One of the main goals of our research was to create recommendations for  volunteer coordinators who want to recruit volunteers from among our target population. 

All members of our target population fit three criteria:

1) Each had volunteered within the last three years.

2) Each was age 35 or above.

3) Each had a bachelor's degree or higher educational attainment.  

So, what attracts these volunteers?

Recommendations for Recruiting Volunteers: 

• Ask your volunteers to tell family and friends about the program for which they volunteer.  Your current volunteers are your best resources for recruiting new volunteers.  They are in the best position to know others who might be interested, assuming some of their friends have similar interests.  They already care about the organization and issue for which they volunteer and can impart that interest and caring to other prospective volunteers in a personal way.  Respondents to our survey were most likely to have heard about their last volunteer position through a friend or relative (27%).  These friends/relatives would most likely already be knowledgeable about the respondents’ interests and have made a referral to a volunteer program based on that knowledge.  These friends/relatives were, in some cases, undoubtedly volunteers for the organizations they referred the respondents to.  This assumption finds some credence in the fact that the third most popular response to the question about the source from which respondents had heard about their last volunteer position was “Another Volunteer for the Program” (12% of responses). [See Question 13]  As one of our focus group participants put it: "Current volunteers can testify that what they do here is meaningful. Whether these people go out to groups or friends.  That’s an effective way…Current volunteers are the best outreach tool." 
   
• 11% of respondents said they heard about their last volunteer position through (non-family/friend, program volunteer) persons or communities with whom they were already acquainted, such as their religious community (7%) or an instructor (4%).  [See Question 13] Focus group attendees mentioned churches as important places for sharing ideas about volunteer opportunities.  They also mentioned doing presentations at civic clubs, where the members are already committed to the idea of service.  Another focus group participant, however, mentioned that civic clubs are inundated with such presentations, so successful recruitment will be tempered by that reality.
   
• 16% of respondents said they heard about their last volunteer position from mass marketing campaigns like volunteer positions listed online, in newspapers, and on television or the radio.  There is some promise to recruiting using these techniques, but far more respondents were attracted to their last volunteer positions after having been referred there by a friend, family member, or another volunteer for the program.  One advantage to mass marketing volunteer positions is that it can attract persons outside of social networks already involved in or knowledgeable about your volunteer program, which might mean an infusion of new populations, interests, and skills. [See Question 13]    
   
• Notably, fewer than 1% of our respondents said they heard about the last volunteer position they began from a fair or convention.  [See Question 13] 
   
• Several focus group participants mentioned the importance of partnering with corporate volunteer programs, some of which provide matching funding.
   
• Most volunteers in our population prefer to volunteer in positions that utilize skills and knowledge they already have.  Recruiting through networks in which you are likely to come into contact with persons who already have the skills you need might yield more volunteers than looking for volunteers who are willing to learn new skills. 
   
• Members of some demographic subgroups are more likely to prefer positions that offer hundreds of hours of service a year while other groups are more likely to want just a few hours of volunteer work a year.  Be clear about the number of hours you need from volunteers and then target your volunteer recruitment efforts toward those groups.  See Age Specific below for more information.  [See Question 7]
   
• For the most part, respondents did not feel that the volunteer work they enjoy doing the most requires a person with their level of education.  Persons with college degrees might be more likely to accept a position that does not market itself as requiring a college degree.  Using the exclusivity of a position (e.g., only persons with certain education levels can participate) to market a position to potential volunteers could be counterproductive.  [See Question 16]     
   
• Age greatly affects the hours of day during which respondents prefer to serve.  See Age Specific for more information.
   
• Most respondents (84%) prefer to volunteer on a weekday.  However, age affects whether volunteers prefer to volunteer on a weekday or during the weekend.  See Age Specific for more information. 
   
• Age and sex affected the reasons our respondents volunteer.  See Age Specific and Sex Specific for more information.  The most popular reasons respondents volunteer were “I care about a particular issue or population” (57%), “I want to help people” (51%), “I want to support my community” (45%), and “I want to support an organization that is important to me” (48%).  [See Question 14]   
   
• Age, retirement status, educational attainment, and sex all affected the type of volunteering (e.g., administrative, educational, organizing, etc.) respondents were most likely to participate in.  A successful volunteer recruitment campaign would be wise to follow the guidelines provided here and elsewhere for determining who is most likely to do specific types of volunteer work.  [See Question 5]
   

Age Specific 

• Messages that emphasize “supporting the community” and supporting a specific population are more likely to attract volunteers age 35-54.   [See Question 14]   
   
• To attract adults age 55+ to volunteer positions, use language that is broad and emphasizes “giving back” and “helping people.”  This type of language was appealing in both the questionnaire and the focus groups.  Many focus groups participants above age 55 said a primary reason they volunteer was because of a need to "give back."  [See Question 14]
   
• Although most volunteers in the sample prefer to volunteer in positions that use “skills and knowledge I already have,” age does not affect the likelihood that a person will volunteer in order to have access to learning opportunities.  Do not necessarily deemphasize learning opportunities just because you are marketing volunteer positions to older adults.  [See Question 15]
   
• Older volunteers (55+) greatly prefer to volunteer between 8am and 2pm.  A majority of 35-44 year olds prefer to volunteer after 5pm, and 50% of 45-54 year olds prefer 2pm-8pm.  If you want to attract a certain age group, be aware of the hours your volunteer position is available.  [See Question 12]
   
• 100% of retirees prefer to volunteer on a weekday.  71% of non-retirees do, too.  29% of non-retirees, however, prefer volunteering on the weekend.  Since the vast majority of non-retirees are under 60, recruiting for weekend volunteering should focus on youth and adults younger than 60.  [See Question 11]
   

Sex Specific

• Men are more likely to be attracted by broad messages that appeal to their desire to “help people.”   [See Question 14] 
   
• To attract more female volunteers, focus on the particular issue, population, and organization they will support through their work.  [See Question 14] 
   

Educational Attainment

• Respondents with advanced degrees were more likely to volunteer to support a “particular issue or population.”  Respondents with master’s degrees were most likely to volunteer for this reason (66%), followed by doctoral and professional degree holders (54%) and bachelor’s degree holders (45%).
   

Types of Volunteer Positions

• Motivations to volunteer differed depending on the type of volunteer positions (e.g., administrative, educational, organizing, etc.) respondents were engaged in.  [See Question 14]  Be aware of these differences when recruiting for specific positions.