Return-Path: <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.9.0.Beta5/8.9.0.Beta5/980425bjb) with SMTP id TAA29675; Sun, 18 Apr 1999 19:24:58 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 1999 19:24:58 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <f4d4bce4.244bc4f6@aol.com> Errors-To: lmann@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: AWoodc3207@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:73] Re: Volunteer Recruitment X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 246 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Status: OR Hey Frances, I'm way behind on reading and housekeeping the Listservs and I apologize if this input to your NIFL-FOBASICS posting of 04/12/1999 is too late for your need. Also apologize to monitors and members of the listserv if this is not the proper way to respond. You've received some great replies which I want to keep in my references for board work supporting our volunteer, Laubach-based, basic literacy program in Montgomery, Alabama. I want to add my experience that occurred on two different occasions because they didn't really require a lot of extra effort. Last spring, volunteer response to our tutor training workshops began to fall off to the point we canceled one but ran two with less than our ten trainee minimum (Six and seven) because we were desperate with a growing learner waiting list. Our training committee called all the media and other newsletter outlets to see what it took to get on their public serviced announcements, but still had no great increase in volunteer response (PSAs are traditionally read at less than peak listening/viewing hour and printed ones are often buried in remote places of the print media. We began a campaign to get on prime time and on the visual pages of the print media. We used the training workshops (we hold one every eight weeks or so) as the first news item to get us noticed. The primary newspaper came and did a feature story on the next two along with pictures. We also sent the volunteer announcement for the newspaper, which is handled by a local volunteer clearing house and often reduced in size due to available space, to the city news section for "information" and they began running them in a "Neighborhood News" feature periodically. We tried to have a release every six weeks to two months using some of our normal, but more notable. (initiation of the Action Reading "Fast Track" program for our welfare to work students, receipt of a grant for taking tutor training to surrounding rural counties, etc..) and we received coverage that put us on the front and second page of the newspaper's city section and in one or two local TV stations 6:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. news. This gave us a slight advantage in a city where there is heavy resource competition among many worthy volunteer causes. Our response to our fall trainings went up and in January we had 26 people, the second highest number in our history! We overcame a similar problem in a similar way about three years ago. That time we used contacts in the TV stations to get on the live news programs every couple months. It all served to keep people reminded that we were here and needed help. What is needed is one individual who can write pretty well, has a fax machine, and can keep in touch with what is coming up in the literacy program? We also keep track of the TV and radio stations news staffs, so we can fax our releases right to an individual. Again, the responses you've received so far are all great and I want to keep them for future reference. Just thought I'd add what has worked for us. Again my apologies for being late and for any breaches of net etiquette. "Woody" Woodcock Central Alabama Laubach Literacy Council (Volunteer tutor, trainer, board member) Montgomery, Alabama AWoodc3207@aol.com
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