Discover how to gain and keep volunteer based on the book "The New Breed: Understanding and Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer by Jonathan and Thomas W. McKee.

1. The World of Volunteers has
changed. But have you changed?
Based on the book “The New Breed: Understanding and
Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer” by Jonathan and Thomas
W. McKee

2. The Volunteer Recruiter
Who is the New Breed of Volunteer?

3. The New Breed Volunteer
Do you recognize people like this in PTA?
They are very busy, have many obligations and often volunteer for
multiple organizations
They want flexibility
They expect to be empowered
They won’t tolerate working alongside incompetent people
They are tech-savvy
They don’t want to be micromanaged

4. The “Courting” Relationship
 Use the Dating Method
 FIRST DATE
A tour, an opportunity to serve a chance to experience your mission, a lunch where they
hear your passion
Goal: Give them a taste, gather information, get a second date
 SECOND DATE
Listen to their heart, find a fit, share roles and responsibilities, avoid “Oh by the way”
moments.
Goal: recruiting, building relationship for future recruiting or securing a future date
 Future Dates
Understand that “no” doesn’t always mean “never”

5. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN #1: Expect announcements to get volunteers
What doesn’t work
Send out a flyer
Make a few calls
Stressing over vacancies
So will work?
The word volunteer is not a verb it should be a noun
They want a cause they believe in
Quit asking for volunteers but ask for “dates”

6. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
 SIN #2: Go it alone
 What doesn’t work.
Doing it alone like a super hero
You must have a team
 What will work?
Build an effective network
 Find people with:
 A passion for your organization
 Already actively volunteering for you
 A clear communicator
 A visionary

7. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
Sin # 3: Recruit only volunteer who make long term
commitments
What won’t work
Asking for the life long commitment the first time they volunteer
with you.
What will work
Ask for short term projects
As they work with other passionate people they catch the
commitment from others

8. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN #4: Assume that “No” means “Never”
What won’t work
Giving up just because they run away from helping the first time
What will work?
Timing is everything
Ask them if any position interest them, including the ones that they
never consider.

9. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN # 5: Recruit any Ol’ B.I.C.
B.I.C. = Body in chair
What doesn’t work
Asking “Please come and be apart of our group, We have a great time and we
need your expertise” and we don’t tell them what we want them to do.
What will work?
Effective recruiting demands a very clear, complete and brief presentation of the
roles and responsibilities of the position you’re recruiting for.
This not only helps the person

10. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN #6: Treat professional like their lackeys
What doesn’t work
Assuming that since a person already volunteers that they are too
busy to help your organization
What will work?
Ask professional to be in charge of something significant that they
also love.

11. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN #7: Hire professionals who know nothing about volunteer
management
What doesn’t work
Hiring someone who is very good at what the organization does rather than a
volunteer leader
The professional feel deceived because they don’t realize a big part of they do is
recruiting and managing volunteers
What does work?
Organizations that rely on volunteers should hire volunteer managers

12. Seven Strong Power-recruiting Skills
1. Ask Personally – get the first date
2. Develop strategic recruiting partners- build your network
3. Recruit short term project teams
4. Assume “No” means “Not Now”
5. Develop roles and responsibilities – don’t just fill with a warm body
6. Recruit specific people for specific roles
7. Hire true volunteer managers- They have a positive volunteer attitude

13. Tapping into 2 New Breed Volunteers
 BOOMERS
 Retiring professionals want to make a
difference
 Retiring professionals aren’t afraid of
commitment
 Retiring professional want flexibility
 GENERATION Y
 They’re Impatient
 They’re multitaskers
 They think digital
 They’re tolerant
 They’re looking for causes
 They’re team players
 They don’t want to be managed; they
want to be led

14. Recruiting and managing retiring
professionals
1. Do you have a cause?
2. Are you providing opportunities for them
to use their skills
3. Are you keeping the standard high?
4. Are you highlighting the payoff?
5. Are you providing flexibility?
1. Retiring professionals want to make a
difference, not a contribution
2. Are your just looking for a B.I.C.
3. Retiring Boomers don’t want to work
alongside half-committed, unprofessional
”any way will do” volunteers
4. Make sure volunteers know what’s in it for
them, as well as how their work benefits your
cause or mission
5. These volunteers are on the go and will often
volunteer for more than one organization.

15. Recruiting and managing young
professionals
1. Are you mission driven?
2. Are you a coach to these young individuals?
3. Do you involve this your generation in decision
making?
4. Does your group practice diversity in recruiting,
promoting hiring, and seeking leadership?
5. Do you take advantage of the community
service requirements that many schools
require?
1. Don’t tell members of this young generation,
“Please do this job and have it done by Friday”
Instead say “What can you do to help us
accomplish our mission?” Get to know them as
an individual and listen to their input.
2. Be a coach- Challenge them to do their best,
yet nurture individuals and encourage them to
reach their full potential
3. They want to be apart of the team in making
decisions
4. This young generation ignores gender and
racial biases and works with anyone who can
help them accomplish common goals

16. The Volunteer Manager

17. Motivating the New Breed of Volunteers
1. Know what motivates people to volunteer
Self-serving motivational drive- it meets their needs
Relational drive- People commit because of friendships
Core motivation, their BELIEFS- this is the strongest level of
commitment
2. Give regular feedback
Make it specific and often
Without feedback volunteers don’t know where they stand

18. Motivating the New Breed of Volunteers
3.Send volunteers to conferences
4.Most conferences offer 2 benefits: Training and
Motivation
5.Provide on the job vocational training
6.Offer practical skill development
7.Be available to volunteers
8.Provide free food

19. Motivating the New Breed of Volunteers
9. Provide tangible incentives
10.Say it with flowers- a personal gift
11.Have fun
12.Accountability
13.Positive Gossip
14.Huddles
15.Thanking families of volunteers

20. The SIX Rules of Empowerment
Rule #1: Don’t take the football- give it away
Rule #2: Label each handoff as either delegation or
empowerment
Rule #3: Secure the handoff
Rule #4: Break down task into manageable goals
Rule#5: Don’t take the football if you can’t do anything about
it.
Rule #6: Develop good hand off skill to avoid disaster

21. The Volunteer Leader

22. Mobilize the Collective Power of Volunteers
 Passion: Where power begins
 Focus: The power of focused mission (Be a laser vs a light bulb)
 Strategic Thinking: Keys for mobilizing passion (mission and vision)
 A vision statement is used to focus passion
 Community: Building team spirit
 Training and development: A valuable tool for instilling passion
 Give training a context- create decision makers
 Use role playing
 Use mentors
 Use case studies

23. The World of Volunteers has
changed. Volunteers are what our
P.T.A.’s need. Now how do we at the
state engage volunteers and how do
we translate this effort into
membership?
Questions??

24. Thank You for all
you do!!