How to recruit 5 (or More) volunteers
Asking people to volunteer their time can be intimidating. It may help to know that 70% of American employees believe that volunteering is a better way to bond with co-workers than company happy hours, and 74% believe volunteering can help improve their sense of purpose. In other words, most people do want to volunteer, they just need to be asked and given the right opportunity. Skysthelimit.org may not be the right opportunity for everyone, but you never know until you ask!
Here are a few ways to find people to recruit for your team:
Social Media: Create your own post or share a post from Skysthelimit.org’s social media channels and let people in your social network know that you are volunteering and looking for people to join your volunteer team.
Email: Send an email to your network asking them to join your team! You can do an email blast if you have access to a list that allows you to send this type of communication, or you can hand pick people you believe will be passionate about helping underrepresented young entrepreneurs.
Not sure what to write?
View our Team Lead Recruitment Email template for inspiration. Feel free to cut and past this exact wording into your own email, or adapt and personalize it a bit.
Professional Communication Channels: All organizations have different norms for internal communications. Maybe yours uses job boards or a Slack channel to let people know about volunteering or social opportunities. Think of all the different ways you send or receive communications at work, and if organizational guidelines allow it, adapt your recruitment message for that channel. Here are some copy points that might be helpful for those channels:
The Elevator Pitch:
What if you could use your professional skills to help transform an underrepresented young entrepreneur’s business while also transforming your own abilities? What if you could do it flexibly, remotely, and all in just a few hours a month? As a Skysthelimit.org volunteer, you can use your professional skills to help transform an underrepresented young entrepreneur’s business within the means of your schedule and desired time commitment each month!
The Need:
Before COVID-19, 60% of all net new jobs came from startups, but only half as many businesses were being created as of a generation ago (Small Business Administration). Starting a business is now even harder.
A lack of role models & know-how are top obstacles for young entrepreneurs (Young Invincibles)
Underrepresentation in entrepreneurship costs the US economy more than 2 million businesses (Kauffman Foundation)
How Mentorship Can Help:
In the U.S. alone, there are over 11 million aspiring underrepresented young adult entrepreneurs.
Meanwhile there are over 10 million business professionals who are interested in skills-based volunteering.
There is a massive opportunity to connect these two groups, and Skysthelimit.org offers a way to do that remotely and flexibly with the support you need to make a meaningful impact.
Top Problems Cited by Young Underrepresented Entrepreneurs:
Need help identifying next steps
Want to be held accountable for goals and progress
Want help with marketing their product or service
Lack of role models and other entrepreneurs
Don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of
Want help with creating a budget
Looking for creative ways to fund their business
Types of Support Volunteers Can Expect to Provide:
Social Support - Listen, encourage, and help them stay motivated
Networking - Make an introduction to someone in your network
Brainstorming - Provide a “safe zone” for judgement-free brainstorming
Feedback - Review their business plan, profile, pitch deck or other business materials and provide your perspective as a business professional
Strategy - Help identify opportunities and obstacles
Skill Donation - Donate a skill (e.g., design help, financial consulting, etc.)
Expert Advising - Advise them on a specific issue related to your area of expertise
Mentorship - Provide long-term support across all areas of their business