Are you making it easy for your members to volunteer?

I found an article today that really reinforces my point about how associations deal with volunteers. I recommend clicking through to read the Acronym blog entitled: Are you making it easy for your members to volunteer. I like the way it encourages more innovative solutions to create opportunities to volunteer that are quick and easy for the member - and also valuable to yourself.

Getting members engaged with your organisation

The Decision to Join research was quite clear when it said "If a resigned member can be regarded as dead, then an inactive member can be regarded as comatose". It went on to say that ad-hoc volunteering opportunities are the crucial segway between inactive and active members.

This means that if you can get your members more actively engaged with your association then they are more likely to renew. What makes this challenging is that different members will want to engage with you in different ways. Some will want to attend events while others would prefer opportunities that don't involve them leaving the house. You need to provide a variety of options to cater for all preferences.

Broadly speaking, getting members engaged is a three step process of which you are responsible for two steps. These are:

1. The association is responsible for creating opportunities for members to get involved.
2. The association is responsible for effectively communicating these opportunities to their members (in such a way that the members are fully aware of the opportunities available to them).
3. The member is responsible for taking advantage of those opportunities.

Banish the word "volunteer" from your vocabulary

I often hear associations calling on their members to volunteer. I really dislike that word a it carries the connotation that the benefit is entirely for the organisation.

When I hear "We are looking for volunteers to help out at our annual event" I'm actually hearing "We've got some work for you that will take an indeterminate amount of time ... and by the way there is a good chance you won't enjoy it".

Consider rephrasing your request. Don't ask for volunteers. Instead welcome people to "Get Involved". Then let them know:

• The positive benefits for them (learning new skills for the resume, expanding their social or business networks, etc);
• the type of work involved;
• the time committment (date, time and duration); and
• who to contact.

For example:

"Are you interested in meeting some of the most successful people in our industry? We're looking for someone to attend our annual networking event as our Member Representative. Your role will be to ensure all our new and prospective members have a great time. This is a great opportunity to expand your networks in a social environment. We are looking for someone who can spare 2 hours from 6.00 on DATE. To take advantage of this opportunity contact PERSON via EMAIL or PHONE"