Word of mouth is probably the most effective way to recruit volunteers that there is.

Your current volunteers are the best people to spread that word. But it rarely just happens.

A few summers ago, I met a woman who was amazing at it. She could talk with people for as little as five minutes and convince them to sign up as a volunteer at her food bank. She wasn’t pushy or standing on a soap box. She just had an natural, friendly way of weaving volunteering into everyday conversations.

The secret? She listened for cues.

Word of mouth recruitment works best when it doesn’t feel like recruitment. It’s not about talking people into it, it’s about noticing when someone might be interested and offering a genuine invitation. The challenge for many volunteers is figuring out when and how to bring it up. That’s where conversational cues and a ready-to-use script come in.

Learn to spot the cues

Have you ever heard someone try to force a particular subject into a conversation? Bad sales people do this all the time. It’s awkward and off-putting for the listeners. There’s no point in asking your volunteers to “just talk about your volunteering experience”. They are more likely to share their story if they know how to do it naturally and avoid that........

© Castanet