Recruitment has a lot in common with marketing – that is to say, selling the group and its services in a way that makes people want to invest their time in it.

The most successful campaigns are those that use a variety of ways to appeal to potential members, which tie in with the varied reasons people have for wanting to become members. Recruitment messages that simply say ‘members wanted’ are rarely successful, because they do not contain sufficient information to raise people’s interest.

There are four things you should try to convey in your message:

• Statement of need – why the role is important, what will happen if it is not done
• What the work involves – describe it so that people can picture themselves doing it
• Benefits to the community – what the work will accomplish, and what changes it will make to people’s lives
• Benefits to members – what members will get in return, such as skills, experience, new friends

Recruiting and retaining members is a matter of making them feel valued and important. A positive environment and experience boosts self-esteem. Members not only need their skills to be recognised, but they also need to be thanked for the contribution they make.

The group needs to be clear about what it does. Remember that the process works both ways: while it is essential to allocate time and effort to recruit and train members, it is also important to meet every member’s needs. Groups unwilling or unable to do this will lose members, and may find it difficult to attract new members.

Marketing strategies

Word-of-mouth recruitment
Most people become members because someone asks them to join. Many people are never asked, and yet the potential for their involvement is enormous. The best advertisement comes from existing members who will be more likely to ask friends and family to join them if they find their own experience rewarding.

Staff, committee members and service users are all potential ambassadors for the access group. One downside to word of mouth recruitment is ‘cloning’ – people recruiting others with similar backgrounds. This can be off-putting to potential volunteers who do not match the profile, so use word-of-mouth in conjunction with other recruiting methods.

Written publicity
This may be via posters, leaflets or adverts.

Talks and presentations

• give talks in schools, colleges and youth centres
• contact major employers for presentations to pre-retirement groups
• target people on further education courses
• get in touch with local businesses to recruit people who have the skills you need

Media publicity and community service announcements
Only do this if you are geared up to deal with a potential flood of applicants! Most people will benefit from some presentation skills training. Better still, try to get someone from the media to do it for you.