Volunteer Recruitment and Retention

1. Volunteer Recruitment and Retention

2. What is Volunteer Recruitment ?

3. Volunteer recruitment means attracting and inviting people to consider involvement with your organization. New staff sometimes make the mistake of beginning their recruiting before they have an idea of why they are recruiting and for what positions.

4. Reasons Why People Volunteer

5. Understanding why people volunteer makes it easier to find volunteers, organize their work and recognize their contributions. Not everyone is motivated by the same factors. Research shows that people volunteer for a variety of reasons. Some of these include -

6. Reason #1 Make new friends. Volunteering is usually a social activity.

7. Reason #2 Help the community and others. This is often what comes to mind when people think of volunteers and volunteering.

8. Reason #3 Increase self-esteem. Volunteering makes people feel better about themselves. Studies also show that it improves ones health.

9. A 2005 survey found that those who gave support to others had lower rates of mortality than those who did not.

10. Another study found that, in general, volunteers reported greater life satisfaction and better physical health than that reported by non-volunteers.

11. Reason #4 Help out friends. They are often the first ones people turn to when they need help and it’s a great way to get together on a regular basis.

12. Reason #5 Try out a Job. People considering a job in the public sector often discover that volunteering is a good way to get a peek at what is happening.

13. Reason #6 Polish their resume. Adding volunteer experience to a resume shows a commitment to helping others and is sometimes encouraged by their employers.

14. Reason #7 Develop new skills. A volunteer job gives people an opportunity to learn something they didn’t know how to do.

15. Reason #8 Enjoy something they love to do.

16. What Stops People from Volunteering ?

17. Reason #1 Non-volunteers see themselves as different from volunteers. Non-volunteers tend to think of volunteers as retired, without children in the home, and having excess leisure time.

18. Reality Volunteers tend to have busy schedules filled with work, children and other commitments. In fact, time spent with children was actually higher for volunteers than for non-volunteers.

19. Biggest Difference In Schedule ?

20. Time spent watching TV. Volunteers spend on average 15 hours each week watching TV compared to 23 hours for non-volunteers.

21. Reason #2 Many non-volunteers fear the time commitment of service. By “signing up” they felt they would have to continue with the organization or activity indefinately.

22. Reality Data show that nationwide, 65.5% of volunteers are episodic volunteers (less than 100 hours.)

23. Reason #3 No One Asked Them Many people report they would volunteer if asked, especially if asked by a trusted friend.

24. Who Volunteers ?

25. According to a study from the Corporation from National and Community Service, about 62.6million people volunteered through or for a non-profit or community organization at least once during 2013. The proportion of the population who volunteered was 25.4%.

26. Demographics Highlights of Volunteer Survey

27. By age, persons age 35 to 54 were the most likely to volunteer – 31.3%

28. People in the early twenties were the least likely to volunteer – 19%

29. Whites volunteered at a higher rate – 27.7% than blacks – 20% than Asians – 19.5% and Hispanics - 13.5%. (2007 figure)

30. Married persons volunteered at a higher rate – 31.9% than those who had never been married – 19.2% and those with other marital status – 20.9%. (2007 Report)

31. Parents volunteered at the highest rate – 33.4% (2013 figure)

32. Individuals with higher levels of educational attainment volunteered at a higher rate than those with less education.

33. Among persons age 25 and over, more than 4 out of 10 college graduates volunteered compared with fewer than 2 in 10 high school graduates and almost 1 in 10 of those with less than a high school diploma.

34. Part-time workers volunteered at higher rates than full-time workers – 35.4% versus 26.9%.

35. People are more likely to volunteer in rural and suburban areas than in large cities. Nearly 30% of the population of suburban and rural areas volunteered while only 24% of residents in urban areas did.

36. Women were much more likely than men to have volunteered – 29.3% versus 22.9%

37. Senior Volunteers While many in the volunteer field continue to consider retirees as the most likely to volunteer based on their “having the time”, studies show that those 65 and over not participating at any higher rates than other cohorts, in fact lower

38. Senior Volunteers Ages 65-74 – 27.1% Ages 75-plus – 20.4%

39. Studies have also shown however that while those over 65 have lower participation rates, those who do volunteer commit the most in hours of any age groups – 96 hours a year, compared to compared to 36 hours for 25 to 34 year-olds And the overall average of 52.

40. Studies have also shown however that while those over 65 have lower participation rates, those who do volunteer commit the most in hours of any age groups – 96 hours a year, compared to compared to 36 hours for 25 to 34 year-olds And the overall average of 52.

41. “Boomer” Volunteers Though the volunteer participation rate of those over 65 is lower than other groups the first of the boomers turned 60 in 2006. Since boomers have shown higher levels of participation than other age groups and their predecessor groups in past studies, it is anticipated that the participation rate of this age group will go up. That’s the good news …

42. “Boomer” Volunteers The potentially bad news … While this group will be an important one to target, and the research is indicating they will respond, the challenge will be keeping them engaged since research also shows that they are somewhat fussy about what they will do.

43. Illinois - 2013 • Out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia our state ranked 27thin our volunteer participation rate of 32.6% * In 2007 we were 31st but had a volunteer participation rate of 28%

44. Number #1 state in 2013 – Utah with a Volunteer Participation Rate of 44.6% They were #1 in 2007 with a Volunteer Participation Rate of 43.9%.

45. Chicago 2013 Among 51 cities classified as large Chicago ranked 34thwith a Volunteer Participation Rate of 25.9%

46. #1 City was Minneapolis-St. Paul with a Volunteer Participation Rate of 35.8% #51 was Miami with a Volunteer Participation Rate of 14.3% #50 was New York City with a Volunteer Participation Rate of 17.7%

47. Where Do People Volunteer ?

48. More Americans volunteer through religious organizations than through any other type of organization … 33.9 %.

49. This held true for Illinois with 36% of our state’s population volunteering with religious groups and Chicago with 33.7% of our city’s residents doing so

50. Other Types of Organizations Included - • Education • Social Service • Health • Other • Civic • Sports and Arts