Creative Ways to Recruit Volunteers
Like other social organizations, hospices often lack not only qualified staff but also volunteers. And recently, the COVID-2019 pandemic has been one of the reasons. Not only is it due to a significant decrease in social engagement of potential volunteers but other reasons as well.
Thus, during the pandemic, families of palliative patients are afraid to allow not only volunteers but also chaplains into their homes, with the only exception of hospice staff.
A hospice volunteer coordinator may also need to make certain changes to the recruitment strategy. The main goal is to create a presentation that will appeal to potential workers.
Creative Ways to Find and Attract Volunteers
While the process for finding and recruiting volunteers is similar to the standard hiring algorithm, there are also some significant differences to consider. Since volunteers are not paid for their services, a high level of motivation and interest is key to success.
To prepare for a successful search, you can ask for help from people who have been working in hospice for a long time or used to work there in the past. Create a questionnaire and include the following questions:
- Why did the person choose exactly your hospice?
- How did the person learn about your hospice?
- What hospice role does the person like and why?
- Which volunteer roles are most disliked and why?
- How successful is the new volunteer adaptation program?
- What is worth improving in the work of the hospice?
- If the person stopped volunteering at a hospice in the past, what was the reason for that decision?
The answers to these questions can become a source of valuable information to create an effective volunteer recruitment strategy.
Motivate Volunteers to Bring Friends
One way to be highly motivated to do something is to have someone who is an example to follow. “Word of mouth” works great for attracting volunteers to hospice as well.
Simply ask your volunteers to not only tell their family and friends about hospice work but to invite them to an open day.
Plus, people will know the strengths and weaknesses of prospective volunteers. Consequently, they will be able to recommend to you the right people for a particular type of work.
Create Eye-Catching Promotional Videos
Instead of a standard search ad, you can create a quality hospice presentation video. This will give people a chance to learn about your organization’s work, mission, and goals. This way, future volunteers will be able to understand exactly what they can do to be of service, as well as their benefits.
The video should be as professional as any other presentation about your hospice. Its main purpose is to give people a sneak peek behind the scenes of your organization.
Hold “Open Days” and Local Events
Holding an open day is another effective way to get your local community’s attention to the current challenges and needs of the hospice. You will need to prepare a lot of informational materials. In addition to those posted on the official website of the hospice, you will also need to distribute printed materials, including flyers and brochures.
Local events, such as community meetings or job fairs, can be suitable occasions to promote working at your hospice. This way, you will be able to properly introduce the team and opportunities to residents of the city and communicate with potential volunteers in person.
Also, if there’s a regular food or craft market in your town, it might make sense to park a hot dog cart (or any street food) or hold a prize drawing. This is how you can both get people’s attention and raise some money.
Advertise in Schools, Colleges, and Universities
For high school and university students, volunteering is a great way to gain professional and leadership skills, build social connections, and create a solid resume at the beginning of your career.
And it’s not only about local job fairs; in coordination with college or university administrators, you can place posters and other promotional materials on their campuses.
Engage Your Local Sports Team
Partnering with a local sports team can also increase the number of volunteers for your hospice. In addition to being young, healthy, and energetic, most athletes also possess great team skills.
This kind of collaboration can be mutually beneficial if you can get members of the sports team to do specific tasks. In return, you can make a small donation to help them acquire sporting equipment. Alternatively, you can organize a BBQ party for an upcoming local competition.
Consider Virtual Volunteers
As a result of the COVID-2019 pandemic, volunteer teams can also be remote or hybrid. This way, you can encourage people from other cities to volunteer for the hospice. This can be administrative work, e.g., data entry, making/receiving phone calls, report writing, email marketing activities, etc.
Conclusions
Finding and recruiting the right volunteers for hospice doesn’t have to be a challenging and demanding task; use your creativity. In addition to standard recruiting methods, you can also utilize social media and hold local events (job fairs or community meetings). Experiment and try various creative ways to find your perfect volunteers for the hospice.