ACT!How to get more out of the

volunteers in yourREALTOR® Organizations

WHY DON’T THEY GET IT?

• These issues affect their business• It doesn’t take that much to

respond• If REALTORS® turned out, it would

make a HUGE impact• Their reputation can carry an issue

by itself• They could be the go to organization

on land use policy if they wanted

WHY DON’T THEY GET IT?

• What are YOU doing to make them understand the importance of the issues and their involvement?– How are you framing the message?– Who is delivering the message?– How often are you asking volunteers

to be involved?– How can you improve these items?

WHAT DON’T YOU GET?

• People respond to issues that directly affect them

• People respond to requests from people they respect and trust

• Even the most fervent volunteers only have so much time to invest

• We need to re-evaluate how we enlist our volunteers

RE-EVALUATE

• You may already use some of these suggestions in your program

• The key to continuing success is to identify what elements can be improved upon, and figuring out how to do that

• Build upon a solid foundation

Step 1 – Prioritize Issues

• List top 10 issues you are likely to deal with that year

• List appropriate responses to:– Each Issue– At each stage of the

issue’s development

This is just a guideline

Step 2 – Find Messengers

• Create a quick list of contacts to react to these issues:– Different contacts

for different levels in the process

– Volunteer messengers for each officeIdentify All Communication

Options

Step 3 - Make Issues PersonalUnderstand the psyche and interests

of your audiences• Craft your messages accordingly for:

– Brokers - Agents– Clients / Consumers - Media

• Coordinate volunteer identification– Develop databases / data tags / data

lists– Identify agents, offices, and business

models that meet these interests

This is your FOUNDATION

• You have your top issues, and will add to them as new issues come along

• You have your audiences, and know how to communicate to them

• You have your messages, and know how to get them to their audience

Employing the Right Tactic

• Get leadership on board with your plan

• Get volunteers on board with your plan

• Design structure and procedures for employing the right tactic

Employing the Right Tactic

• Know which:– Audience to

communicate with– Method to

communicate with– Message to

employ

• Know what you need the volunteers to do

Employing the Right Tactic

• Don’t Over React• Create volunteer

opportunities• Use your volunteers

effectively• Use your volunteers

sparingly

COMMUNICATE!

Tips for Success!

The Basics

• Know Key Issues

• Have a Plan

• Personalize

• Use Appropriately

Tips for Success!

• Stay focused on the issues that are most pressing, not most egregious to the industry

• Start off small, don’t try and answer every question at once

Tips for Success!

• Identify Messengers– Know who is the

right speaker to the right audience in:

• Your Association• Each Office• To the community• To elected officials• To the pressAnd know when to use each

one!

Tips for Success!

• Speak to their interests– Put in THEIR terms– Relate to THEIR

business– Communicate on

THEIR level

Take the message to those who need it

Tips for Success!

• Use Technology– Use Database

capabilities– Run lists to

communicate– Communicate

Often– Get Active– Rapattoni / MMSI– Good Ol’ Excel

Tips for Success!

• Don’t Overdo It– When it comes to

your response– When it comes to

how many issues you engage volunteers

– When it comes to using messengers

– When it comes to turnout on issues

Tips for Success!

Finally, for continued success…

• Send a Thank You card to those who helped out on issues

• Send a report about your successes

• Recognize those who volunteered

ACT!How to get more out of the

volunteers in your REALTOR® Organizations

CHIP AHLSWEDEwww.RegalStrategies.com

Chip@RegalStrategies.com (714) 402-1430