Volunteer Recruitment Strategies

Transition to a Participation Web Site

2005 will be a transition year for event teams as we move from an ineffective model for volunteer recruitment to a new process driven by a participation web site. The new approach more efficiently distributes information about participation opportunities to interested applicants while at the same time removes obstacles that made it difficult for new arrivals to our community to become involved. Because it is a transition year, our old methods and our new methods will be running in parallel for much of the year.

Our present recruitment strategy has created an entrenched group of aging volunteers with little room for younger replacements. Access to participation opportunities was often limited by who you knew or who knew you, which allows people to become rooted in positions even if they are not especially effective, and perpetuates overeager, over-committed, eccentric volunteers. Mentoring and apprenticeships are important in grooming a new generation of managers and volunteers. Training and succession need to be built-in components of any project, and entrenched volunteers need to make room for others.

The vision is to gradually move to a new participation environment hosted on the internet that is open, transparent, diverse, and implements basic best practices for Human Resources as appropriate for our situation.

Like the other opportunities to be offered through the participation web site, the event related opportunities will be project based, meaning that they will have a near-term start date and end date, be defined by a job description, and will be supervised by a project manager. We will be rolling out the web site on a pilot program basis involving a small number of local event teams, so we must be patient to allow the participation web site and the pilot implementations to make mistakes, self-correct, and evolve. During 2005, different event teams will be recruiting using different methods.

Within the event teams that use the participation web site, we want to avoid the logistical nightmare of defining too many projects each very small and specific. The process will unfold in measured steps. Some event related projects may be managed at local level and others at a national level with local participation.

Making the Best of our Current Recruitment Strategies

Properly staffing an event team contributes toward the success of the event, and a pleasant experience for the team members. The Human Resources Manager acts as the clearinghouse for open job descriptions and for candidates and volunteers from the city or the region who seek a position. Below is a summary of those strategies.

Job Descriptions

Job Descriptions

Start preparing job descriptions and recruiting as soon as the event is confirmed. The Area Manager or Sub-team Managers prepare their own job descriptions, and forward them to the Human Resources Manager, who ought to review the job descriptions for completeness and good form. If key Area Manager positions are vacant, start to quietly recruit when the event is confirmed and before it is announced. Job descriptions can take many forms, but they should at least have the following elements:

  • Functional Area
  • Job Title

Event Overview_v9d.doc 2/13/2005 76

  • Job Description
  • Skills & Experience Required / Preferred
  • Time Requirements / Date Requirements
  • Access to email, computer, Internet, etc.
  • Locations

Current Listings

Keep the listing current. As a position is filled, make sure the position is removed from the list of available positions. Because there are so many channels used to disseminate job openings, it can be challenging to keep the listings in each channel current.

Disseminating through Existing Channels

Consider using these channels if they are available to you for promoting unfilled positions.

  • Newsletters
  • Announcements at PWK Events
  • Announcements at Aspirant Events
  • Regional or local Web Sites
  • Email Broadcasts
  • Personal Outreach
  • Area Managers recommendations through NAM Regional Event Team
  • Contacting Pre-Registrants: Consider adding a Tip-in Option to the Online Registration form that says, "Contact me about participation opportunities surrounding this event."

It is the task of the team's HR representative to answer immediately all inquires related to the open position. A short message acknowledging the request, their interest, and advising that a follow up response will be received within 2-3 weeks. Please follow up within that time, by writing a courteous note, even to say the position was already filled. (In many cases a personal telephone call or meeting would be appropriate.)

Regional Strategies: Reaching Beyond Your City

If you extend your reach for personnel resources beyond your city to your region, then you access a larger pool of volunteers and have a better chance of finding the skill and experience that you seek. A regional HR strategy has to be carefully structured and coordinated for best results, and to avoid wasted effort.

Promoting regionally assumes that each city in the region uses the applicable channels listed above, which means that the HR Manager must setup a communications strategy with a contact in each city to update the listings promoted by the city.

Different Recruitment Strategies for Different Event Types

Different event types place different demands on the host community, which in turn impacts how volunteer recruitment should be managed.

Public Events

Public events place an added burden on the local community to support propagation and post-event follow-up, so the event team in this scenario should consider looking to the region to fill many of the open positions on the team. For example, if Philadelphia is hosting an introductory event, the event team might try recruiting some of the team members from cities outside of Philadelphia (like New York and Washington DC) so that local PWK's can focus on supporting propagation and post-event follow-up.

Event Overview_v9d.doc 2/13/2005 77

PWK

With PWK events, there is less imperative to reach outside of the host city to recruit staff, though it is still important to reach as far as neverssary to find qualified managers.

Interview Guidelines & Placemens

Once potential candidates are identified, the team's HR contact should screen applications and identify applicants to be interviewed by the responsible manager or by HR. Some managerial positions require a thorough interview to make sure that the candidate is a good match for the job. Other positions on the team require minimal interviewing. Use your judgment about the appropriate amount of screening that each job requires. The following are some guidelines and examples of questions that can be used when interviewing volunteers.

  • Introduce yourself, explain your function and establish rapport.
  • Make sure it is a good time to talk. If it isn't, find out when would be a better time.
  • Describe the opportunity that is available and share the job description with the candidates.
  • Ask if they would like to be considered for this position.
  • Ask the candidates to briefly explain what they've been doing in their recent work or volunteer activities. Ask them if they can explain their accomplishments in these jobs and/or activities.
  • Ask the candidates whether they have ever done anything like this before and to tell you about it.
  • What skills, experience and strengths would they bring to this position?
  • What do the candidates consider to be their strengths (try to get three)?
  • What are their weaknesses?
  • Are they willing and able to give hours per week to this particular position?
  • What are the time frames during the week when they are available (evenings, weekends, daytime)?
  • VVhat do they feel would the best use of their skills and abilities?
  • Are they available to communicate via phone and e-mail?
  • Are they able to travel?
  • What do they feel would the best use of their skills and abilities?
  • What do they consider to be the challenges in this position?
  • Is there anything else they'd like to share?

For key managerial positions, references can be helpful. The HR representative is responsible for ensuring that at least two references are contacted before placing a volunteer in a position with significant responsibilities.

Once candidates are interviewed, the responsible manager or the team's HR representative, in conjunction with input from the team, will select the volunteer for the position and will offer the position to the volunteer. For key managerial positions, other teams with whom the person will significantly interface and impact should provide comment as to the choice/adequacy of the person.

Once the position is filled. the team's HR representative is responsible for informing the other applicants. in a timely manner. that the position is no longer available, and for removing the ob description from the postings in the various channels within the host city and across the region.

At the time of placemente either the responsible manager or the team's HR representative will provide the volunteer with an onentation and job description, and will clearly describe the feeCback process anc performance evaluation for that position.

Event Overview_v9d.doc 2/13/2005 78