Recruiting and
Retaining:
The 12 Sectors of the
Erica Manahan
Community
Wheel
&
Amber Allen
Why Recruit and Retain?
• Members/Stakeholders are important:
– They share information and resources
– They ensure that multiple populations with
multiple strategies are reached
– They provide more opportunities to achieve
and claim success with the positive
outcomes
• You never know who your champion
may be
What Does Membership Look
Like?
• Core planning team
• Active coalition member
• Project focused members
12 Sectors of the Community
Wheel
• Youth
• Parents
• Business Community
• Media
12 Sectors of the Community
Wheel
• Schools
• Youth-Serving Organizations
• Law Enforcement Agencies
• Religious or Fraternal Organizations
12 Sectors of the Community
Wheel
• Civic and Volunteer
Groups
• Healthcare Professionals
• State, Local or Tribal Governmental
Agencies with Expertise in the Substance
Abuse Field
• Other Organizations Involved in
Substance Abuse Reduction
Recruiting
What is Recruiting?
The action of seeking to
increase membership
by seeking new
members to a coalition
Why do you need to Recruit?
•
•
•
•
•
12 community sectors
More hands can cover more ground
New ideas/perspectives
Decrease burn out
More support
Have a Recruiting Plan
When should you start recruiting?
• As soon as the coalition starts forming
• Recruiting is a constant
• Incorporate recruitment/engagement
in all efforts.
Recruiting
• Start with people you know
• Sharing your coalition’s messages
on a regular basis
• Talk to Stakeholders
• Emerging Leaders
Hardest Sectors to Recruit
•
•
•
•
•
•
Youth
Media
Schools
Law Enforcement
Religious Organizations
Civic & Volunteer Groups
How to Recruit
• Personal contacts (Primary Way)
• Set up booths at local fairs, carnivals &
festivals
• Newspaper
• Sphere of Influence campaign
• PSA on local radio or TV station
• Ask current members to give presentations
to another group they’re involved in
• Social media
Recruiting-Membership Card
Recruiting-Postcards
Recruiting-Rack Card
Recruiting-Business Card
Recruiting-Newspaper
Recruiting-Mailer
Recruiting-Sphere of Influence
“Prescription drug overdose deaths are now
leading cause of accidental deaths, overtaking
auto accidents for the first time and exceeding
the number of cocaine, heroin, and meth deaths
combined. Protect your loved ones by talking to
your family and friends about the dangers of
medication abuse.” >>>Make your voice heard
and join the Lawrence County Prevention Team
to make a difference.
Recruiting-Flyer
Social Media Recruiting
• Facebook: ADAPT
• Twitter: Jefferson City CDFY
• Twitter: Northland Coalition
• LinkedIn: Dover Coalition for Youth
• Circle of San Antonio
Places to Recruit
•
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Grocery stores
High schools/universities
Churches
Recreation centers/community centers
Performing art centers
Libraries
Drug stores
Doctors’ offices/hospitals/health clinics
Things to Consider when
Recruiting
Awareness of the issue
•
• What size of area does your coalition
cover urban vs. rural
• Check who you need in the community
wheel
• What is the best type of recruitment
material to reach who are looking for
• Cultural competency
Recruiting Research
Members were more likely to have
attended a greater percentage of coalition
meetings in the past year, and more likely
to have spent higher number of hours doing
coalition work outside of scheduled
meetings when they perceived the
coalition board to be more inclusive to it
members.
Retaining
Retaining Strategies
• Have coalition structure
– Vision and mission statements, goals,
strategic action plans, roles and
expectations for members
– Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer with
regular change over
• Conduct regular member orientations to
the coalition, its function and its
activities
• Offer member job descriptions
Sample Job Descriptions
Sample Job Descriptions
Sample Job Descriptions
Sample Job Descriptions
Retaining Strategies
• Hold effective meetings
– Offer an agenda and minutes
– Guide discussion and stay on task
• Send email updates if unable to attend
• Ensure the meeting time is beneficial for
the majority
• Seek feedback from members on meeting
and action plans
Retaining Strategies
• Identify personal and agency needs and
attempt to accommodate them when
able
• Designate a need and place for each
individual/agency
• Create a commitment letter/MOU
Retaining Strategies
• Provide meaningful tasks suited to
individual interests and abilities
• Balance being useful but not
overworked
• Distribute the workload
– Keep activities fresh and relevant
– Many hands make light work!
Retaining Strategies
• Offer formal and informal trainings for
members to become better educated and
more connected with the problem
• Recognize coalition members for their
involvement and dedication
– Tangible rewards like drawings
– Personal thank you letters
– Newspaper/social media shout out
Levels of Involvement
“Let’s work together
on a comprehensive
plan to address the
issue; our missions
overlap.”
“Let’s partner on
“I’ll support your
an event.”
Collaboration
program and you’ll
support me, or we
can co-sponsor one.” Coordination
“Let’s talk and
share information.”
“You do your thing;
we’ll do ours.”
Cooperation
Networking
No Involvement
Hardest Sectors to Retain
Youth
• Issues
– Turnover
– Keeping their interest
• Solutions
– Treat them as equal partners/members
– Value their input and make them a part of
ALL stages of prevention
– Schedule meetings when youth can attend
Hardest Sectors to Retain
Media
• Issues
– Lack of interest
– Being too busy
• Solutions
– Find an individual that is a stakeholder or is
affected by the issue
– List them as a sponsor frequently
– Utilize their media source when able
Hardest Sectors to Retain
Schools
• Issues
– Pulled in many directions
– Health/substance abuse isn’t the main
focus
• Solutions
– Focus on educational impact
– Provide research-based best practices
– Make communication succinct and address
the educational mission
Hardest Sectors to Retain
Law enforcement
• Issues
– Difficult schedules
– Lack of interest
• Solutions
– Focus on enforcement issues, including
decreasing crime and improving safety
– Increase positive community image
Hardest Sectors to Retain
Religious Organizations
• Issues
– WIIFM?
– Already over-involved
• Solutions
– Maintain a connection to faith initiatives
– Show the problems firsthand with tangible
solutions
– Value their time and desire for involvement
Hardest Sectors to Retain
Civic and volunteer groups
• Issues
– Often approached for involvement in
groups
• Solutions
– Partnership expands quality and quantity
of volunteer community
– Collaborate with their projects as well
In closing…
Your coalition members are the lifeblood of
your prevention work and of the change
that can happen in your community!
You need them for their voice and abilities.
They need you for your prevention
knowledge and guidance.
Resources
• Coalitions Work
– http://coalitionswork.com/
• CADCA
– www.cadca.org
– www.cadca.org/resources/detail/
strengthening-partnerships-toolkit
• Community Toolbox
– http://ctb.ku.edu/