by Terry L. Besser
Assistant professor and extension sociologist
Iowa State University Extension to Communities
Volunteers perform thousands of small and large projects that make all of our communities better places to live.
As important as volunteers are, we all too often take them for granted. That's changing. Recruiting and keeping volunteers has become very challenging even in small towns that pride themselves on the civic mindedness and community involvement of their citizens.
The time and effort involved in organizing volunteer activities and in rewarding volunteers is akin to growing and nurturing a garden. If a gardener has tremendously fertile soil, he or she can get by without much planning and tending, and still realize a good harvest. After awhile though, pernicious weeds, pests or worn out soil begins to reduce the yield to the point where planning, attention and extra work are needed to get the same results.
Small towns have been very fertile arenas for active citizen involvement and volunteering. Community organizations, clubs and neighborhoods didn't have to do much and people got involved and helped out anyhow. Now however, communities cannot rely only on the fertile soil of small town human resources to get the same results in community betterment and organizational involvement. Today, the knowledge, skill, planning and work of organizers is as essential as the good will and neighborliness of small town residents.
The guidelines for attracting volunteers listed below are based primarily on the research findings of Roger Gould, a sociologist who has studied extensively the subject of citizen involvement and volunteering. In a later article, I will present Gould's insights into ways to retain volunteers.
Welcome Outsiders -- When people feel that they are a part of a group, they are more likely to get involved in working for the good of that group. People must feel welcome and accepted into the neighborhood, church, club, or community before they are willing to volunteer to help that group. It seems so obvious, yet is frequently overlooked. Specifically, long-term members and leaders must get to know outsiders, newcomers or others who might potentially be interested in joining the group. Introduce them to other members. Make a special point to invite them to social gatherings and informal get-togethers.
History of involvement -- Once included and welcomed into a group (for example, community, neighborhood or club), a new member will come to know and, perhaps, like the other people in the group. Group members will become friends instead of just anonymous faces. It is only natural to want to help friends.
New recruits will soon learn whether this community or organization is one where everybody pitches in and helps out. They'll learn by listening to accounts about what's happened in the past and by observing current members. If the group has a history and a current practice of working together for the common good, new people are likely to think that they should become active also. They'll want to be active in order to fit in and as a way to gain recognition from other group members.
On the other hand, if a group or community does not have the habit of active involvement, then new members are probably not going to be any different. In that case, the task is to reinvigorate a complacent membership, not recruit new people. Highly visible members must be active and sincere. The only way people know that their community or group is one where "everyone pitches in and helps out" is if the people they have contact with are themselves involved contributors.
The impact of active contributors on encouraging the involvement of others increases in direct proportion to the number of people who know the contributors personally and who believe in their sincerity. Sincerity is a quality similar to honesty and trustworthiness. It leads people to believe that the contributor really is working for the benefit of the group as a whole and not solely, or mostly, for some hidden personal gain.
The opposite is true, too. If potential volunteers know and respect non-involved members, the chances are high that the volunteers will be inactive also, especially if these non-active members are in visible leadership positions.
In summary, Gould recommends that communities and organizations wanting to attract active new volunteers must look inside first and answer positively the following questions.
* Are potential new members actively sought out by current members?
* Are new members welcomed and included in informal social gatherings as well as work crews?
* Are past and current habits of involvement recognized and talked about? By recognizing the involvement of others, new people learn what is expected of members in good standing and will see that there are others already actively volunteering. Also, it makes volunteering appear less burdensome and more fun.
* Are well-known, visible members and leaders active? It is a rare new member who will volunteer to work when people he or she respects or the group leadership are not pitching in and doing their share.
Growing new volunteers is just the beginning. Once attracted to active involvement, volunteers must be retained. But that's the subject of a following article.
Contacts:
Terry L. Besser, ISU
Extension Sociology, (515) 294-6508
Del Marks, ISU Extension
Communication Systems, (515) 294-9807
