Engaging Volunteers is all about personal relationships and community
Engaging Volunteers is all about personal relationships and community
Courtesy of Anna Guest, Founder and CEO, Rising Tide Volunteer Solutions
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Volunteer recruitment and retention are critical and ongoing considerations for any lifelong community – getting people interested in supporting your work and keeping them around is what makes these initiatives possible! But recruiting volunteers is more than posting a flyer at the community library or posting on your Facebook page. Seasoned lifelong community leaders agree that the heart of engaging volunteers and supporters is rooted in personal relationships and a sense of community.
Personal connections, a sense of belonging, sharing stories and impact and helping volunteers see how they are valued and making a difference through their time and energy is the currency that keeps people invested and involved.
Try these recommendations in your own community to build a sense of connection, cohesion, and commitment.
Provide Support and Say Thank You
Volunteers do best when they know they’re not in it alone, that someone will support them with the resources they need to be successful, and when they are shown appreciation and recognition for their efforts. If you’re a leader of other volunteers, checking in with people to see how things are going in a format that works well for them (email and meetings are not for everyone! Pick up the phone or grab a coffee together) can make a big difference in keeping someone engaged and committed to the project. It also allows an opportunity for the volunteer to share ideas, ask questions, and surface issues or concerns. Regular and authentic words of thanks are also key to helping people feel appreciated and reinforcing that the work they’re doing matters. A simple, heart-felt thank you goes a long way.
How do you let volunteers know you support them? When and how are you sharing messages of thanks?
Candy Johnson and Jean Saunders share examples of the benefits of nurturing relationships for Age-Friendly Sullivan and Age-Friendly Saco
Leverage Existing Connections
Tapping into places in your community where personal connections already exist can be a great place to start. Candy Eaton of Age-Friendly Sullivan, shared how things really took off from a BoneBuilders class in the community. “[That program] turned into a circle of friends. Because people met once or twice a week, they started to develop relationships. Then they started to carpool, and started to care about each other. These people who had signed up for the class started to become more engaged and became volunteers as the birthday card writers. That's how it built slowly, how we've been successful, and how people built on that experience. It really is [about] personal relationships."
Are there groups or activities in your community that you could tap into to build connections and interest in your lifelong initiative?
Share Stories of Impact
Jean Saunders with Age-Friendly Saco shares, “We start every meeting by asking ‘who has a story to tell’, and there’s always a story to tell! Everyone feels a sense of belonging, community, and we all did this together.” This practice encourages teamwork, commitment, and alignment with the broader vision and goals, as the whole team hears about personal stories and the collective impact of the various programs. It’s also a great way to capture and document concrete examples of how your work is making a difference in peoples’ lives, which can be used in volunteer recruitment messaging or grant funding applications.
How does your community capture stories? When and where could you provide opportunities to share stories together?
Celebrate, With Food!
Whether a simple pumpkin loaf at a group meeting, or a big community cookout after a road-side clean-up event, food is a universal connector, and a core piece of community building for age-friendly initiatives. Whether you build food costs into your program budget, seek donations, or go the pot-luck route, have a plan for including food as a staple in your gatherings and community building efforts. There are lots of other ways to celebrate too – share photos, stories, and data about the impact your efforts are having. Give awards. Celebrations are a great opportunity to get creative and build on the interests and traditions that make your community unique.
What ways of gathering and celebrating resonate with your community?
There are so many opportunities to build a sense of personal connection and community into our age-friendly initiatives. Take these lessons learned from Lifelong Communities around Maine and tailor them to the culture and approaches that work for your community to build traditions and practices that bring together and honor your volunteers and the impact their work is having.
Further Resources from Anna:
We are deeply grateful to Anna Guest and Rising Tides Volunteer Solutions for working with Lifelong Maine to develop these training materials. Special thanks to Sharon Kelley, Berwick for a Lifetime, Candy Eaton, Age-Friendly Sullivan, and Jean Saunders, Age-Friendly Saco, for meeting with Anna to share their wisdom, experiences and challenges working with volunteers
We also want to thank AARP Maine for their thought leadership designing these modules.
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