Volunteer Speed Matching

1. Volunteer Speed Matching Dating Meets Volunteering

2. Picture Your Last Volunteer Fair… • How many prospective volunteers did you really interact with? • How many hours did you spend creating the perfect, volunteer-catching display? • And how bad did your back hurt from carrying it?!? • How much did candy and freebies cost? • How many contacts actually volunteered ?

3. Don’t let this happen to you again! There has to be a better way, right?!?

4. Now Picture an Event Where… • You interact with at least 20 truly interested potential volunteers in just two hours… GUARANTEED! • You have a captive audience who isn’t worried about their next meeting. • You don’t have to beg. They come to you! • You save money! (No more freebies!) • You have FUN and the time flies!

5. It doesn’t have to be a dream!

6. Introducing a New Concept in Volunteer Recruitment Volunteer Speed Matching

7. What is Volunteer Speed Matching? • Mimics concept of speed dating • Three minute interactions between 20 organizations and 20 – 60 prospective volunteers • Recruit in less than two hours!

8. Who Does it Work For? • Young professionals • Skilled volunteers • High school students • Baby Boomers • Anyone else who has little time!

9. Who Else is Sponsoring it • Minnesota Zoo • Metro Volunteers (Denver) • Generation Dayton and United Way’s Volunteer Connection • Volunteer Centre Dacorum (England) • Pleasant Valley High School (Illinois)

10. Why Volunteers Love It • Fast-paced • Pressure-free • Timed interactions • Interview 20 organizations in one session • Second “dates” at the volunteer’s request only

11. Planning Your Event

12. Selecting Your Partner • Determine your audience • Partner with a local young professional organization, club, company or faith-based group • Craft an MOU to spell out responsibilities of the sponsoring organizations • 20 to 60 volunteers needed. RSVP’s are critical.

13. Where and When to Host • Venue should be a comfortable, casual atmosphere with a large open space • After-work hours are best • 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. recommended • Offer food and beverages • Provide bags for volunteers to carry materials collected and one nice freebie

14. Selecting Opportunities • For events sponsored within one organization: • Pre-select 20 opportunities that will be appealing to your audience • For HandsOn Action Centers or RSVP’s: • Pre-select 20 organizations with opportunities appealing to your audience to participate

15. How to Choose Opportunities • Opportunities should be the best of your best… and they should be FUN! • Evening, weekend, group, one-time and on-going opportunities are popular • Each agency or opportunity must be represented by an engaging, FUN person! • RSVP’s from agencies are critical.

16. What NOT to Recruit For!!!

17. What Agencies Should Bring • One to two representatives – paid staff or volunteers who will CONNECT with audience • Coach representatives ahead of time on how to best identify with this audience • No more than one handout. Period. • A 30 second elevator speech. (No longer!) • Business cards

18. Other Tips • Have an engaging, concise speaker welcome the group • The speaker should “look like” your volunteer participants • Acknowledge sponsoring organization and partner • Plan to take plenty of photos!

19. Let the Matching Begin! Do you like me? Circle Yes or No.

20. Event Structure • Registration, snacking and networking (10 – 20 minutes) • Brief introduction (10 minutes) • Matching (1 ½ hours) • Each “date” lasts 3 minutes • One minute between “dates” • Closing comments (10 minutes)

21. Essential Tools • Cowbell or other loud indicator that time has changed • Scorecards for volunteers with names of agencies or opportunities • Stopwatch • Camera • At least four event assistants

22. During the Introduction • Welcome participants • Acknowledge sponsoring organization and partner • Give the basic rules… • Send volunteers and agency representatives to their stations

23. Rules of Engagment • 1 to 3 volunteers at each table (depending on overall group size) • No table should be empty at start. Visit all tables. • All volunteers move clockwise or counter-clockwise at the bell. Movequickly! • Agency representatives and volunteers should spend 30 seconds each introducing themselves. Leave the rest for questions. • If a volunteer wants to be contacted later, he/she must circle that agency on the scorecard.

24. Closing • Thank everyone for attending • Acknowledge agencies (as a group) for their participation • Remind volunteers to turn in scorecards • Capture a group photo – agency representatives and volunteers together

25. Post-Event

26. Immediate Contact is Required • E-mail volunteers to thank them for their participation. Include contact information for agencies they indicated an interest in. • E-mail agency representatives to share names and contact information for volunteers who indicated an interest in a “second date”. • E-mail evaluations to both volunteers and agency representatives.

27. Other Tasks • Send out a press release with a photo immediately following the event • Post photos online and forward the link to all volunteers and participating agencies • Track your “matches”… Who volunteered? • Ask for testimonials from both volunteers and agency representatives

28. Let’s Practice! Ready to go a few rounds?

29. Questions?

30. Presenters’ Contact Information Clare Zlatic, Manager United Way’s Volunteer Connection (937) 225-3039 clarez@dayton-unitedway.org www.volunteerdayton.org Nicolette Winner, Director HandsOn West Central Ohio (937) 778-5220, ext. 430 nwinner@councilonruralservices.org www.handsonwestcentralohio.org

31. Resources • http://www.energizeinc.com/store/5-220-E-1 • Google any of the organizations we listed in this presentation. • Packet of sample materials