Recruitment of college volunteers for community service organizations using the lecture method

The present study was undertaken to determine those variables which best predict college students' reactions to lectures designed to solicit volunteers for a juvenile corrections program. One hundred and thirty-four students returned mailed questionnaires which assessed multiple variables related to: (1) audience characteristics, (2) recruiter (lecturer) characteristics, and (3) volunteer program (lecture content) characteristics. Results of canonical correlation analysis indicated that 8 of 17 predictor variables accounted for the majority of the variance in the volunteering behavior variate. Age of respondent, previous volunteer experience, overall lecture quality, understanding need for volunteer services, clarity and comprehension of volunteer roles, the value of the lecture as a significant learning experience, the opportunity for personal growth within the program, and the ability to influence existing structures were seen as important variables in predicting three volunteering behaviors. In particular, the data suggest that for recruitment programs using the lecture method recruiter characteristics have the greatest impact on soliciting volunteer personnel.