Landcare Agony Aunt – Volunteer Shortage

Dear Agony Aunt,

We used to have big working bees, now there are only three of us doing all the work.  How can we attract more volunteers to our group?  Does anybody care? 

from Melancholy in Muswellbrook

Dear reader,

Rest assured, you are not alone in sharing this problem.  Beyond Landcare groups, it is not only the environmental sector that is suffering from a volunteer shortage.  Volunteering Australia reports that volunteer rates are still recovering from the drastic decline that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Increased economic pressures from the cost of housing and living, the demands of work and the rise of mental health illnesses can put volunteering low on life’s “to do” list.  However, I have some good news for you.

Many people are still looking to contribute to their community, connect face to face and make a difference.  29.7 per cent of people aged 18-24 years volunteered formally (through an organisation or group) in 2023*. This is around 680,000 volunteers. 

There are also some indicators of a little more recovery in volunteering rates within the last 12 months.  The most popular areas for youth volunteering are health-related organisations and animal welfare.  This may partly be due to increased urbanisation, which results in young people having reduced access to nature volunteering opportunities. 

Keep in mind that more people are spending a greater proportion of their time on-line and are coming across more diversity in volunteering opportunities.  Therefore, they have more choice.   

How to attract volunteers to Landcare is a great question because, even in times when your group has “enough” volunteers, it is important to be thinking about volunteer recruitment to help plan for succession and the long-term care of your landcare project or site.

 Let’s get down to some solutions

1) Tell stories

One immediate step you can take is to keep telling stories of the positive things your landcare group is achieving, or has achieved in the past.  This can be as simple as sharing a before and after photo of a working bee day.  A picture tells a thousand words, so make sure your photo is vibrant and conveys the story clearly. 

You can also tell stories about some of the other impacts of being in your group, including community-building, personal empowerment, friendship, fun, alongside notifying people of the ecosystem repair and the animals and plants that have benefitted from your work. 

A word of warning!  Don’t be desperate!  You are looking for people who already want to volunteer, not trying to persuade people.  Think where those people would look for volunteering opportunities, or hear about them in your community.  These days that is highly likely to include social media channels.    

2) Refine your search

You may not actually need or have the capacity to manage 100 new volunteers, you may only need 3 or 4 new people each year who are dedicated and fit in well to your group, so don’t try to promote to everyone in the Hunter Region! 

Focus on connecting with people who live relatively near your project, have similar interests or hobbies such as gardening, bird-watching, walking and the outdoors, and have got the time and capacity required for the tasks you need doing. 

If you are looking for volunteer committee members, think in a similar way – you are looking for community organisers who enjoy working in a small team, who have some time to dedicate.  Perhaps they currently work part-time or are semi-retired, or fully retired.

3) Watch your language

When spreading the word about your events, use motivating language. 

For example, instead of saying, “We have a working bee this Sunday,” be specific about what you need; so it is a compelling “call to action”.  “We need 3 or 4 people to help with removing Coolatai grass on Thursday between 9 and 11am, before the seeds spread.”  “We need 10 people to help plant 120 understorey plants for sugar gliders next Saturday.” 

The people who come will be tuned in to (and hopefully turned on by) the task, the working bee will have a clear goal, it will sound like an efficient use of their time. 

As a bonus, people will feel they contributed to something defined and positive by the end.  As well as being highly motivating, this helps keep working bees fresh for people.

 4) Check for blockages

Think about which of these areas your volunteer problem is happening in.  Where are the blockages in your volunteer pipeline?

• If people aren’t aware of your group, try to be more visible in your community, or reach out to friends of friends to help spread the word.  They might not want to volunteer themselves, but they might know someone else who would.  Reaching out to new landholder neighbours is worth a try for groups working on private properties.
• If people turn up to volunteer but never come back, make sure your working bees are well-organised and productive.  Chat to newbees about their needs around volunteering, is there a day or time that would suit them best? What sort of tasks are they comfortable with?  What’s their favourite snack for morning tea?  A great question to ask your volunteers, or potential volunteers is What would make you continue to volunteer?  It might be that volunteering with an existing friend is important to them, or being able to attend after work or on a weekend.  It could be they would like to learn more about plants or wildlife.  If their needs or expectations aren’t things your group can deliver, it is probably best they find an alternative volunteering situation. We can’t be all things to all people.  However, a little flexibility goes a long way.  
• If you are struggling to retain longer-term volunteers, keep the momentum of your group  going with new project themes that interest people, animal habitats, threatened species, citizen science …  Try to notice and resolve group conflicts as early as possible.  This could mean checking in with how people are going to keep the communication channels open.  It could also mean having a clear set of steps planned for handling conflicts that arise.  If you need more confidence in this area, there are some useful resources on Non-Violent Communication (NVC). Differences of opinion occur in all groups.  Environmental themes can trigger strong emotions.  The pressures and decision-making that come with land management in both private and community settings can put a strain on relationships.  It is important to have a space where people feel heard, even if you can’t find a resolution that pleases everyone.

Does this sounds like a fair amount of extra work on top of planning working bees and looking after your site?  To take a manageable step in a positive direction, you could try out one bite-sized idea each month or quarter.  For example, make a diary note to connect to one new community group, drop three flyers into your neighbours’ mailboxes or tell one new person about your project.  Even if you don’t see immediate results, this could lead to something positive down the track.  

One last tip.  The more excited you are about your group’s activities, the more attractive it is.  So make sure you haven’t lost your mojo and if you have, re-ignite the flame by getting re-inspired about Landcare.  Your buzz for Landcare is likely to attract people hiding in the wings who would really benefit from being part of the Landcare community.

 Good luck with connecting to new volunteers waiting for you out there and thank you for helping nurture longer-term connections between people and local places.  Remember you can reach out to other landcare group leaders in the network, or your Local Landcare Coordinator if you need further support with sustaining your group.   

*Youth-Volunteering-Factsheet-2024-1.pdf taken from Research – Volunteering Australia