Volunteering magazine article, issue 110, September 2005
Madness: Endlessly repeating the same process hoping for a different result. (Albert Einstein)
Mike Truelove of Herefordshire Voluntary Action explains how he recruited 20% more volunteer drivers in 18 months
In the voluntary sector, it is often the case that we follow Einsteins recipe for madness. This occurs for a variety of reasons, and includes:
- new projects being started without proper research into what has gone before
- voluntary organisations doing what they have always done in the past
- a perception that there is insufficient time or resources to do any other
- lack of vision/failure to see the need for change.
When I was given the task of leading the Volunteer Driver Development Project, hosted by Herefordshire Voluntary Action, I had no history of working in the voluntary sector. This was a tremendous benefit as there was no mindset of this is how you do this or that. Following the recruitment of a very able assistant, Amy Twigger, we got down to the business of how to get more volunteer drivers.
As a result of the initiatives taken, the project increased the number of volunteers driving for community transport schemes, in the extremely rural county of Herefordshire, by well over 20% in 18 months (one of our outputs was a 20% increase over 30 months).
Leaflets
We designed our own leaflet and as well as placing them in all the usual places, we asked the questions: What do we need? Drivers. How can we reach all drivers? Garages.
Action
We obtained a list of all the garages in the county (via the Yellow Pages), purchased sufficient leaflet holders, and placed a set in virtually every garage in Herefordshire. We found 99% of garage managers were more than happy to help.
Posters
We looked at voluntary sector public displays and felt that many were too busy, with lots of pictures and sundry bits of information about anything remotely related that came to hand whilst assembling the display!
We asked the question, What is the objective of a public display?. Is it to tell people about:
- us?
- the project?
- funding?
- what weve done to date?
- our organisation?
NO!
It is simply to touch something in people, to generate a need to find out more.
Three posters were designed by us (picture below) which could be used together. These were printed A1 size and filled our three standard tabletop display boards.
Action
These displays have been taken to country shows, village fetes, town events and many other venues. We always try to obtain a display position where the posters impact on the eye from a distance. Even if people cannot walk straight to our display, they have usually noticed it on their first scan of the room, and filed away a need to investigate further!
On the table below the posters are our leaflets, and another innovation supermarket trolley key rings with the community transport logo and a telephone number. These are given away with a leaflet and a short encouraging chat with the potential recruit.
So!
Our message can be assimilated in about 15 seconds and the potential volunteer can take away a leaflet containing explanatory information along with a useful gift all within about a minute. We believe the feel-good factor generated by the gift, and the fact that they dont feel cornered, means they will read the leaflet and a good percentage will consider volunteering.
Film
We asked, How can we get the message across to both potential drivers and users of community transport?
The answer was to make a film, which could be used throughout the country, both to recruit volunteer drivers and to encourage potential users of the service to do so. The film cost ?3,000 to make. It was financed through funding by three counties and our project.
The result is a widely acclaimed and highly regarded film, which highlights three very different users of community transport: three-year-old Sam, wheelchair user Annie and eighty-year-old Nancy. It shows the need for community transport and volunteer drivers, and the pleasure the drivers get from their involvement. It also encourages potential users to use the service, thus reducing isolation.
There are two versions on each DVD/video a nine-minute version for recruitment and talks to potential users, and a four-minute loop for displays. We intend to use the film at events, alongside our static poster display. Initial use has shown it to be an extremely powerful tool, drawing people to our stand and generating huge interest. We expect the film to bring in many more volunteers in the future.
The film is available from the Volunteer Driver Project (address below), priced 22 including p&p.
Monthly newsletter
The project publishes a monthly newsletter for the countys volunteer drivers. Many are sent out directly to the home address, others through the community transport schemes.
The benefits are:
- a feeling of belonging for the volunteers (we try to include feel-good stories from the county)
- dissemination of best practice advice and information
- interactive forum
- notification of events.
Drivers Handbook
The project has written and published a handbook for all community transport drivers. It contains guidance on all aspects of volunteering as a community transport driver, with up to date best practice information and advice.
Copies of the handbook are available from the project (address below), priced ?1 per copy plus p&p.
Windscreen stickers
We have produced windscreen stickers for every volunteer driver in the county.
The idea is to raise the profile of community transport. Before the stickers, we had hundreds of journeys daily carried out by dedicated volunteers in anonymous vehicles. Now almost every vehicle has a Community Transport the driving force sticker on it.
Annual awards event
For the last two years, we have held the Community Transport Awards in Herefordshire. The event this year had a prominent public figure to speak and present the awards, a film premiere, question time, voting and displays.
This has been successful in raising the profile through publicity in the two main newspapers in the county (The Hereford Times; The Journal) and BBC Hereford and Worcester local radio.
Lobbying
The project also played a key role in making a presentation to the countys decision makers on the value of community transport, in a bid to prevent funding cuts. This event accrued much expressed support for community transport and was extremely useful.
Many of these ideas can easily be applied to other areas of the voluntary sector. If you require further information, help or advice, please contact us and we will do our best to help.
Mike Truelove, Volunteer Driver Project, Herefordshire Voluntary Action, Berrows Centre, Bath Street, Hereford, HR1 2HE.
Film funders were Herefordshire RTP, Malvern Hills RTP, Shropshire RTP, and Innovative Actions (Herefordshire & Shropshire). The Volunteer Driver project is funded by Advantage West Midlands and EC Objective 2
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