How Others Are Doing It
It’s not stealing, it’s not borrowing, it’s not cheating…..it is collaboration. Seeing what others are doing to communicate in a virtual world and inserting your material into a similar format is an easy way to learn from other successful programs, will take less time than creating original approaches, and most importantly – gain success faster.
What are we talking about? Very simply, how are other fire departments using their virtual platforms to recruit and retain members. Let’s look at some examples;
Fire departments have taken lessons from election candidates. Use banners, yard signs and similar advertising like politicians do, to seek members. You may even be able to post them where election candidates do at high visibility locations. Send articles, photos and videos to media outlets – be selfish, put your organization in the public eye.
Legacy recruiting (through your families and close friends) doesn’t work anymore. Departments successful in recruiting are finding new friends in facebook, Instagram, their website and you-tube.
Finally, departments that have implemented community risk reduction programs need to access the public for complete success of their initiatives. In today’s world gathering neighborhood groups together in a single location at a single time just doesn’t work. To overcome this obstacle, departments have implemented Zoom (or other group video communication platforms they may have) to conduct neighborhood meetings. You can do the same with a fire prevention message, coupled with a short story highly one of your volunteers, coupled with a recruitment message. The beauty of this approach is that it can be viewed not just by the community group, homeowner association group, public service group, etc., but it can be recorded and accessed by anyone in the community.
Stay relevant, collaborate with other users (businesses and civic groups, and constantly recruit with and across all venues we discussed above.
Successes are evident, it takes you to initiate the program and achieve the success.