Let’s face it, if your cause doesn’t involve children or animals, you will have a harder time recruiting volunteers. But what happens if your cause is actively disliked, or makes people uncomfortable? Recruiting volunteers for unpopular causes can be brutal.
I’ve supported organisations that serve people affected by things like addiction, homelessness, and the criminal justice system. These groups offer vital services, yet they struggle to find volunteers – not because they aren’t doing good work, but because their cause isn’t “sexy”.
A few years ago, I helped a small organisation that ran a transitional housing program for women recovering from addiction. They needed volunteers to offer basic life skills coaching – things like budgeting, cooking, and writing a resume. Important work. But their volunteer numbers were dismal. I remember one applicant saying to me, “I’d rather walk dogs for the SPCA. It just feels better.”
I get it. It’s easier to connect with a puppy than with someone who’s trying to detox. But we need to recognise how our biases play into those decisions. We all have mental shortcuts that guide our choices, and those shortcuts generally lead us toward comfortable causes and away from uncomfortable truths.
I had a cousin who lived with schizophrenia. Staff in the organisation that supported him told me that many of their donations came in anonymously. Not because the donors were modest, but because they didn’t want to be publicly linked to the cause. And that’s just sending money! Imagine recruiting volunteers for unpopular causes like that! There’s still so much stigma attached. And yet, that’s the very reason the work matters so much.
So how do we get volunteers to rally behind these less popular missions?
Start with connection.
Stories sell, stats don’t. Data doesn’t motivate; it just becomes something else depressing in the world. What are your success stories, and how did volunteers help make them successes? Those are the stories that will draw applicants, not guilt trips about how “you need to help ‘George’ or he will end up back on the street”. Please don’t try to guilt people! It’s manipulative and it doesn’t work.
Use humour.
People are tired of sad stories. They don’t want to cry; they want to laugh. Our world feels depressing and out of our control right now; give them something they can both influence and feel hopeful about. Even the most difficult of causes have times where funny things happen. Use those to make people see that volunteering with you won’t be an endless round of depressing incidents. People want to enjoy their volunteering time as well as have an impact. On that same note, what can you, as the leader of volunteers, do to increase a volunteer’s enjoyment of the tasks? Especially if it takes place in an otherwise challenging environment.
Push back with positivity.
I listened to the Just Be Cause Podcast this morning, where John Graham, founder of Good Samaritan Home, a transition house for men coming out of prison, was talking about the reaction he got from neighbours when he opened the house. There were petitions to have it closed down, there were ordinances passed, he even had to have police protection at one point. He made the decision, though, to not respond with resentment. They just quietly went about doing their work. And they did more. They took their snowblower and cleared the entire block every time it snowed. Didn’t need to be asked. Didn’t ask for thanks. They just did it. He said that people who used to wave one finger at them now wave their entire hand.
Involve your current volunteers in recruitment.
Don’t think just about who you’re asking to volunteer, but also about who’s doing the asking. Studies show that people are far more likely to say yes when someone they know and trust asks them. It’s not about celebrity endorsements. Something as simple as a current volunteer reaching out to a friend can make all the difference. Encourage that.
Recognise the courage it takes.
Choosing to volunteer for an unpopular cause takes bravery. Courage to face your own fears and biases, as well as courage to stand up against the prevalent social stigmas. The media doesn’t exactly help, either. Headlines about violence sell. Stories of quiet recovery? Not so much. Never downplay that courage. Celebrate it in your volunteers. Show that you recognise and value it. Do what you can to strengthen it.
It’s easy to feel good about helping puppies or building playgrounds.
But I’ve seen volunteers find a deeper, longer-lasting sense of purpose and satisfaction in supporting causes that society often ignores. It’s not glamorous. But it matters. Recruiting volunteers for unpopular causes takes strategy, storytelling, and a lot of perseverance. But when it works, when someone says yes to something outside their comfort zone, it can be transformative for everyone involved. Let me know if you need help.
