This week focused on problems facing our organizations and possible solutions. Because AIPER is a volunteer-driven organization, it is facing several obstacles at this time, all of which need to be addressed. Recruitment of active members, fundraising and the integration of technology into the organization’s goals all need to be worked on. Of these three, I view the recruitment of active members as the highest priority because this can lead to advancements in the other two fields. Increasing active membership levels will bring in greater financial resources as well as individuals who have the technical knowledge and abilities to utilize technology as much as possible.
AIPER has a large membership base at its disposal, but the quantity of active members is very low. Several key people seem to be keeping the organization alive and functioning, but there would be less pressure on each of these people if others became more active. Many people simply want to attend events to learn about peace movements and social issues, but few have the desire or time to participate on the organizations board or with tasks necessary in the daily operations of AIPER. Many members are older people who have many other commitments, move out of state or pass away. The organization is greatly in need of younger people becoming involved in order to pick up the tasks and duties of those who are no longer available to the same degree that they once were. There are many members of the community who want to assist others in need, but who cannot or will not commit a large amount of their time to the process.
Some recruiting techniques that would be used by an organization which pays employees are not always applicable to a non-profit organization in which no person receives a salary of any kind. These techniques include employment agencies, employee leasing, and independent contractors. There are recruitment strategies that can be utilized, including internal recruitment, referrals by other members and advertisements within the organization membership body.
If I had the capability, I would approach the problem in two ways. An extensive inquiry of existing AIPER members would be conducted to educate members about the desperate need for members to be more available and active, both on the board and as necessary to assist the board. I think that many people assume that there will always be someone else to pick up work that needs to be done because there is little said publicly to the contrary. Invitations should be extended at events asking people to become more involved personally with small tasks and duties that need to be completed. Sign-in sheets are currently used, but these could be used to request assistance from people with various tasks. This has been utilized in another organization that works with AIPER and several people have volunteered to help by marking the sign-in sheets as such.
Second, more public attention needs to be drawn to the organization through heavier advertising of events in the community, school recruitments and connections with other organizations. This is a process that I am currently working on by developing a survey to be distributed to local religious organizations. This survey is intended to determine if they would consider working with AIPER on various events or if there are projects that AIPER can assist in providing. AIPER has a diverse background and there are great opportunities to work with religious organizations of all faiths to the advantage of everyone. Gaining allies in this way will also provide a large population from which new members can be drawn.
AIPER is an organization that has existed for many years and there is great potential for this organization in the future, but it needs assistance to move forward with the times. If the right mix of active participants can be developed, then necessary funds and technological development are bound to come about as a result.
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2 comments:
Lisa,
First of all, your passion about this organization is amazing. I am sure you are a major asset and they are lucky to have you. My husband and I are in the process of becoming "Bigs" through the organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters and they run into similar problems because they are a non-profit organization. I completely understand where you are coming from. It is hard to recruit without the money to advertise effectively. I think your idea of creating a survey that can be passed out is cost efficient and might be very helpful. Also, word of mouth works wonders for organizations such as AIPER. I am going to go back to your blog and read a little more about it so I can spread the word because I completely agree with you in that not enough young people are getting involved in non-profit organizations.
Lisa,
It sounds like you really gave some serious thought to the improvements needed to the organization. I think that interns or just people new to any position, have such an advantage to seeing what could be done to improve the organization. I think this is mainly because if you are new to a place, you are not bogged down with the normal business as the other members are who have been there longer. I like how out of the three proposed areas of improvement that you identified, you chose recruitment as you first priority. Your reasoning is excellent and is very efficient. If you could get some more help, the other areas of needed improvement may be solved more efficiently with more help. I also agree that perhaps your organization could benefit tremendously if they made a better effort to communicate their need for acquiring more active members. I feel like in many cases people do not realize that they could be of help and when they find out they are needed, they are more than happy to help out. I think that your idea for passing out sign-up sheets requesting volunteers is a excellent way to get more people involved. It is also a rather simple idea that could be implemented at a low cost. Good thinking and I hope thinks improve for you and your organization!
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