Volunteers are the lifeblood of any community trapping project—but they can also be one of the biggest challenges.
Finding the right people for the job is essential. To attract new volunteers, it’s important to align your communications with the diverse motivations that drive people to get involved. Volunteers are far more likely to participate when they see their own values, interests, and ambitions reflected in your message.
Everyone has different reasons for contributing their time. Understanding what makes your audience tick—and the benefits they might see in joining your mission—can make all the difference.
Below are links to a range of resources that may help. This collection will be refined over time, but it’s a solid starting point. And if you know of any great volunteer resources, we’d love to hear from you—drop us a line!
Volunteer Resources
- The value of volunteers. A research report in 2024 by Predator Free Wellington, well worth a read.
- How to kill rats and engage a community. Predator Free Miramar in Wellington has put together a great document called How to Kill Rats and Engage a Community (PDF, 8MB) with the group’s story, from the initial idea to recruitment and their ongoing progress. The document also includes an appendix with examples and templates of their sign up form, welcome email, and other resources.
- Volunteering NZ Guidelines. The guidelines are a tool for volunteer managers to improve volunteer engagement. There are seven practice areas, from the moment a volunteer hears about your organisation, to when they leave. A good online resource as well as a downloadable PDF.
- Volunteer Management Toolkit. Developed by Creative NZ for Arts agencies, it’s applicable to any sector. The volunteer management toolkit is intended for use by boards, managers and co-ordinators to help attract, manage and retain volunteers. For some smaller groups there’s way more than what you need, but regardless, lots of good ideas that you can incorporate.
- Volcan. A local Canterbury organisation that offers advice, volunteer recruitment and training. They also have a comprehensive list of resources, that could be a little overwhelming(!), but there’s bound to be something of interest.