Recruiting: U.S.

Hello socios!
I hope this message is finding you all well. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jessie, I’m from Maryland and I worked this summer as a support person on the Costa Rica team. It was an incredible experience and I’m psyched about getting the word out about GL to potential new volunteers.

Thank you to those of you also willing to do some recruiting for Global Learning this year. I will be heading this year’s efforts as the recruiting coordinator for the US. I’m here to support you all in your recruitment efforts in your local communities. Each month I’ll send you an update letting you know where you should ideally be with your recruitment. I hope that you will help out. Your promotion and energy are the key to creating a large and diverse applicant pool. Thank you for doing your part!

What follows is an overview of the GL recruiting plan in the U.S. from now until applications are due on February 25, 2009:

September

• This month we are researching sites and making a decision on where programs will be held in 2009.
• Nessa, who some of you know as a volunteer in Mexico 07 and foreign coordinator in Nicaragua 08, is guiding a committee of volunteers who are updating the written information we’ll use for recruiting in the coming months.

October

• Volunteers across the U.S. will start planning for informational meetings to be held on our campuses in November (finding a space, putting up flyers, getting the word out).
• U.S.-based volunteers will be emailed documents (flyers, email templates, written info to distribute, etc) and Power Points to use when recruiting.

November

• Volunteers in the U.S. will email program info and the 09 application to our friends, family, campus clubs, electronic bulletins, and list serves.
• We’ll continue to organize on our campuses and publicize the open (informational) recruiting meetings to be held this month.
• We will hold the informational meetings.
• We will contact professors in order to make 3-minute presentations about GL in ourclasses and at least five classes that are not ours.

December

• We’ll continue with classroom visits.
• We will contact spring professors about visiting their classes at the start of the new semester.

January

• We will send emails to the interested contacts we’ve collected from our class visits, with GL information attached and a reminder that applications are due in February.
• We will plan for class visits in the spring semester.

February

• We will make 3-minute presentations about GL in our classes and at least five classes that are not ours at our college.
• We will make class visits on a nearby college in order to increase the diversity of schools that GL volunteers attend.
• We will send emails to the interested contacts we’ve collected from our class visits, with GL information attached and a reminder that applications are due soon.
• Applications are due February 25. Selection interviews will be held February 25 to March 11.

Recruiting is a rather simple process that is very well supported by GL documents. From emails to professors to a sample 3-minute talk, we have templates. The only thing you need is your enthusiasm for GL and the desire to share this experience with other people. Recruiting is the most important thing we do all year. It forms our teams and it is thanks to these teams that our programs run.

This timeline is a suggestion, a template of what has worked in the past. I encourage you all to take the initiative to be regional recruiting coordinators and lead the effort in your area. If you are interested in recruiting, which I hope you all are, please send me an email letting me know and I’ll keep you informed and send you more detailed information as needed. I look forward to working with you all in your recruitment efforts this year!

Sincerely,

Jessie Anderson