Advertising for volunteers using the cheapest methods



Advertising for volunteers need not be expensive. Here are three very cheap ways to get great coverage with almost no cost.

1-Distressed space

Use Student Magazines

is easy to find and very effective. All you do is buy space very cheaply, in advance so that when an editor has room to fill and no advertisers, your advertising for volunteers goes in the space available at the lowest possible cost. The great news is that you set the price.

Here is what you do:

Ask your Treasurer to make out 4 cheques to the local paper or magazine.

Make these cheques out and get them signed.

Put the amount as about 1/3rd of the cost of a 1/4 page

advertisement so the cheque is for about £35.

Devise your 1/4 page ad and get it printed out clearly on hi gloss paper. It should look like the artwork does in a printers shop. Make sure it does not have a place or a date or a time because you do not know when it will be printed. But it WILL be printed - believe me.

Now you write a letter that says this:

" Your town YOUR CHARITY can't afford more than £35 for our advertising with yourselves. (amount of the cheque - say£35) But here are 4 cheques for you to cash whenever you have space for our advertisements. I have included the artwork, which you have my authority to use whenever you wish.

Signed, Yourtown YOUR CHARITY

You should know that sometimes they have 1 hour before publication and they still have space to sell.

It will be very easy for them to pull your pre-arranged advert off the shelf and put it in. You are doing them a favour and you expect a discount in return.

Remember that there are businesses running very nicely by only using distressed space.



2-Free Magazines

Write a story for the local "Parish Magazines" at the Church, the Temple, the Synagogue and the Mosque.

Here is why this really works.

When advertising for volunteers remember that readers of a parish magazine are sympathetic to the idea of serving the community and giving something back. They will be already warmed to your need and the story that you tell. In other words you have a warm audience.

Another great reason is that the person who does the writing will be busy and really thankful for your help in filling the magazine. So the story will go into the magazine just the way you wrote it.

Keep it down to 200 words and make it seasonal. I suggest that you use themes such as:· Why is your charity important at Christmas? (November)· Why is January the worst month? (December)· What's it like to be a volunteer? (January)· The charity in the community – what we do. (February)· Our charity needs more help (March)· Story about a success or success story (April)· Exam Stress and your charity. (June)· Holidays and your charity (July)· Open day – public visit announcement (August)

If you are stuck for ideas then have a look here for more inspiration and help.


3-Piggy Back

Your treasurer sends out cheques and will buy things every week. These are your targets for the piggyback. Simply put, you use the fact that they supply you as a reason for them to send out your advertising for volunteers. To get this going you need to have a letter prepared and 200 "Volunteering " leaflets which are available from the Charity Catalogue. You put them all in an envelope and send them with the next payment to the supplier.

The letter says," We value you as a supplier. To keep us going we need Volunteers. Please add these leaflets with your invoices and statements to any of your local customers and suppliers. When you run out, please ask us for more. Many thanks - Your Town YOUR CHARITY"

This simple and free method is used by many leading charities and is used by companies up and down the land. It works and you must use it because it is free.

Try this link to see more great ideas and help


More advertising tips in here





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