HOW TO ATTRACT VOLUNTEERS

Pt. V: Be a Training Ground for Aspiring Teachers

A good percentage of your volunteers might be aspiring teachers, and they are right to start with you. If you run a full-scale literary organization, a given volunteer has the chance to work with kids of all ages, every day. An aspiring teacher, then, can get vast experience with every age group just by volunteering with you.

In the morning, they can run a field trip for 7-year-olds. In the afternoon they can tutor a 12-year-old through an in-schools project with a neighborhood K-8 school. And in the evening they can help run a workshop for high school students. The next day might bring three more varied opportunities. It’s a feast.

Especially if they’re not sure what age group or even subject they intend to teach, with your organization, an aspiring teacher can get exposure to a wide range of students, age groups, and school environments.

So try to make connections with local colleges that have education departments, or programs that offer teacher certifications. They might very well be looking for an organization to partner with, and these partnerships will bring an army of committed volunteers to you, and might give this army of volunteers necessary experience and exposure.