5 steps to take when seeking volunteers

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It's not always easy getting people involved in union activities. But here are five steps to take when asking a member to become invovled that you can use. They were developed by Don Craig, Field Education Coordinator for AFSCME.

He outlined them when he spoke with union members at the Northwest Regional Leadership Conference in Hood River, Ore., earlier this year.

• Describe the task you are asking the member to do. Let them know what they are “getting themselves into.”

• Let members know the start time and the end time of the task you are asking them to do — this helps to reduce the “unknown” about the task and enables them to plan their time.

• Let members know how the task fits into the union’s overall mission, and how their participation contributes to the union achieving its goals.

• Ask people personally to do things (instead of, for example, making a general announcement and a request at a meeting)

• Reward people for their involvement — even a simple “thank you” means a lot.