General Representation and Access

  • A key part of recruiting program participants is ensuring that both staff and volunteers represent the community being served. Representing the community being served builds trust, makes community members participating in the program feel safe and welcome through shared lived experiences.
  • Engaging volunteers, staff members and Community Health Workers who understand the local culture is extremely important. Staff members who are bilingual can support onboarding volunteers and participants in a culturally sensitive manner. Offer programs in the communities’ primary language as well as in English.
  • The types of assistance provided should align with the community’s culture and the functional levels of community members. Offer opportunities for high, middle and low functioning participants and volunteers.
  • To facilitate continued engagement and volunteer retention build and foster a culture of inclusion and support with volunteers as key stakeholders and consistently reinforce this throughout the volunteer’s tenure. This can include periodic volunteer feedback sessions that provide communication and information exchanges related to experiences, best practices and programmatic updates.

 Connecting with the Community

  • Community churches can be a great source of volunteers with various interests and cultural knowledge.
  • Research the needs of each population you intend to serve. Consider developing an advisory council or focus groups to ensure your program identifies the community’s need, provides necessary supports, and is indeed culturally sensitive.
  • When creating your work plan, be as inclusive as possible, for example: include bilingual programming to support non-English speaking community members and provide sliding scale payment plans for individuals with varying income levels.
  • Find opportunities to connect and collaborate with key community members and leaders. When offering a new program to a new community, these leaders can provide recommendations on how to make the program more meaningful, attractive and accessible to their community members.
  • Be present at different cultural events. Bring a bilingual volunteer or staff member to these events who can act as a program ambassador. Provide culturally sensitive materials to those in attendance.
  • Be aware of national and community wide culturally recognized celebrations when scheduling. Some examples include Martin Luther King Day, Ramadan, Jewish holidays, etc.

 DEI and Cultural Sensitivity Training

  • To ensure your volunteers are educated and respectful of different religious and cultural beliefs, offer sensitivity and educational training. Consider hiring or consulting with an expert.
  • When recruiting participants and volunteers of diverse backgrounds and cultures, ensure they feel welcomed. Consider hosting a luncheon to promote your program offering traditional foods appropriate for their background and culture.
  • Training in diversity, equity and inclusion should not be limited to staff members and volunteers. Program participants and caregivers can also benefit from additional information on DEI to help ensure both volunteers and staff members are treated with respect.