In order to recruit and gain commitment from members, it is important to see recruitment as a two-way process. Although members often give their time for free, they still give it for a reason.

It is important to establish why people want to give their time, so that you can ensure the work or service you are asking them to provide will be satisfying to them. It is easy to assume that the only reason people want to become a member is to ‘make the world a better place’. This may well be one of the factors, but most people have other personal reasons and will be looking for opportunities to satisfy these.

There are many reasons for becoming a member of an access group. Listed below are some of these reasons:

• to gain skills and experience, or to put existing skills to good use
• to gain qualifications or accreditation
• to fill time
• to make new friends, or simply to get out of the house
• to be part of the local community, and to have an active role in helping to improve it

When recruiting members, it is important to have some understanding of personal motivation so that the work can be satisfying and meet personal expectations. For example, if someone becomes a member because they want to make friends, they may not be happy if they are placed in a role that does not involve working directly with other members.

The way in which the roles of access group members are presented determines the kinds of people who will be attracted to it. Therefore, if you simply put out a request for ‘members’, you are likely to get a response from a limited group of people. When you are seeking to recruit members, you should constantly put yourself in the position of potential members, and ask yourself the following questions:

• Why would I want to do this?
• What will I get out of it?
• What experience/skills/training will I need to do it?
• How will I achieve experience/skills/training if I do not already have them?