Marketing Initiatives and Campaigns to promote Volunteering - a ...

• The promotion of volunteering through youth focused events and activities inlocal communities and through the Internet (website development)10. Source: ‘Count Me In! 501 Ideas on Recruiting Volunteers’, by Judy Esmond, 2001,NewSeason Publications, Victoria Park-Western Australia.Key points:• Ways of generating publicity (p.112):• Writing an article in the local paper to recognize the achievement of a volunteerand adding a message that more volunteers are wanted and a contact details• ‘Piggy-back’ volunteering message with other days or weeks of the year that arededicated to special themes (e.g. Valentine’s day, Senior’s week (p.199) HealthAwareness Week, St Patrick’s day or Mother’s day)• Partnering with other groups to promote volunteering (e.g. running a weeklyseries in the local newspaper about unusual volunteer assignments in differentorganisations)• Using the media (p.123):• Preparing a media kit that provides all the relevant information in a readable style• When preparing news releases keep to one or two pages in length, using shortsentences, short paragraphs, avoid repetition and use plain language not jargon• Use testimonials in the promotional material (p.145)• Distributing recruitment material (p.149):• Inserting recruitment message in the outgoing mail• Using direct mail• Encourage people in the organisation to take brochures and deliver them to letterboxes or business (cheaper and involves others in recruiting)• Reaching a wider audience (p.158)• Enclosing business card with outgoing mail• Using signage on vehicles• Posting recruitment message on internet notice boards• Asking online companies to donate sites on their website• Enhanced own website & update the site regularly (p.219)• Targeting groups (p.181):• To recruit older high school students, don’t just send a brochure or poster to theschool – conduct visits to schools, seek permission to speak directly to studentsand invite enthusiastic young volunteers to the visit.• Use research to gain publicity. Write an article and publish in the local paper (p.228)11. Source: ‘Campaigning for Conservation’, Michelle Grady, in ‘Volunteering Visions’Joy Noble & Fiona Johnston (editors) The Federation Press 2001, Sydney, p.55.Key point:35