How to Increase Volunteers for a Thrift Store - Case Study

Crossroads Hospice Society serves the communities of Anmore, Belcarra, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody with palliative care to people facing a life-limiting illness or a terminal disease. The services are extended to family, friends and co-workers. Their Thrift Store is key to fund all programs together with private donations.

Douglas College Marketing Students were asked to design a plan to increase the number of volunteers for the Thrift Store.

The Research

Douglas College Marketing Students performed a series of in-depth interviews with current volunteers at the Thrift Store to find out what are the key factors that led them to work gratuitously. Their findings show that volunteers are:

• Looking for a friendly work environment;

• Willing to create meaningful connections with shoppers, like friendship;

• Pleased to give back to the community; and

• In search of personal fulfilment.

Our Students also performed a Survey that showed that over 75% of the Thrift Store volunteers are over the age of 60 years old, and over 55% of them were recruited through referrals.

The Tactics

1. In-Store

Students gauged an opportunity to grasp referrals as a way to keep recruiting volunteers to the store.

In order to reinforce this virtuous cycle, they recommended their Client with a "Referral Program" where the new store volunteer and the person responsible for the referral both earn a one time special discount in the store.

2. Social Media

Douglas College Marketing Students also recommended using social media to extend awareness of volunteering positions to a younger audience and 4 ways of getting them engaged:

• Look of the week: Look made and posted by store volunteers on Instagram and Facebook;

• Second-Hand Creators: Look made and posted by shoppers on Instagram and Facebook, and re-posted by store volunteers.

• Doing Good videos: short videos of positive impact in the community on Instagram; and

• Youtube Podcasts with managers, volunteers and customers.

Conclusion

With the combination of these efforts, our students aim to increase the number of passionate volunteers that can find personal fulfilment by giving back to their community working at the Crossroads Hospice Society Thrift Store.

A great win for Douglas College Marketing Students.

Another great win for our Non for Profit Partner in the Envision Financial and Douglas College Community Building Program.