In 2023, RMEF conducted a volunteer survey that revealed more than 58 percent of RMEF volunteers are over the age of 55. A common concern was the lack of “younger volunteers” who are engaged and contribute to the planning and execution of RMEF fundraising events. While this has been a challenge for many chapters, it is not the case for all chapters. In this article, we’ll explore tactics successfully used by chapters to help recruit and retain RMEF’s next generation of volunteers.
To recruit and retain any volunteer, you must ensure they feel welcome, valued, productive and appreciated.
One of the first things to be considered before recruiting younger volunteers is an evaluation of how your chapter currently conducts business. For some chapters, committee meetings may not be structured well or be as welcoming for a new volunteer to attend. Do you use an agenda and stay on topic? Does your meeting end on time and take an hour or less? What time and day of the week do you hold your meetings? If a new volunteer does join, are your core volunteers willing to give up a few tasks and reassign some responsibility?
Choose a location and time that is most likely to accommodate younger volunteers. While the culture and social time among a committee is also important, try to keep chapter business within the allotted meeting time. Reserve time after the meeting for open discussions and social activities.
When you do find someone interested in volunteering, don’t put too much pressure on them to dive all in with the committee. Start slowly and let them decide how much and where they want to contribute. Perhaps they could attend a couple of meetings and help with a banquet assignment during their first year. Invite them to the wrap-up meeting and let them see the results of their labor. Also, make sure your committee and wrap-up meetings are held in a new volunteer-friendly location. Attending a meeting at a committee member’s house is intimidating for some folks, so look for community facilities or businesses to hold your meetings. The more family-friendly your meeting facility, the more likely you are to recruit a new volunteer and their entire family.
Finding Younger Volunteers
Where do chapters and committees find younger volunteers? RMEF volunteers and staff suggested the following tips for seeking and recruiting younger volunteers.
- RMEF work projects: A habitat enhancement or hunting heritage project is a great place to meet new volunteers who want to make an impact. If you promote a local project and have new folks show up, make sure you explain to them the importance of RMEF’s fundraising system and how it makes a much greater impact than any single work project. If they are interested, get their contact information and be sure to follow up with them.
- A family affair: Another very successful tactic is to recruit entire families to volunteer. When more than one family member is involved, they are more likely to stay engaged with the chapter. Ask current committee members if they have grown children or nieces or nephews that may want to help. When you do have younger children, make sure they have tasks and make it special for them to be a part of what RMEF is doing.
- Seek help from local youth groups: Do you need extra help on the day of your banquet? Ask a local youth group or sports team to help with various tasks. Identify the leaders of these groups. Let them know what you’re doing and where you need help. Youth groups often help with table and chair setup, merchandise load setup, setting center pieces and much more. When you have the group there for setup early in the day, ask if any individuals are interested in helping at the banquet. There are many cases where a teenager was first recruited as part of one of these groups, and years later is active as an RMEF committee member.
- Use secondary events as an opportunity to connect with new volunteers. Some younger folks may not be interested in the traditional “banquet format” so look to ladies and gun events to attract younger attendees.
- Host a local membership meetup at a brewery or bar and grill. Brand it as a pre-hunting season member meetup and offer a few raffles and brief mission update. This can be a more intimate event that allows mingling of members and an opportunity to recruit new volunteers.
Retaining Younger Volunteers
Retaining volunteers year after year can also be a challenge. Here are some more ways to keep volunteers:
- Work with them to find where their interests and abilities are best utilized. You must also give them ownership and responsibility for their given task, so they feel responsible and accountable to the committee. If they do not feel like they are a part of the team, it is easier for them to walk away.
- Be sure the volunteer understands the importance of their impact on RMEF’s mission. Highlight examples about where the funds go and how their involvement helped make it happen.
- Ask them to recruit their own friends or family members. As mentioned above, when a group of friends or family are involved, they are accountable to each other to stay engaged. They will also have more fun volunteering with someone they already have a relationship with.
- Encourage volunteers to periodically share why they volunteer for RMEF. Kick off the first meeting of the year by going around the table and having each person share their “why.” Each may have a slightly different reason, but it is beneficial for everyone to see they are all on the same team and working toward the same goal.
- Make sure they have the tools and knowledge needed to be successful in their given roles. If they need information about RMEF’s mission or accomplishments, make sure to provide that. If they need mentorship from another volunteer, team them up with someone who can help them be successful.
- Assign new volunteers a mentor to answer their questions and help them understand RMEF acronyms and terminology. A seasoned volunteer can be a wealth of knowledge to a new volunteer, setting them up to succeed.