1. Recruitment and Engagement
#IowaLeague17
Volunteers:
Recruitment and Engagement
Meredith Borchardt, Field Coordinator, Trees Forever
Michelle Raymer, Program Officer, Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service
Handouts and presentations are available through the event app and at

2. Learning Objectives
Recognize the importance of sound volunteer management practices
Identify roles for volunteers in your city
Gain tools and skills for effectively engaging volunteers of all ages
Michelle: welcome, learning objectives, and introduction

3. Trees Forever Mission
To plant and care for trees and the environment by empowering people, building community, and promoting stewardship.
Meredith: How many in the room have heard of Trees Forever? Anyone worked with a Trees Forever project?

4. 25 Plus Years of Award-Winning Programs
Founded in 1989 by volunteers as 501(c)3
Staff of 22 working in Iowa and Illinois with headquarters in Marion, Iowa
Supported by members!
Meredith:

5. Since 1989, Trees Forever has…
Planted over 3.4 million trees
Engages an average of 7,000 volunteers and landowners annually, and 200 communities
Provide an average of $600,000 annually in grants
Meredith:

6. Volunteer Iowa
Mission: To improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through Service and Volunteering.
Michelle: About Volunteer Iowa

7. Benefits of volunteers
Work gets done
Civic Pride
Additional Services Offered
Build community and relationships among residents
Gain positive impression & support from residents for the city
Michelle:
Discuss Benefits of Volunteers
Discuss UPS survey about primary reason people stop volunteering is poor management
Discuss Reimagining Service Data that only 11% of nonprofits operate as a “service enterprise”

8. Urban Forestry is a great opportunity to involve volunteers
Iowa communities have on average at least one tree per resident, many of these are public trees which would include trees along streets, parks, entryways, municipal buildings, etc.
The spread of EAB (Emerald Ash Borer) is a great opportunity to increase your city’s capacity to plant, manage and monitor urban trees.
Meredith: Why urban forestry is a great way to involve volunteers

9. Staff Concerns Difficult to recruit Supervising resources
If you want it done right…
Volunteers are not reliable
Motivation/disciplinary concerns
Michelle:
Discussion- What concerns do you have, or do you think other city staff would have, about engaging volunteers?
Discuss concerns, as well as solutions, and how effective volunteer management can mitigate those risks.

10. The Big 6 of Volunteer Management
Position development and design
Recruitment
Screening
Placing and supervising
Recognition
Evaluation
Michelle: Briefly review components of volunteer management, reinforce, that each topic could be a presentation on itself, and many resources available for each.

11. Professional services volunteers can provide:
Position Development and Design
Technology
Accounting
Marketing
Outreach
Legal
Program Development
Training
Strategic Planning
Data Entry
Interpretation
Photography
Front Desk Assistance
Grant Writing
Maintenance
Special Events
And More!
Professional services volunteers can provide:
Michelle:
Discussion: What are appropriate roles for volunteers?
Discuss potential roles

12. Trees Forever volunteers are involved with these services:
Planting and care of trees (watering, pruning, mulching, etc.)
Organizing and leading projects
Working with youth on projects
Grant writing and reporting – stretch your city’s dollars
Monitoring tree health and disease – more eyes and ears in the field
Meredith: Examples of services Trees Forever volunteers provide

13. Activity: What can volunteers do for your city?
Position Development and Design
Activity: What can volunteers do for your city?
If given unlimited resources, what would you hire people to do for the city?
What has been on your to-do list for over a month?
What is one of your tasks that is not your strength (that a volunteer could do better)?
What is a new project or program you’d like to start but don’t have time to develop?
Michelle:
Activity- work individually, share at table, share with group
Discuss importance of position descriptions with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and skills needed as risk mitigation
Discuss importance of variety of roles to attract today’s volunteers- skills based, one day, project based

14. Recruitment Deb Tootle, Dept. of Sociology, ISU, Sigma study
People want to get involved, and they want to be asked
Personal Ask
Targeted Ask
Be specific and accurate
Meredith: People want to get involved in their communities – explain successful ways to get them involved

15. Recruitment Social media can be a powerful way to involve volunteers
Meredith: social media can be a powerful way to involve volunteers

16. Youth Volunteer Recruitment
Two year youth engagement program in
Focus was on getting Gen Y volunteers involved with community projects (born in 1980’s, 90’s, years old)
Focus groups, research, online surveys
Meredith: specific ideas related to youth recruitment

17. Youth Volunteer Recruitment
Key findings:
75 % of year olds surveyed were interested or very interested in getting involved with environmental planting and care projects.
Why? The positive outcome of the project was the biggest motivator for youth to get involved- students want to be involved in good projects that make a difference in the community.
What keeps Gen Y from getting involved? -Time- I’m too busy (55%) and Don’t know about projects (29%)
Meredith:

18. Youth Volunteer Involvement
Develop partnerships with local schools to involve youth in service projects- silver cord, spring service day, out of classroom learning
Develop partnerships with local scout groups, 4H, churches
Meredith

19. Screening Application References Interview Background Check Michelle
Review key pieces of screening
Discuss level needed varies by opportunity
This Photo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

20. Placement and Supervising
Based on skills and interests
Orientation
Training
Staff Training
Mutual Performance Reviews
Problem Volunteers
Michelle
Importance of making a good match, understanding volunteer motivation
Difference between orientation and training
What training do staff need?
Using performance reviews to build leadership of ongoing volunteers and get feedback
Good volunteer management can mitigate bad fits, but you can fire a volunteer

21. Things that older generations can do to make participating in a volunteer project a positive  experience for youth
“Engage in conversation, enjoy what they're doing, appreciate the interest of the younger generation.”
“Thoroughly EXPLAIN the project and its goals, treat younger generations with as much respect as their own.”
“Be excited to work with younger people and treat them nice instead of just as the ‘work horses’ for the project.”
“Let some of the younger people help with running the project and listen to their ideas.”
Meredith
Related to supervising youth volunteers, these are some direct quotes from youth about what older generations can do to make that volunteer experience positive

22. Things that older generations can do to make participating in a volunteer project a negative  experience for youth
“Adults can be bossy sometimes....even if they only think they know what they are doing but they aren't sure”.
“Just tell young people what to do instead of asking our opinions or explaining things to us.”
“Explain things to me like I'm five years old.”
“Also be critical of our ideas/lifestyles/dress/decisions.”
Meredith
And these are some quotes about negative experiences

23. Training and group dynamics
Practice good meeting facilitation:
Start and end on time/ be respectful of people’s time.
Ensure all voices are heard/consider different learning styles.
Track action items (person responsible for a task and deadline for that task).
Evaluate meeting at the end.
Meredith
When you are meeting with volunteers, perhaps in a commission meeting, be sure to practice good meeting facilitation, including…

24. Training and group dynamics
For new groups or standing groups such as tree committees:
Rotate leadership
Include a combination of city staff/elected officials and volunteers
Consider age and gender balance, new people to the community and long-time residents
Assign roles
Meredith
If you are organizing a new group, perhaps for an upcoming community anniversary celebration or need to develop a new park, or working with a standing group such as a tree committee, here are some organizational tips….
This handout is available

25. Recognition Why recognize volunteers How to recognize volunteers
Ideas for volunteer recognition
Michelle
Discussion: Why do we need to recognize volunteers?
Importance of recognizing a volunteer the way they like to be recognized
Discussion: What are examples of ways you can recognize a volunteer?

26. Recognition
Appropriately thanking volunteers can be done in a variety of ways:
Annual meeting and volunteer awards
Local community awards event
Follow up communication post-planting event
Good publicity in local
newspaper
Social media
Meredith

27. Evaluation Why evaluate your program Methods for evaluation
Take time at the end of meetings and events to evaluate
Give opportunity to respond to survey monkey evaluation post-event
Use information you collect to improve your program
Michelle: Discussion: Why should you evaluate your volunteer engagement?
Michelle give examples: Formal, informal, One on one discussions, surveys, focus groups, retention rates
Meredith add examples that Trees Forever uses
Importance of using data collected for continuous improvement

28. Next steps What is one action you want to take? When will you do it?
Schedule on calendar
Share with a neighbor
Michelle
Activity: What is one action you want to take as a result of todays presentation (develop X volunteer position, send thank you cards to volunteers, send survey to volunteers)
When will you do it- schedule on calendar
Share your idea and plan with someone at your table

29. Resources www.mavanetwork.org Volunteeriowa.org
Volunteer opportunity database
Volunteer Management Training Series
Iowa Nonprofit Summit
Governor’s Volunteer Awards
AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA
Service Enterprise Initiative
Volunteer Centers of Iowa
Safer Practices Guide for Background Checks
Research and resources
City Volunteer Engagement Sample Materials
Michelle: Review additional resources available

30. Thank you!
Contact Us:
Meredith Borchardt, Program Manager and Field Coordinator
Trees Forever
Michelle Raymer, Program Officer
Volunteer Iowa
Meredith: thank everyone for coming, let them know we’ll both be available afterwards to talk, and (if time allows) can open it up for a few questions