Senior Corps (www.seniorcorps.org) ... Executive Service Corps (www.escus.org) ... national survey by Volunteer Match, â
Overall Strategies for Recruiting People 50+ 1. Work with intermediary organizations that will recruit and place volunteers or part-time staff with your organization. Intermediaries need to understand the range of opportunities you are offering and have the capacity to make the appropriate matches. Here are some examples of intermediaries: 1. Senior Corps (www.seniorcorps.org) 2. Volunteer Centers (www.pointsoflight.org) 3. Hands On Network (www.handsonnetwork.org) 4. SCORE (www.score.org) 5. Executive Service Corps (www.escus.org) 6. Senior Community Service Employment Program (www.doleta.gov/seniors) 7. Senior Centers (http://www.ncoa.org/...) 8. Human Resource Coordinators at companies/non-profits (www.shrm.org) 2. Build strong partnerships with specific organizations in your community that have 50+ members (e.g., faith-based institutions, ethnic organizations, neighborhood associations, professional associations, senior housing developments/retirement communities). 3. Widely distribute recruitment materials in community. 4. ASK...ASK...ASK. Word of mouth is still the best way to recruit people to work in your organization.
Tips for Recruiting Specific Populations 50+ Men •
Affirm their experience and show how it can be used to help your organization. According to a national survey by Volunteer Match, “Men who are 55 and over are more likely than are other groups to believe that their skills matter.”
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Use terms such as “community work” or “contribution” rather than “volunteering.”
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Offer incentives, if possible, like sports tickets.
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Send older men as recruiters and use photos of older men in promotional materials.
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Target organizations that have primarily male membership like fraternities, the Masons, unions that represent the building trades, clubs for men at houses of worship, etc.
From the Capturing the Energy workshop for organizations.
Visit www.comingofagenyc.org for more info.
Limited English-Speaking People 50+ •
Build authentic partnerships with trusted organizations and leaders in ethnic communities in order to reach older immigrants.
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Acknowledge and support informal civic activities in which older immigrants may already be engaged.
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Develop messages that reflect cultural motivations of older immigrants (e.g., desire to transmit culture, connection to community, faith, improved health) and promote sense of reciprocity/ mutual aid.
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Help older immigrants and refugees identify their strengths and develop self-confidence.
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Engage groups of older immigrants in civic activities rather than recruiting individuals to work alone.
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Use bilingual staff to do outreach or engage interpreters.
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Make sure all materials are translated into native language.
Strategies for Recruiting People 50+ with Varying Abilities •
Show people with disabilities in promotional materials.
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Hold recruitment events and activities in accessible locations.
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Enhance access to your facility.
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Make use of adaptive technology.
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Offer compelling opportunities that can be done from home.
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Reach out to organizations in the community such as o Visiting Nurses Association o Meals on Wheels o United Cerebral Palsy o National Federation for the Blind
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Begin to build relationships and partnerships… o Exchange and get feedback on materials. o Co-create a strategy to recruit the target populations they serve.
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Before you start … o Make sure you are ready to place volunteers with disabilities. For a self-evaluation to help you see if you are ready, go to the ServiceLeader website: www.serviceleader. org/new/virtual/index.
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For additional information and materials on engaging people with disabilities in service visit the National Service Inclusion Project website: www.serviceandinclusion.org.
From the Capturing the Energy workshop for organizations.
