Volunteer identification is a process of welcoming new volunteer candidates into a volunteer-engaged program. UC Master Gardener Program services including the core training are open to all Californians. As a publicly funded program, we have a responsibility to ensure that the benefits of our program accrue equitably to all Californians. This means considering questions of diversity, equity, and justice as we market our training program and identify prospective volunteers.
The identification or recruitment of new volunteers begins with an honest assessment of program and community needs. UC Master Gardener Programs might consider the need to recruit:
- volunteers with specific language, technology, or design skills
- volunteers in historically underrepresented communities
- volunteers affiliated with key community-based partner organizations
Next, examine the program’s capacity to determine the total number of volunteers their program can admit. Capacity measures can be influenced by number of seats in a physical classroom, number of mentors available to pair with new volunteers, and other factors.
Finally, UC Master Gardener programs develop an identification plan, composed of elements from the two recruitment strategies listed below.
Recruitment strategies
| Broad-based or mass recruitment: | Intentional or personal recruitment: |
| messaging volunteer opportunities through social media (Facebook, Instagram), traditional media (newspapers, radio ads), flyering, volunteer clearing houses, newsletters, public information sessions, and general web posts. | individual or small group invitations through phone calls, emails, presentations for pre-identified community partner organizations, in-person conversation and more. |
Resources
Review and/or adapt the resources below to educate and invite prospective volunteers about the UC Master Gardener Program core training.
- UC Master Gardener Program Brochure - This informational brochure is available in the Appendix of the UC Master Gardener Program Admin Handbook. Local programs can customize the brochure by adding a sticker with their webpage URL, volunteer training class information session schedule, application deadline and more! Printed versions of the informational brochure are available for purchase on the Supplies page.
- Educational Presentations - Hosting a short information session for prospective volunteers can be an effective recruitment strategy. Broad-based efforts can include presentation for the general public, while intentional efforts can include presentations for community-based groups or presentations deliberately located in historically underserved areas. This video provides a short overview of the UC Master Gardener Program from the perspective of volunteers themselves and is a wonderful component of any short informational presentation.
- Event Flyers and Social Media Templates - To make creating your event flyers and social media graphics easier, we have a variety of Canva templates from which you can choose.
Connect with us!
The Volunteer and Community Engagement Team is ready to support you. Contact Marisa Coyne at macoyne@ucanr.edu to schedule a one-on-one meeting.
Marisa Coyne
Assistant Director, Volunteer and Community Engagement
macoyne@ucanr.edu