Volunteer recruitment is marketing. I’ve said that again and again. Most of the techniques that marketers and large corporations use to sell their products or services can – and should! – be used to recruit volunteers. I’m not saying all their techniques are appropriate; some of them are manipulative and icky even if they are effective. A lot of them, though, are perfect for us. One of those is using endorsements for volunteer recruitment.
Large corporations with huge budgets have done the research to prove that people want the things that the people they admire have. Fan of Michael Jordan? You buy Nike running shoes. Admire Jennifer Aniston? You buy Aveeno skin care products. And it doesn’t need to be just celebrities. Your favorite teacher is seen reading a particular book, so you check it out. Your friend raves about a new coffee shop, so you try it.
The process works the same for volunteer involving organisations. If you’re around my age, you’ll remember the incredible wave of awareness and support that the HIV/AIDS movement received when Princess Diana started getting involved with it. It wasn’t just the organisations that she was directly associated with, either; it was all HIV/AIDS organisations. And this is not just me guessing. Studies done on celebrity endorsement and volunteering, while fewer than those done on donations, suggest celebrities boost the credibility of a cause – and credibility drives volunteering.
How do you take advantage of that?
Well, unless you’re the SPCA or Doctors Without Borders, you aren’t going to be able to hire a famous person to promote your cause. And most of us are too small to get the attention of such people without paying. But Princess Diana didn’t need to speak on behalf of your HIV/AIDS organisation to have an influence on it.
Most organisations belong to a “family” of organisations supporting a specific cause, many of which have a celebrity who support them. Tag onto that. Here are some examples:
- Johnny Depp – hospice care
- Sting – environmental protection
- Pamela Anderson – animal welfare
- Michelle Obama – child welfare
- LeBron James – youth sports
I’m sure that you can think of others. You may even know the famous person who supports your cause.
Where do you find them?
Easy. Do a google search: “{cause} celebrity supporter” or something like that, then research specific names to find legitimate sources (you can’t always trust AI). I also recommend Look to the Stars, a site that tracks celebrity philanthropy. From what I’ve been able to find out, it’s thorough and credible. Or, if you’re into watching the Academy Awards, the Grammys or any other red carpet-type events, listen to the artists’ speeches for references to their pet causes.
Of course you can’t just appropriate their name and photos and start using them in your recruitment campaigns.
But you can post links to news articles that connect them to your mission. You can mention that they have done “X” to support the cause. So long as the information is in the public domain, you should be able to quote it (with appropriate attribution). This way you can gain the benefit of the connection without a huge budget or personal connections. Be careful, though; you don’t want to imply that they support you specifically, or get caught using photos without approval. That’s why links to other articles are safest.
And your endorser doesn’t have to be world-famous.
Even if you can’t find, or are uncomfortable using, a connection between your cause and a major celebrity, you can still take advantage of endorsements for volunteer recruitment. Just find people closer to home.
Is there anyone already involved in your organisation (volunteer, board member, client, etc) who carries weight with the community? See if they would be willing to be “the face” of the organisation, or at least be willing to be mentioned in posts, or have their photo taken at events. If they’re already involved, it shouldn’t be a hard sell!
If not, think about who in your community is well-known and respected. The principal of the high school; a local news anchor; a popular city councillor? Approach them with a “small ask”. Would you say a few words at our event? Would you share this social media post? Do you mind having a visit with this patient? Busy people – and these people are always busy! – are far more likely to agree to something specific and limited rather than a generic “Will you support us?”
The same caveat applies here as to celebrities. Don’t imply a greater involvement than actually exists. That leads to reputational damage and even legal challenges.
Using endorsements for volunteer recruitment can be valuable and cost-effective.
It can even be fun! Take fifteen minutes this week to research who publicly supports your cause, and think of ways you can include them in your recruitment campaign. Or find a local influencer that you could approach with a request. Who knows, it might be the start of a long-term relationship!
