Hi Ryan,
When I started at the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA in 2005, we had only 40 active volunteers. We now have over 100 adults and 30-40 students, who regularly serve in the Museum.
Here are some things I do:
- Definitely register with every on-line, social media, volunteer source that you can: Volunteer Match, Verified Volunteers, Points of Light Foundation, any Volunteer Center in your area, and on your own museum's social media, always mention your volunteer Program, Register with local High Schools and see if any of them utilize "x2Vol" a school program that offers opportunities and tracks hours for students. And advertise in any local senior living newsletter or newspaper that you can.
- Make speaking engagements in active Senior Living residences. Talk about your museum and how much fun and how rewarding it is to become a volunteer!
- Get your volunteers in the news!! Does Flagstaff have a Farmer's Market or more than one? If so, table there with some of your current volunteers. If they love what they do they'll spread their enthusiasm.
- Come up with incentives... offer discounts in your gift shop, plan outings like exchanges with other organizations, especially for your volunteers. Such filed trips are good team builders and help your volunteers get to know how other places work. Most museum will reciprocate and work out some kind of exchange with you.
- Have a fun event just for volunteers. It could be a BBQ where everyone brings their favorite chili, or dessert to share. Maybe ask a local vendor to donate drinks or produce for a huge salad! This will allow volunteers to meet each other in a social setting and maybe bring a friend who might enjoy volunteering also. Offer free passes in exchange for anyone a volunteer brings to the program! Word of mouth is really the best way to build your program.
- Create community in any way you can.
- promote your Volunteer Program as a "Social Club" with many special ways that your volunteers receive benefits. Get local vendors to agree to extend discounts to your volunteers. 10% off if they show a "volunteer card".
- Take pictures of your volunteers have FUN!! Come up with an interesting angle to get your local newspaper or NPR Radio station to run a story about one or more of your volunteers.
- Create a continuing education program which will educate your volunteers in a fun way, so they will learn about your museum collections, and enjoy the continual input. Always have coffee, tea, and snacks for at least 1/2 hour prior to any program. Volunteers love to socialize around food!
- Have an ice cream social and put flyers out around the community. Shamelessly say, WE NEED YOU!!! BE A PART OF OUR MUSEUM! YOU"LL LOVE IT!!! then be sure they have reasons to love it!
- Volunteers at the Schulz Museum say that they are treated better than any volunteers anywhere! And I do ALL of these things!
- Create an online Volunteer Newsletter. You can get volunteers to help edit this. Feature stories about the volunteers and lots of pictures of them in action, pictures they take on trips that have something to do with your museum, and always have upcoming special events and mentioned.
I could go on and on, but basically you need to recruit endlessly and never let up. Always acknowledging everyone who helps, every time they do. Take the time to really connect with each and every one of your volunteers and encourage them to become more and more involved. Ask then what they want out of your program and then try to fulfill that. Everyone volunteers for a different reason, so find out what everyone's reason is!
Be patient and listen to them all. But also be firm and a positive leader. And encourage the rest of your staff to get to know them all as well. Come up with incremental rewards and stay on top of that. Then they each have goals to aim for while they are serving your mission statement.
Be sure to provide them with snacks or at least coffee and tea in a break room. If you don't have a budget for that, encourage the volunteers to bring baked goods or produce/fruit, etc. on a rotational basis. Another way of volunteering is contributing in such a way.
I always let our volunteers know that volunteering is a wonderful form of philanthropy. Putting their time and energy into the organization is as important as writing a big check. Letting them know how much their contributions are appreciated is always a key.
There you go! Let me know if I can offer any further encouragement or ideas.
And remember... "If you're not having FUN, then you're doing something wrong. Try a different approach! Everyone wants to laugh and have a great time! Remember to have a good sense of humor."
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Kristi Lucas-Hayden
Volunteer Director
Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center
Santa Rosa CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-25-2019 06:23 PM
From: Ryan Urena
Subject: Volunteer recruitment strategies
Hey guys!
I am a new volunteer coordinator for a museum in Northern Arizona, and I was wondering if anyone had had any new ideas for volunteer recruitment, methods/strategies..etc.
-Thanks
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Ryan Urena
Flagstaff AZ
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