Re: getting volunteers

Hi Nancy,

You asked:

        >what do you think can/should be done to encourage volunteering within
        >the guild?

        >can we do more than we are already doing to get volunteers?

I think we should consider offering some more incentives for volunteers.

For example, I understand that a member can upgrade to another level of
membership by volunteering, getting "points" and then acquiring enough
points to upgrade the membership. That's a pretty interesting idea, and may
be nice if applied to the basis (free) members as an incentive to
volunteer.

I see a few potential drawbacks, though. For example, we would gain no
revenue. Seems like the work is fair trade for revenue, though. Also, seems
like some people may decide to just rack up enough points to get the
membership they want, then stop volunteering. Then again, the work they did
still has value, maybe more than $35. It's a tough call, but I think that
offering some more incentives, may be a good start.

I had asked this in an earlier post, but nobody responded. What are we
doing to reward the efforts of our current volunteers? I think rewarding
effort is an incentive that benefits the Guild and the individual
volunteer. Creating a reward system, if one doesn't already exist, may
really help. For example, we could offer "rewards" for a certain number of
hours/months/years. The rewards could be anything, maybe software
(affordable) or a pen/mug/whatever with the logo on it.

It doesn't have to be "big" or expensive, maybe something free. For
instance, what if "Vol" signed up to be a list guide and did so,
faithfully, for one year. Why not honor him for that committment with a
"Thanks Vol for a year of great service" banner/line on the website or even
by mailing him a neat certificate. I think that simply showing appreciation
can be a reward.

        >should we not have as many volunteers as we do right now?  (of course,
        >if we didn't, we would have less programs - IMO)
We should have at least what we have now, if the system is working well. I
don't think we should cut back. If it seems as if we have too many
volunteers in a certain area, I think it would be better to "re-purpose"
them in new initiatives or areas that need more help. I think we should
always be open to people who want to help, in any capacity. I would only be
concerned if people were volunteering to do things but not following
through. In no way would I support getting rid of good people who are
helping the Guild by their own good will.

Tanya Spain

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