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How to create an HR strategy
How to create an HR strategy
The volunteer recruitment process, can be described by using the so-called “Recruitment Stairway”. The Stairway illustrates the sequence of steps the organization needs to consider when recruiting volunteer workforce for an event. The first step in the recruitment process is to define the tasks which should be fulfilled by the volunteers. The next step in the recruitment stairway is to build a recruitment strategy. When building a recruitment strategy, you first need to consider who you are trying to target. Knowing what motivates our volunteers gives us an advantage when we are seeking to attract more employees, not only because this helps us put together a homogenous group, but also because we can know better how to reach them and manage them.
The stairway model
The stairway model
The Stairway illustrates the sequence of steps the organization needs to consider when recruiting volunteer workforce for an event. The stairway also illustrates how one step must be finished before the next step can be taken. It is, therefore, important to note that steps shall not be skipped, but followed in a certain sequence.
Step 1: Tasks and needs
Step 1: Tasks and needs
The first step in the recruitment process is to define the tasks which should be fulfilled by the volunteers. In order to be able to perform a targeted search for volunteers as well as a well-informed description for the potential applicants, you must first define what it actually is, you are expecting from the volunteers you are looking for.
Step 2: Recruitment strategy
Step 2: Recruitment strategy
The next step in the recruitment stairway is to build a recruitment strategy. When building a recruitment strategy, you first need to consider who you are trying to target. As with any marketing strategy, we are certain to get a much more efficient outcome, when we know who we are trying to target, what is their behavior, interests, etc. Our next step, is therefore to consider certain volunteer profiles and understand their differences. What we want to know about our volunteers is:
How much time are they willing to spend on the volunteer activity?
What kinds of tasks are they willing to solve?
What occupies our volunteers? where are they in their lives?
Are your volunteers also users of your event/organization?
How does the volunteer work contribute to your volunteers’ identity?
A report on volunteer work in Denmark, incl. data on various types of volunteers based location and motivation.
Source: Malthe Lindholm Sørensen, Helene Elisabeth Dam Jørgensen, Natalie Perregaard og Mette Hjære (2021) Det frivillige sociale engagement i Danmark. Frivilligrapport 2019-2021, Forlaget CFSA. Center for Frivilligt Socialt Arbejde, 2021
The four main strategies available to us are portrayed as a matrix on the right. The vertical axis determines whether we want to search for a broad target group of volunteers with various motives, skills, age groups, etc., or if we want search within a narrow target group, e.g., a very specific volunteer profile with a certain motive, age group, specialist skill, etc. On the horizontal axis, we decide whether the target group is going through a selection process as part of the recruitment. In other words; will we accept anybody who volunteers, or will we choose those individuals that fit with our organizations values? The narrower the target group is, and the more effort we put into the selection process, the more direct our recruitment strategy is likely to be. Where the bottom left corner strategy would entail mass communication and plenty of promotion effort to a very broad target group, the top right corner would require a certain amount of personal networking and face-to-face communication. Here, the organization will tend to “headhunt” its volunteers, rather than sending out a general message for all to hear, and accepting whoever decides to respond to this message.
Having decided on an overall recruitment strategy and volunteer target group, it is now time to consider how to reach them in the most effective way. Here, it is crucial to be aware of the motivations of your specific target group. Find out as much as you can about your target group’s motivation for joining, and what they would expect to get out of joining your event. This information must be used as a basis for describing what you can offer your volunteers. For example; if your volunteer target group is motivated by network building and socializing, it is important for them to know what you as an event organizer can offer them in terms of teamwork, friendship and comradeship in return for their time and engagement in your event. This should then be the cornerstone in your recruitment communication material. On the other hand, if your volunteers are a group of competence hunters, motivated by career opportunities, you should be very specific about what skills they can potentially gain from engaging in your event, and how this could contribute to their CV.
Your recruitment strategy requires an established, clear understanding of your volunteer target group: what are their motives and what can you offer them? Your overall strategy then determines how you are going to reach them in the most effective way. The more you know about your target group, the better you can choose your channels for reaching them. Once you have managed to wheel them in and get them involved, your next challenge is to keep them engaged.
Source: IngerFair (2017) IngerFairs To Go Seminar – Om ledelse og involvering af Frivillige
The Danish Institute for Voluntary Effort (DIVE) gives the following tips for volunteer recruitment:
The Danish Institute for Voluntary Effort (DIVE) gives the following tips for volunteer recruitment:
If you already know a potential candidate or have access to someone through your network, the most effective method is to ask this individual personally and directly – face-to-face. If you don’t know anyone specific, it is important to make yourselves visible where your target groups are. The most optimal solution is to physically be present where your target group is, but this is not always an option. You need to consider your online presence, as well as posters, flyers, social media, etc. You cannot reach everyone; even the largest events do not have resources to recruit the entire population, so don’t waste your efforts on a very broad target group. Choose fewer, specific target groups and communication channels that you want to focus on. In your written communication and recruitment posts, you must assure that your communication answers the following questions:
1. What tasks should the volunteer solve?
2. Why is it important for these tasks to be solved?
3. What should the volunteer invest of time and resources?
4. What do you offer the volunteer in return for their efforts?
Source: DIVE, The Danish Institute for Voluntary Efforts (2017b) Sådan rekrutterer I nye Frivillige, Weblink from November 28th 2017 (link)
Step 3: Retention
Step 3: Retention
The final step in the recruitment stairway is retention. In this step, our focus is to keep those new recruits engaged, now that we have managed to get them interested in our organization’s work.
Figure 3 shows how time affects out volunteers’ motivation in the period after they have agreed to volunteer, until they have their first experience with the organization. As we can see from the illustration, motivation drops quite quickly after the initial recruitment. As time passes, the volunteer becomes uneasy and nervous about the new job, and they are forming certain conceptions in their mind about what this experience will bring. It is very crucial for the organization to keep contact with the volunteer in this period. If they are left alone with their negative conceptions, they may leave the organization, before their engagement has even begun. Once they start meeting other volunteers in the organization, and get more information about their tasks, they become more motivated again. The question is, how do we make sure that we do not lose them in their hour of doubt?
It is your job as the organization to make sure you give a proper reception and introduction to your new recruits. You must make sure that the new recruit is introduced to the other volunteers. If not, you risk that the recruit will be disappointed and insecure and may leave you again. It is a good idea to invite your recruits for a meeting, where you can share expectations and get to know more about the recruit’s motivation and competences. This will give you an opportunity to check whether there is a match between the volunteer and the task. Make sure the new recruit has all the information they need about their task, so they feel confident. Finally, make sure to follow up along the way, and give them plenty of opportunities to ask questions. Think about how you can lead the recruit safely through the first period, where they may be unsure about whether they made the right choice in joining your organization.
Source: DIVE, The Danish Institute for Voluntary Efforts (2017b) Sådan rekrutterer I nye Frivillige, Weblink from November 28th 2017 (link)
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