Recruitment and Placement

• Develop a Recruitment Plan
• Identify Your Recruitment Needs
• Advertise and Market Your Position
  • Recruiting for Retention
  • Recruiting for Diversity
  • Choosing Outreach Channels
  • Creating Marketing Materials
  • Helping Partner Sites Recruit
• Screen and Place New Members
• Prepare for New Members

Home > Recruitment and Placement > Advertise and Market Your Position > Creating Marketing Materials

Creating Marketing Materials

Use a variety of media to maximize your recruitment effort

Now that you have decided on a recruitment strategy, you're ready to create specific materials to advertise and market your position.

Begin by developing an effective two-line position description to be posted on the Recruitment section of My AmeriCorps. You can get the process rolling by visiting the Resource Center's page on MyAmeriCorps Training and User Support Services

You can then "tweak" it for different uses. For example, a press release can be converted into a brochure, a Web listing, or a public service announcement. Also, if there's continuity in your materials, there's a better chance the message will stick.

Here are some general guidelines for creating recruitment materials:

• Be sure to include the AmeriCorps or VISTA logo in all outreach materials. Download the logos in several formats here. You can also print a copy of the AmeriCorps media kit which has great tips for extending your outreach.
• Keep it simple: Use basic language and avoid program jargon, acronyms, and more detail than is necessary.
• Make sure contact information is up-to-date.
• Include important deadlines.
• Don't assume everyone has access to a computer or computer skills: Advertise in traditional venues as well as electronic ones and allow for "snail mail" and phone communication.
• Recruit for diversity; for more information, see the Recruiting for Diversity section of this site.

Use these sample marketing tools and guidelines as a starting point for your program:

• Creating Your Own Web Presence is a tip sheet for creating a program Web site
• Tips for Creating Posters and Flyers includes guidelines for what to say and how to say it
• Create a Press Release is a sample press release on VISTA recruiting efforts
• Retiree Press Release is a sample document that specifically targets older members
• Member Candidate FAQs is a sample flyer to answer questions and give to prospective applicants at recruiting events
• Sample flyer for multiple service positions illustrates how to showcase a variety of service opportunities
• Corpsmember Flyer illustrates how you can incorporate photos
• This tri-fold Recruitment Brochure shows how you can pack a lot of information into one flyer

Go on to Helping Partner Sites Recruit

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