My local NC Chapter of my professional organization, the Society of Government Meeting Professionals is planning a conference alongside the Georgia Chapter for August this year. It is a project that I'm eager to tackle and excited to collaborate with another chapter on a stellar conference. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that my fellow NC SGMP members are as excited.
Trying to get motivated volunteers can prove to be more difficult than I thought. I have attempted to make personal connections at meetings, sent dozens of emails, and even met one-on-one with people to ask for assistance to make this conference happen. I have all but begged my fellow SGMP members, and still I am left with empty committees, vacant committee chairs, and feeling like I'm trying to lead a somewhat apathetic chapter. Finding willing volunteers has proven to be more difficult than I imagined!
We constantly use this saying of being "volun-told" which essentially strong arms people into helping with whatever the chapter needs. Even our tried and true "volun-told" efforts haven't been successful to get people in place.
So here I am asking for help of my Events Simplified readers. What do you do to identify and motivate volunteers in your organizations? Any feedback or words of encouragement you have are welcome!