.

It would be nice to have a break and not think or worry about your event for a few days, weeks, or even months. Maybe a few other things in your life have suffered as the event moved closer and your attention shifted to full-focus as you prepared for the big day. Before you can dust off your hands and say, “see ya next year,” we think you should consider one last item on that to-do list: get feedback.

Why is attendee (and especially volunteer) feedback so important? To help you uncover those blind spots. To make simple changes that can significantly impact the experience of all your volunteers on-site. To make the volunteer program more fun, accessible and impactful. To keep your best volunteers coming back, year-over-year.

Let’s dive in. There is more than one way to get feedback from your volunteers and you might find a combination of a few gets you the best information. No matter what you decide on make sure you read the responses and work to incorporate their feedback. 

 

Informal Questions/Chit Chat 

This includes conversing with volunteers as they check-out of their shifts, or at the post-event party. It can also include asking staffers or colleagues for their thoughts back at your desks, after the event is over. Sometimes, asking for feedback in this way (casual, informal settings) can produce the most honest, in-the-moment results – but you may not get the most thoughtful responses with this method.

Pros 

Cons
  • This doesn’t have to happen at the end of the event and could help inform some of your choices along the way. 
  • You can get feedback right away. It is easy for people to forget about what they would make comments about. 
  • Not everyone will be honest in an informal situation. 
  • You could get heat of the moment comments that aren’t accurate to the whole way someone feels

 

Digital (or Paper) Surveys

We recommend using a free service like SurveyMonkey or SurveyPlanet, but if you want to get fancy, you might consider a more advanced solution like Qualtrics. Online and paper surveys tend to have the highest submission rates when an incentive is offered to complete them – you could randomly choose one recipient to receive a free festival “basket” (leftover merch, anyone?!) or a set of passes to next year’s event.

Pros 

Cons 
  • People are more likely to be honest and they can think of how they want to word things. 
  • Can take place over week or two giving people time to think and give thoughtful feed back. 
  • There have to be a set of questions so it doesn’t leave much room for discussion or elaborating. 
  • You can’t force anyone to fill it out so you might not get as much information as you want. 

 

End-of-Year Meeting

This may entail bringing everyone together (staff, volunteers, and captains) in a conference room or – if you’d prefer a more open setting, a post-event party – to share ideas and feedback in a collaborative, discussion-oriented way. Virtual meetings count, too! Think: conference calls, Google Hangouts or Skype sessions.

Pros

Cons
  • Good time for everyone to get together after the event is over and maintain relationships
  • allow for more discussion on topics that are important to everyone. 
  • Not everyone is comfortable with conformation and may be less inclined to speak up about an issue. 
  • Happens at the end of the event so you can’t change anything during the event. 

 

Suggestion Box/Continual Feedback 

The old classic. It never hurts to have a brightly colored box stationed at check-in/out, with bits of paper and pencils nearby to deliver anonymous feedback in real-time. Sometimes, your biggest detractors (with the most valuable feedback) won’t take the time to complete an online survey, and certainly may not feel inclined to join the post-event gathering. An Honesty Box is a simple, low-cost and low-fi investment that is guaranteed to deliver.

Pros

Cons
  • Your volunteers will have the ability to be heard right away instead of waiting until they are called upon to deliver feedback, either virtually or in-person.  
  • You can start collecting feedback before the event occurs, and make changes leading up to the big day to ensure everyone has the best time possible. 
  • Feedback isn’t digitally stored or tracked in the cloud, so if you want any kind of reporting, you’ll have to manually enter this data into a system online.
  • If it is all anonymous it can lead to more of a venting tool than getting constructive feedback. 

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It’s a Family Affair! Fill Your Shifts with Families

Rebekah Coenen

As a volunteer coordinator, you are more than acquainted with the struggle to get volunteers to your event. A great way to get more people is including positions that work well for families. It is a great activity for them to spend time together while giving back to the community. How can you get families to your events? We have a few tips that we think might help.

What positions are appropriate for teenagers? 

Most events will have teen-appropriate jobs. Green team volunteers, set-up or tear-down, ticketing or even working with children. It’s a bonus if the job is one that can help them practice skills to benefit them in their professional development, like money-handling or on-site logistics. Jobs that require working with attendees (or greeting them as they enter) will give teens important communication and interpersonal skills.

 

Some families will want to spend the day together, are there positions like that?

Any position that has multiple spots within a shift could be a good choice for families to work together. Check-in is a great spot for families like this, they can have time to chat and parents can teach their kids some new skills. While it is tempting to fill the oft-understaffed clean up or tear down crews with families, remember that parents (and especially grandparents) may not be able to lift and carry as much as their children. You can always create sub-responsibilities within these roles that are age-appropriate for everyone in the family. (Bonus for you, those parents can keep the kids in line!) 

 

What events are family friendly? 

Almost any event can be family friendly – yes, even the local folk festival that serves alcohol. If you are just starting out the go to events would be charity races, information booths, neighborhood events, decorating, visiting nursing homes, park clean ups are all great examples. But don’t feel limited, if you are coordinating volunteers for an event you can make it family-friendly. 

 

What positions let me and my family work together? 

Working together is a great way to spend family time together. Volunteering for an event where you build something is a great way to work together, but even working shift at a charity race to pass out water can be a bonding experience. Volunteering at a soup kitchen or food bank is a good way for families to give back to other families that are not as fortunate. 

 

What about little-little ones, are they able join the family fun?

Certain sites aren’t the best place to have kids under the age of about 7 or 8, but don’t despair, as the volunteer coordinator you can create positions that are necessary for the function of your event and sounds like you need a few volunteers to help with daycare. 

 

What if the event really isn’t  family friendly?

Not all events fit the family mold. Maybe the majority of your volunteers need to check IDs or serve a glass of wine or beer. Can’t really have a high schooler handling that job. Depending on the laws in your state there could still roles for older kids, like wiping down table and cleaning up. But if there isn’t something you can do to make it fun for the whole family – it could be a great date night! Maybe the parents need a Saturday night and they can spend it volunteering for their favorite charity. 

 

For almost any kind of event you can make sure you have roles for a range of ages and multiple people in each shift. Those a the two easiest ways to accommodate families of any size. If you don’t have an event that lends its self to a family affair you can get creative with having a child watch area or make it a couples or best friend day out experience! 

 

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Recruiting Volunteers for a Charity Race

Rebekah Coenen

Every event needs volunteers and as a coordinator one of your main priorities is recruiting passionate people to help the event run smoothly. There are people who volunteer for an event because they like the activity, the cause, or they got roped into it by a friend. It is good to take any help you can get, but the greatest volunteers are those that have an interest or a passion for the event. For charity races that core group comes from volunteers that are motivated by the cause. Here are some do’s and don’ts when finding and recruiting those volunteers. 

 

Do: 

  • Advertise the cause benefiting from the race. Communication is key make sure the cause the race is benefiting is clear. 

 

  • Include the cause in the name. That tells you right away that the race is for something more than just physical fitness (though, that is a great cause for a race too). Everyone loves something clever if you can manage to come up with a good play on words. 

 

  • Provide education about the disease or cause the race is supporting. The ice bucket challenge got people googling ALS to know what that crazy social media challenge was about. Maybe your race won’t get people googling, but you can provide more education about your cause to spread knowledge.

 

  • Reach out to affiliated groups. If your race benefits a high school band, reach out to the parents. If it’s a disease talk to hospitals or support groups. 

 

  • Make it clear where the funds raised will go. It’s not just enough to say it’s for a cause, show what the benefit will be. 

 

 

 

Don’t: 

  • Require volunteers to have been affected by the disease. Allies are important members of every community. 

 

  • Mislead participants about the purpose of the race. If you advertise a benefit race make sure the cause is front and center and not an afterthought. 

 

  • Assume people will know the cause you are supporting. If you name your race something vague or don’t find a way to include the cause in the name no one will know the cause unless its advertised.

 

  • Ignore social media. That goes for traditional advertising too. You want to reach out to everyone possible, don’t count on affiliate groups to encompass everyone who might support the cause.

 

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