Ideas to increase volunteer participation

Ways to recruit new volunteers

Encourage existing volunteers to ask their friends, family members or co-workers to get involved.
Contact your local, schools, service groups, supermarkets, pubs, etc – tell them about the types of volunteers you’re looking for.
Speak the language of the person you are trying to recruit. Ask yourself “what do we do that would interest them?” and highlight this in what you say.
Contact your local community newspaper about profiling existing volunteers and make sure the volunteer talks about the benefits of volunteering with your organisation.
Hold ‘bring a friend’ events so people can come along and see what you do (don’t forget to mention at the event that you are looking for new volunteers!)
Create your own posters or fliers and put them up in local community centres, supermarkets, colleges, etc – wherever you think the people you want to attract might see them.
Advertise for volunteers on the free community notices on the radio.
Use bulletin boards on the internet to post enticing ‘situation vacant’ messages .
Promote your organisation’s services and advertise for volunteers in special newspaper features. (You can often get suppliers and other businesses to take ads on the page to cover the cost, or you could band together with other voluntary organisations and have a page focused on volunteering.)
Pay attention to what other organisations do to recruit new staff, members, or volunteers and adapt these methods for your own use.
Offer ‘family challenges’ or ‘workplace challenges’ so groups of people who know each other can get involved.
Ring radio announcers and talkback to speak about the work of your organisation and your need for volunteers.
Host a volunteer breakfast/morning tea/lunch/afternoon tea to show your appreciation.
Present certificates or tokens of appreciation to your volunteers (especially on International Volunteer Day).
Say ‘thank you’ on a regular basis – with words or small signs of gratitude (eg: a thank you card).

Be flexible with your expectations of people. Sometimes volunteers leave because they want to cut back on their hours of involvement, but are not presented with options that allow them to do this. Job-sharing can sometimes help, or maybe a change of role might keep the person involved.
Give your volunteers opportunities to learn new skills or develop the ones they already have. (New challenges keep people interested and enthusiastic.)
Do things to ensure your volunteers feel like they belong and are a valued part of your organisation. (ie: they are not ‘just a volunteer’.)
Don’t waste peoples time!
Be as specific as possible when describing the role of the “New Volunteer”
Try and work out in actual terms of time the sort of commitment you are looking for. ( We need somebody to do “x” which will require no more than 2 hours on a given
evening)
Formulate a “Volunteer Policy”
When someone new comes in to your group make them feel welcome and be sure to “include” them.
Ultimately your group comprising both existing members and new members are there to fulfil a goal or service a need – Make sure your reasons are clear and understandable

Remember - Help is at hand - Should you require support, your local Partnership Company employs a Volunteer Support Worker