Recruiting volunteer drivers. Advice please.

[PatrickTroy]

I'm a volunteer for a Community Transport charity in serious need of volunteer drivers. We are best described as "four old blokes and a bus".

We usually acquire a volunteer through sudden retirement syndrome. Bloke finds himself with time on his hands after the gardening and painting has been done for the third time. So we get a call from the partner as he's wandering around the house getting under her feet. As people are retiring later we are getting fewer calls.

Someone suggested that we should try to get a few SAHM's to join. We only run the buses between 9:30 and 3:30 to pick-up pensioners in rural areas to take them to the nearest town.

How would we go about making the charity more SAHM friendly?

think where you are advertising - poster at the local preschool might help
most SAHM would have very limited time - so maybe only a morning or two a week - I think most would struggle to do a whole day - and you would need to think about running round school run and maybe also preschool runs
also child care an issue - do you have any funds for expenses - if you did you could offfer to pay for childcare maybe/and or people could bring their kids with them maybe?

just general thoughts - if you can think of what people will gain - eg training on driving minibuses, and experience dealing with older people that might help
and have you adverstised at your local volunteer centre?
or here

www.do-it.org.uk/partners

Thanks for the suggestions.

One morning or afternoon is usual - any time is appreciated even once a month. Expenses are paid but we've not considered childcare costs. Perhaps we can get help with that.

Thanks for the link too. We'll try that.

The other lines of suggestions were the WI, equestrian groups (used to driving horse boxes) and farmers' wives (though I don't know why)

I may try leafleting primary schools too.