| Need Volunteers for Your Fundraiser?
By Danielle Hamilton
We can all benefit from more volunteers and there are some great hiding places around your community full of potential volunteers! Where do you go when you need volunteers? Here are a few places to turn…
1. At any and every event you attend, be sure to have some brochures about your group, a listing of the volunteering opportunities you have as well as a sign-up form letting people know that you need volunteers, It's better to GET their name and number, than to just give out yours. That way the ball is in YOUR court to call them rather than to wait for them to make the call.
2. Be sure to sign your group up with Volunteer Match (http://www.volunteermatch.com). Many groups have had great luck with finding volunteers through this site. Be sure to list ALL the various jobs you need help with, including one-time things such as painting a mural as well as long distance jobs, like help designing a website or producing a newsletter/ brochure.
3. Stay at home moms, retirees and others who aren’t working for whatever reason can usually spend a few hours volunteering. Be sure to let them know that there are opportunities for regular involvement or just once in a while activities, like crafting, tabling events, baking for bake sales and more!
4. Contact building associations and other companies if you need help with some plumbing, electrical work or repairs for your structures. The association may help you as part of a good deed for their members. Or, they may let you place information in their newsletters asking for assistance from any of their members on their own time.
5. Contact your Chamber of Commerce or other Welcoming Committee sorts of groups to let them know you are always looking for volunteers. Newcomers to an area may be looking for a fast way to meet people and make friends. Ask the chamber if you can include a brochure for volunteering in the welcome packets.
6. Also contact real estate agencies and ask if you can have your volunteering brochures placed in their welcome packets. Again, newcomers need a group of people to make them feel welcome and part of the community… you can be that group!
7. Make a Difference Day is held at the end of October. Make sure your community knows you have some one-time volunteer opportunities that groups of people can help you with as part of this nationwide effort to make a difference in the community.
8. Many times the court systems order people to do some sort of community service. These can be young teens who were caught for minor infractions or adults who have minor violations. Be sure to contact your local court systems, family services office, or parole offices to ask about this sort of partnership.
9. The United Way can also steer volunteers to your group. Make sure they have your updated information, a few brochures and business cards that they can hand out to people.
10. Libraries allow various groups to set up displays in their front windows and also conduct story times for younger children. Contact your public and school libraries and ask if you can set up a display with related books and your brochures to attract some new blood into your group!
11. Many high schools and colleges require students to do community service before they are able to graduate. Make sure your local school systems know that you need volunteers. Kids can help with the grounds keeping, moving boxes and files around, painting fences, maintaining websites and more. Our next generation of volunteers are very tech savvy kids so use them wisely!
Danielle Hamilton has been working with animal rescues since 1998. Her specialties are creating new fundraising ideas geared specifically towards animal rescues and humane societies and tweaking old ideas to make them work for unique situations. She is the editor of the Humane Fundraising website and moderator of its message board.
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