Using T'Internet to Get Volunteers!

A quick thought for a Friday afternoon on how we can use the internet to get new volunteers ...Use Google Alerts to find relevant conversations and then join in.

We know that most volunteers get into volunteering through word of mouth (about two thirds in fact).  But how do we make the most of that?  Well more and more 'conversations' are taking place online now, through places like Sheffield Forum.  Recently I've taken part in various conversations on that esteemed (and very lively) website, some of which started off being about volunteering and others of which were requests for ideas for new hobbies or ways of gaining new skills (so of course I recommended volunteering as being a great means of doing both those things!).  But I, like most people, don't have the time to trawl through forum after forum looking for such conversations to put in my two-pence-worth about volunteering.  So what's the solution?  Well I dare say there are many, but the one I'm quite liking at the moment is Google Alerts.  This allows you to enter in certain key words that you are interested in (e.g. 'volunteering' + 'sheffield') and it will send you a regular email summarising all the times that those words have cropped up online.  That allows you to quickly get to relevant postings and (and useful information) and either simply get a feel for what people are saying about your organisation, or go a step further and join in. 

If you happen to come across conversations which are negative about your organisation, don't shy away!  This is a crucial opportunity for you to redress the balance, and give a more positive view.  Be careful of course not to alienate the person/people who originally made the negative comments (which could escalate problems) and don't be tempted to cut and paste stock responses.  Being open and transparent (and willing to accept criticism) is an important way of gaining people's trust, and when combined with positive action has been shown to successfully convert people into positive advocates. 

So go forth and spread the word about your volunteering opportunities on the wonderful t'interweb!