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RECRUIT
VOLUNTEERS
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Recruiting
Volunteers from Your Community
Recruiting volunteers in tough communities can
mean that you will have a few different hurdles to overcome than
in other neighborhoods.
Understanding the challenges
that keep people from getting involved in community activities
is critical. Remember the following tips when creating products
for your volunteers and throughout the recruitment process:
| Communication |
- Design materials for ease of readability. Emphasize the
visual, not verbal.
Limit jargon and paperwork.
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| Outreach |
- Use recruiters and interviewers who share the background
of your volunteers.
- Follow up with applicants as quickly as possible after
your first meeting to get them committed to your project.
- Have leaders in the community or your organization mentor
other residents with the potential for leadership.
- If residents speak a different language, assign someone
to work with the community who is bilingual and knowledgeable
about the community's culture.
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| Impact |
- Get residents invested by working on issues that impact them
directly.
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| Value |
- Try to structure work around experiences that could lead
to the development of job skills. Show volunteers how
to keep work experience records.
- Provide reimbursement of expenses, or minimize the out-of-pocket
loss to the volunteer.
- Provide other meaningful and tangible benefits such as
bus tokens, retail coupons, meals, etc.
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| Addressing Barriers |
- Organize neighborhood activities during times that complement
the residents' schedules.
- Host partnership meetings in a central location for residents,
such as a nearby community center, church, local Volunteer
Center, resident's home or school.
- Ensure that transportation to the meeting is not an issue.
Make sure it's held in a place where residents feel safe.
- Help residents address issues of safety by developing a
plan that includes local law officials.
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