Your “Volunteer” Web Page
Most fire and EMS agencies have a “recruitment”, “join now”, or “volunteer” page on their website; or some type of related reference on facebook or other social media to a single location for potential members can access to learn more about your organization and potentially join. The “page” MUST be one that encourages getting involved. It may well be that lynch-pin as to whether the person engages or not. Therefore, the “page” must be designed and function purposefully. The “page” must be built to spark action, to convert inquiries into volunteer commitments, and create engagement. You may well need assistance to make this happen.
Website designers advocate four key components[1] to a truly effective volunteer engagement page:
- A strong “hero-image”, header and sub-header
- Components that “build trust”
- “Nested” information to create an interest and a link to details
- A very clear request to join or a “call to action” to be engaged
For these reasons alone, the use of professional web-design services may benefit your efforts at developing and implementing an effective recruitment or volunteer page on your website. While facebook may be a great way to begin engagement with interested persons, your website is your most powerful took to actively bring the prospect into the organization.
An important consideration is the user experience, not necessarily what the organization’s vision of what content should be. To make sure the right perspective is achieved, it may be valuable to engage members who recently joined, or non-members, to help identify and create an effective recruitment page on your website.
For those of you that already have a website that you believe is effective, please contact us via www.becomeapafirefighter.com to post your information on the site and possibly be focues in a future “Tip of the Month”.
[1] https://volpro.net/your-volunteer-webiste-2/