To formulate. To write. To publish. To recruit.
You are looking for volunteers and want to post an opportunity / activity in the vacancy bank. But how do you make sure that the right people respond to your opportunity/activity?
Make sure the opportunity/activity is short, concise and complete. Make sure that after reading the opportunity/activity the volunteer knows what they are going to do, with whom and for what kind of organisation they will be working.
Consider:
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Who is the volunteer that you want to address? What would this volunteer like to know about the opportunity/activity and how does the volunteer want to be addressed?
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What keywords fit the job? Words in the title and text can be found through the search function.
Clarify the organisation and the content of the work:
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Tell briefly what your organisation does, which target group you work and what your vision and mission is.
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Give as much detail as possible about the tasks.
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Specify the conditions such as where (location), when (days and times) and whether the volunteer does this alone or with others. Make this as concrete as possible.
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Choose a catchy title and picture. Make sure these make clear what kind of opportunity and/or organisation it is. This is the first thing the volunteer sees in the vacancy bank!
Make the volunteer enthusiastic:
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Consider if you want to address the volunteer formally or informally.
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Ask a question: Do you like to cook? We are looking for someone with taste for the weekly dinner at the community centre.
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Make sure someone feels invited. End the vacancy for example with: 'Are you interested? Then react quickly. We will contact you for an introduction.
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Also describe what the volunteer gets in return. What are the advantages, what are the benefits? Benefits could be new contacts, training, the opportunity/activity to develop certain skills, gratitude of the target group.
Writing and style tips:
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Do not make the text too long. Use short sentences and easy words.
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Make use of headings to make the text more readable.
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Don't use jargon or unclear abbreviations - chances are the volunteers won't know them.
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Pay attention to spelling, capitalisation and punctuation. Make sure the job posting is neat and easy to read.
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Use a quote from someone who already volunteers with you.
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Make sure the keywords you want to be found on are in the text.
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Have someone else read the vacancy. Is everything clear?
Hopefully these tips will make your job a little easier. Do you have a tip that isn't listed? Let us know!
Good luck and have fun!