Key Points In rural areas, working with local volunteer groups, especially ones with similar missions, is often easier than recruiting volunteers by other means Having quality volunteers requires an established incentive structure for gleaning events (i.e. volunteers need to know they will be allowed to…
Key Points Branding and name recognition are very important to the success of any nonprofit venture In rural areas, radio is an effective medium for public campaign announcements In rural areas, maintaining a social media page outside of Facebook is most likely a waste of…
In 2011, Providence Health Care Stevens County identified hunger as one of the leading issues in Stevens County. With the goal of finding gaps in services, fourteen of the region’s leading organizations in supplemental food distribution were brought together to discuss the challenges they faced. What resulted was…
The gleaning coordinator works to network with interested stakeholders, partners, and potential volunteers while showcasing accomplishments. Outreach, engagement, recruitment, and retention are the building blocks to a sustainable volunteer relationship. OUTREACH A successful gleaning program is reliant on a few invested volunteers and lots of…
The gleaning program has grown fast as the community recognizes what Kitsap Harvest does and the impacts it is able to make. We’ve only scratched the surface for pounds donated, and accessing those in need. Much of the information referring to marketing and visibility are…
OUTREACH Start by attending events, coalitions, networks, and organizations that focus on food access. Farmer’s markets are an excellent place to begin having these conversations with farmers, the Master Gardeners volunteers, and many interested communities members growing their own food. The AmeriCorps member should work…
In your program’s first year, recruit volunteers in the community at gardening events, farmers markets, and churches. You can find out about these opportunities by researching upcoming events and scheduling tabling space to recruit from these locations. Contact schools as many have service hour requirements. …
When you first start your program, you will want to reach out to the media to raise awareness about your program. If you are in a larger organization like Hopelink, work with the communication team to harness their expertise and already established relationships with media…
Since 1971, Hopelink has served homeless and low-income families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. Hopelink’s mission is to promote self-sufficiency for all members of our community by helping people make lasting change. Hopelink has five emergency service centers located in Bellevue, Kirkland/Northshore, Redmond, Shoreline, and…
When recruiting farmers to donate surplus produce, face-to-face interactions are critical to yield new partnerships. Attending the local Sno-Valley Tilth meetings was the first step in meeting farmers face to face. Tilth organizations are made up of community members who support sustainable food production through farming,…