Hosting a volunteer recruitment meeting is a great way to attract, engage and integrate new volunteers into the fundraising event planning process. This meeting allows the regional director and chapter leadership to meet with potential volunteers and explain why their help is needed and how their time and efforts can be used and magnified. The steps for planning and hosting this type of event are outlined below.
When: A recruitment event can be held at any time but most often happens early in the banquet planning process. For example, if your chapter typically starts meeting four months before your banquet, use this recruitment tool as one of the first meetings held in the planning cycle. You may choose to hold it within a few weeks of your banquet to gather necessary event volunteers. New volunteers can be used at the banquet to help oversee different positions and give them experience with the event before becoming a committee volunteer.
Location: Choosing a suitable location to host recruitment meetings is crucial. It should be easily accessible and appropriate forconducting meetings. Avoid noisy establishments and try to use facilities where you have your own meeting space. Some people are uncomfortable attending meetings in the homes of volunteers, so seek out community-friendly spaces that are not intimidating to new volunteers. Restaurants often have private meeting places and local businesses sometimes allow use of their conference rooms for local nonprofits.
Utilizing EMS to Promote Your Recruitment Meeting: Your regional director will create a volunteer recruitment event within EMS so you can send out a templated email and/or postcard to invite members to your recruitment meeting. Work with your regional director to promote the meeting on social media and to use additional marketing tactics to help target potential volunteers. Through the recruitment email and postcard, recruits will be directed to an EMS purchase page where they can RSVP to attend the chapter planning meeting. Because they RSVP, you will know before the meeting who and how many plan to attend. When a recruit registers to attend, they are also automatically sent a welcome email, along with RMEF’s “New Volunteer Guide,” which gives volunteer recruits introductory information on how chapters function and the impact volunteers and chapters have on RMEF’s mission.
Hosting a Recruitment Meeting: All earlier steps in the recruitment process lead up to your chapter’s recruitment meeting. Hosting an effective meeting is critical to obtain and retain new volunteers. If your current committee size is minimal, inviting volunteers from the state resource team or another nearby chapter can help add excitement and energy to your efforts as well as validate what is presented at the meeting.
Topics to cover in a volunteer recruitment meeting:
- Introductions
- RMEF mission
- How chapter fundraising events fund RMEF’s mission in your state
- The role of a chapter committee volunteer
- Leadership roles within a committee
- Banquet planning timeline & process
Meeting Tips:
- Ask new volunteers questions that gather insights into their strengths and abilities. This will help decide where they can be most effective and have their best experience, based on what they expect to get out of their time on the committee.
- When the size of your current committee allows, assign a committee mentor for new volunteers. This person can answer questions, help define terms and anacronyms, and help make sure new volunteers are engaged and feel comfortable in their roles.
- To ensure new recruits are best used and that their time is valued, give them a task to report back on at the next committee meeting. When new volunteers feel they are being used well and that their time and effort are needed, they are more likely to be engaged and follow up on their assignments.
- Most importantly, make sure new volunteers feel welcome! Remember, they join because of the mission, but they stay because of the people.
Contact your regional director and let them know you are interested in hosting a volunteer recruitment meeting!