Strategies for Volunteer Recruitment
Personally extend invitations to volunteer through visits or phone calls
Supplement personal invitations with print information (flyers, posters, newspaper articles) written in Spanish and/or English
Utilize Spanish radio spots
Hold meetings in locations where the people will be comfortable
Offer food, door prizes, and possibly music as a part of meetings
Take into consideration the daily schedule of potential volunteers when setting meeting times
Accommodate language preferences
Explain how your organization benefits Latino families and their community
Specifically describe how volunteering will benefit familes and community
Initally recruit for short-term assignments
Don't become discouraged by limited response—keep asking
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Recruiting and Supporting Latino Volunteers
B. Hobbs, Extension specialist, 4-H youth development, Oregon State University.
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People with higher levels of education, better English language skills, and some degree of financial security are the most likely candidates.
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Identifying Potential Volunteers
Volunteers may be drawn from a wide range of Latino community members. High school and college students may want to volunteer to fulfill practicum and community service requirements. Senior citizens, if they are not needed to contribute to the economic support of the extended family, may have time to volunteer. Established professionals are good volunteer candidates as they have predictable work schedules and understand the Anglo culture. Stay-at-home mothers often are overlooked, but they can be a valuable resource. They usually have the time but may need child care, transportation, and permission from their husbands to become involved. They do have skills to offer and will contribute if they are shown how they can help.
Across all age groups, the newly arrived and those focused on meeting basic survival needs are the least likely to volunteer. People with higher levels of education, better English language skills, and some degree of financial security are the most likely candidates.
Latinos are motivated to volunteer for a number of reasons. Many want to give back for what they themselves have received. They want to help their own people. Some are looking for opportunities to learn skills and gain experience that will help them find better jobs. Others are looking for a personal challenge. Still others will volunteer if the program provides ways to pass along the traditions of their culture to younger community members or to share those traditions with the greater community. Other motivators are the chance to meet people and the sense of pride that comes from making a worthwhile contribution.
Inviting Participation
One reason few Latinos volunteer with mainstream organizations is that they have never been asked to help. Just asking will greatly increase the chances of obtaining Latino involvement. How you ask also will impact your success.
Much of the work of inviting Latinos to participate as volunteers needs to be done on a one-to-one basis either by direct visits or through phone conversations. The personal contact may be made directly by outreach staff or by community leaders and groups who are supporters. In the Latino culture, personal relationships are the foundation of the community. People will respond more readily to an invitation if they are contacted personally. You must “go to them” rather than make an announcement and expect them to “come to me.” This applies across all levels of education and socioeconomic status. When addressing a person, use his or her surname unless permission is given to use the first name. Never “Anglicize” a Spanish name.
To reinforce personal contact, invitations to volunteer or to attend a meeting to find out about volunteering can be extended in other ways. Flyers and brochures written in Spanish as well as English might be posted in spots frequented by the target community. The message should be short, presented as an invitation (not an announcement), written using terms the people will understand, and illustrated. Spots on Spanish radio also can be effective. Spanish radio is very popular and conveys credibility to the information broadcasted.
Another key approach to volunteer recruitment is word of mouth. Community members who have a successful volunteer experience with an organization will spread the word and will be very effective in recruiting others to volunteer. Latinos look to other Latinos for a model of volunteering.
What doesn’t work is relying solely on written communication such as notes sent home with children from school or posted flyers. Some recent immigrants have had little formal schooling and can’t read either Spanish or English. Others who do read still require a personal contact to reinforce all other approaches.
If you hold a meeting to gather potential volunteers, create a welcoming atmosphere. Hold the meeting in a location that is familiar and comfortable for the people. A church may provide space, but don’t assume all Latinos will be comfortable in the Catholic Church. Latinos belong to other denominations, too. A school is another likely place, but it should be one that is familiar to the people. Generally, holding meetings at established organizations in the Latino community such as a cultural center ensures a high comfort level and likely will encourage people who are affiliated with that organization to attend.
The timing of meetings must take into account the work schedules of the families. Evenings and weekends often are better than weekdays, but no one time frame meets everyone’s needs. Be aware that when you set a meeting time, there will be some who will come later. The Latino culture does not value promptness in the same way as Euro-American culture. Latino culture is oriented toward family and human relationships. Taking a few moments to be with someone you meet on the way to a meeting is more important than being at a meeting early or when it is scheduled to begin. Euro-American culture, on the other hand, is more task-oriented, and schedules are given great importance. If your Latino volunteers show up after a meeting has begun, it doesn’t mean they aren’t interested or committed; it’s simply a reflection of their placing greater value on relationships over time schedules. One way to accommodate both those who are “on” time and those who are “in” time is to have a timed agenda and meeting notes on the wall for all to see. In this way, latecomers can catch up quickly with the group, and those who are on time are not left waiting for the meeting to begin. It also is important to let your meeting participants know ahead of time that you will be starting on time and that participants are still welcome if they find they are running late.
Food, door prizes, and live music are a few sure ways to attract people to a meeting. Offering familiar food of some kind is a must. Either provide food or make it a pot luck event. Pot luck events are especially popular as they provide a way for all to contribute and to feel included. Expect the whole family—not just the adults you’re targeting—to attend meetings. Conducting meetings in Spanish also will encourage attendance. Monolingual Spanish speakers will be more apt to speak up at the meeting if it’s conducted in Spanish rather than translated into Spanish. Even attendees who are bilingual will appreciate the comfort level accorded by using Spanish. Be sure the Spanish spoken reflects the daily language and the daily lives of the people.
It’s very important to greet people at the door. If possible, spend a few minutes talking with them. This will help build a personal relationship, which adds to their comfort level. It’s also a good idea to plan an activity that will engage people as they enter. The activity should be social in nature and should encourage people to learn a little about each other.
The message you convey about volunteering should reflect what you know about the audience. If the people don’t have a history of volunteering in the larger community, use the term “helping” instead of volunteering. This makes what you’re asking for much clearer. Be sure you also refer to helping in print material. Relate the work they will do as volunteers to the benefits their families and their community will receive. When talking with individuals, take an empowering approach. Explain specifically how their talents and skills will allow them to make a difference. Many feel they have nothing to contribute. Let them know you believe they do.
In your conversations, emphasize that your organization is making a long-term commitment to the community. This isn’t tokenism or an attempt to be politically correct.
Be aware of any embedded hesitancy to fulfill certain roles. For instance, in Mexico, teachers are accorded a very high status and most people would never think of themselves in that role. The 4-H or cub scout leader easily could be seen as a teacher. Thus, to recruit leaders of youth groups it would be important to relate the role more to the parent who teaches his child everyday skills than to the school teacher.
Generally, more success is achieved when volunteers are recruited initially for short-term assignments. Sometimes, directly asking an individual to carry out a task works better than waiting for someone to step forward and volunteer. Once people do agree to perform certain tasks or to attend a meeting, call them to remind them of their commitment. You might have to do this more than once. Often there is no calendar in the home to help adults remember.
Don’t become discouraged if people don’t respond to your invitations to participate. Keep asking. You’re introducing a new idea, and it will take time to be adopted. Continue to explain exactly what volunteers are asked to do, how it benefits families and community, and what it can do for the individual. Be aware also that duty to family takes precedence over all other obligations. Inconsistent participation may be due to family needs that arise unexpectedly.
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