Recruitment for the Operating

Affiliate

Agenda:

• Introduction of panelists• Overview about host congregations• Assessment of recruiting needs and

components• Core principles for Recruiting• Best practices• Special concerns: Renewing former hosts;

Second rotations; Increasing diversity• Review of resources available

PANELISTS

• Tom Cioffi– National Associate

and Board President, Family Promise of Gwinnett County, GA

• Pat Bradbury– National Associate

and former Board Member and former Coordinator, Family Promise of Moore County, NC

• More than 5,000 congregations involved nationwide

HOST CONGREGATIONS:

Non-congregational host

Involve virtually every denomination

• Yearly review of hosting with leadership

KEY POINTS ABOUT HOSTS:

• Ideal # of hosts: 13-17

• Coordinator teams

• Signed covenant

• Not enough hosts• Congregations are

starting to burn out• Congregations host only

a few times a year• Want to broaden our

hosts: geography or diversity

• Start a second rotation

WHICH OF THESE CHALLENGES DOES YOUR

AFFILIATE FACE?

• A comprehensive list of area congregations including clergy name

• Identified leads into area congregations

• Information on past host congregations

• List of all support congregations

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GET STARTED WITH

RECRUITING?

WHAT ARE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT

RESOURCES?• Support congregations that can be assigned to new congregations

• Coordinators that can serve as mentors

• Recruiters with the ability to visit congregations during day and evening hours– Volunteers from diverse

congregations to speak about the program

– Former guests who can share their stories

• A recruitment committee– A project manager for

recruitment• Materials to support

recruitment, including visuals

• Timelines, action steps and assignments

• People to do input, phone calls for research and other similar tasks

• Congregations that would be willing to be showcases during their host week

GETTING STARTED.

• Plan

• People

• Present

• Persistence

Core Principles are:

• Prioritize your target hosts; make sure to have as much info as possible

• Assign who will make initial calls, who will do presentations

• Research for connections to that congregation or denomination

PLAN :

PEOPLE :

• Network, network, network• Challenge everyone connected

to the network, particularly board members, to find at least three people connected to each target congregation

• Find out how “things work” at target congregations; whose support is needed etc.

PRESENT

SETTING UP APPOINTMENTS

• Best practices for setting up appointments– Use referrals – Stress local group and

local need– You want to introduce, not

looking for commitment– Invite lay leaders to the

meeting– Objective: getting a

meeting—that’s it!

• #1 tool: the phone

• Do a mailing? NO!!!

• Clergy groups: shortcut or side-trip?

PRESENT

AT THE CONGREGATION

• Bring up common objections if they don’t

• Tour the congregational space

• Ask for the next step and to be included

• Be enthusiastic!!!

• Go in teams when possible

• Show intro DVD• Stick to stated time for

meeting• Let congregations know

—they need Family Promise, not the other way around

• DVD• Visuals• Handouts Typical week,

brochure• When to use PowerPoint

PRESENTATION: KEY MATERIALS

PRESENTATION: MAJOR OBJECTIONS• Not enough available

space• Not enough volunteers• Insurance• Cost• Who are “those people…”

PRESENTATION

FOLLOW-UP: MUST HAVE A NEXT STEP

• Try to attend the next meeting• Invite to visit other hosts• Come in and speak to affinity groups (Bible study,

Hadassah, etc.)• Give them a covenant to sign

PERSISTENCE

• Stay in communication

Ask for references to other congregations

BEST PRACTICES FOR

RECRUITING• Always ask for the next

step: • To get supports to become

hosts, fully vest them in the program—treat them like hosts.

• Keep former hosts in the information loop.

• Approach with a positive: Congregations need this program

• Use existing hosts as showcases for the program.

• Do not do a mailing• Use visuals: poster boards

with network activities, DVDs, handouts with photos.

• Review your terminology: “children & their families facing homelessness”; not “shelter” and “the homeless”

• Network! Identify champions in congregations to provide an insider

• Map out a target area with pins for hosts; add pins as you add congregations.

SPECIAL CONCERNS:

Renewing former host

• Find out why they stopped (often an easily resolved reason)

• Prepare to show them how the program has changed

• Ask the leaders what they liked about the program

• Restate the need

Second rotation

• Do assessment to ensure need and capacity

• Recruit hosts but do not add to current rotation; wait for enough to launch second rotation

• Use clergy contacts, especially if expanding into nearby geographical area

SPECIAL CONCERNS:

Increasing diversity

• Ignorance is better than assumption: ask!• Find someone from that tradition to approach the

congregation with you• Use the day center as the point of entry to avoid being

associated with a specific denomination• Get “blessing” from larger organization• Use references from other networks• Ask for their help with guests from that background, ie

translation, cultural info• Be sensitive to language and appearance of the Affiliate

• Handouts are on the affiliate website and by email: brand with local name

• Released photos available to illustrate local materials

• Endorsement letters for specific denominations

• Email or call with any questions• On-site training and support can

be provided —ask your regional rep or National

RESOURCES FOR

AFFILIATES