Feeling Blue

Our staff increased by about 150 people during the week of RCMA –in the form of volunteers. With our staff and volunteers wearing blue vests, attendees knew to look for the blue if they needed help! We spent the months before RCMA recruiting volunteers, designing shifts, signing up, and training as we geared up for our “Super Bowl”. Here is what we found made the program successful:

• Recruit from organizations that have an interest in what you are asking them to do; We asked hospitality students, religious organizations, and those that want to promote Grand Rapids
• Online Registration: our website enabled volunteers to choose their shifts, read the requirements, and sign up right there. They received automatic confirmation, reminder, and thank you emails too!
• Training! We held training sessions (60 minutes or less) that coached our volunteers on the event, toured them around the areas they would cover, and gave a chance to ask questions before they volunteered. We also had a Training Manual that they could take home with them.
• Dress your volunteers in something that is recognizable to attendees. Our volunteers were all asked to wear black pants, a white shirt, and we gave them blue fleece vests.
• Reward volunteers as much as possible. We had a raffle (every shift you volunteer you get a ticket), Letters of Recommendation for students, and we carried around gift cards and gave them out on the spot to volunteers that really stood out. We gave mittens as a thank you to each volunteer too.
• Survey to find out where you can improve and what areas may be able to be addressed for the following day. Make sure surveys are between 3-5 questions tops.

Volunteers can turn a good event into a great experience. The impact that our team had with the first blue vested welcome into the last one left our attendees anything but blue.