At JORBA, we need muscle to build, maintain, and advocate for New Jersey’s trail systems, we need lots of boots on the ground and hands on tools. Because volunteers are our most valuable asset, actively engaging and growing your volunteer base is arguably the most important—and often the most challenging—responsibility of a Chapter Leader.
Whether you are chatting with riders on the trail, leveraging social media, or hanging physical signage, recruitment requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. Here is a comprehensive playbook of tried-and-true strategies to increase your chapter’s volunteer count and keep your local trails thriving. 🌲🔨
1. 📅 Establish a Predictable Schedule
People live busy lives, and predictability is key to consistency. Try to post your entire trail maintenance schedule at the beginning of the year and stick to it. Whether it is “the first Saturday of every month” or “every Monday evening during the summer,” having a set cadence allows volunteers to plan ahead and build trail work into their personal calendars.
2. 🗣️ Talk to Everyone on the Trail
Every trail user you pass is a potential volunteer. Whether you are out on a group ride or already executing a trail maintenance session, stop and talk to people!
- Ask if they are JORBA members.
- Ask for their email address to add them to your park’s specific mailing list.
- Get their phone number to add them to a local text/chat group dedicated to fast-breaking trail work alerts. 📱
- You aren’t restricted to just chatting up people at your park. If you are riding or hiking at another park, talk to the other trail users. You never know where your next volunteer is going to come from.
- You could use park business cards to hand out on the trial. Some people use QR codes that link to TM schedules or have a photo on your phone people can take a picture of.
3. 🎁 Gamify Your Volunteer Perks
Tangible rewards keep volunteers coming back and show deep appreciation for their hard work.
- The Milestone Tool Program 🪚: Empower your regulars by gifting them tools they can use independently. Consider an annual progression: year one they receive hand pruners, year two a folding saw, year three a set of loppers, or even a pocket hand chainsaw. It gives them a sense of ownership to prune as they ride.
- Branded Merch 🧢: Everyone loves swag. Reward consistent help with JORBA hats, shirts, and socks. Not only is it a great thank-you, but it also turns your volunteers into walking JORBA billboards on the trails.
4. 🗺️ Create an “Adopt-a-Section” Program
Divide and conquer by assigning specific trail segments to local businesses or community volunteer organizations. If your land manager permits it, put up physical signs at the trailheads or intersections acknowledging the group responsible for maintaining that section. Add a QR code to the sign so passing trail users can scan it to learn more or sign up to help.
5. 🎒 Leverage Youth and School Groups
Youth organizations are an incredible source of energy and often have built-in requirements for community service hours:
- NJ NICA 🚴♀️: New Jersey’s interscholastic mountain biking teams are deeply invested in the trails. Coordinate regular sessions with them, keeping their race and practice schedules in mind. If you don’t have a direct contact for your local team, reach out to info@newjerseymtb.org to get connected.
- Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts ⛺: Scouts require volunteer hours for advancement. Keep a running wishlist of Eagle Scout or Gold Award projects specifically tailored for your park. Scouts love tangible infrastructure projects like building bridges, boardwalks, and kiosks.
- Local High Schools 🏫: Many high school clubs, honor societies, and athletic teams require a set number of service hours for participation. Reach out to local guidance counselors or club advisors to pitch trail days.
6. 💼 Tap Corporate and Civic Networks
- Local Businesses and Corporate Offices: Many modern workplaces offer paid “give back” or corporate volunteer days. Reach out to local corporate offices and offer to host a curated team-building trail day for their staff.
- Land Managers 🌲: Keep an open dialogue with your local land managers. Ask them to amplify your workdays through their official town, county, or state park communication channels and newsletters.
7. 📢 Maximize Your Marketing Channels
Don’t rely on just one way to spread the word. When promoting a workday, blanket all available channels:
- Submit it to be posted directly on JORBA.org.
- Post a thread in the forums on mtbnj.com.
- Share event pages and flyers across local Facebook groups and Instagram.
- On-Trail Signage 🪧: Never underestimate physical media. Place plastic corrugated lawn signs at main trailheads or hang bright flags from trees a week leading up to the event to alert regular trail users.
8. 🚲 Lower the Barrier to Entry: “Ride & Prune”
Not every volunteer event needs to be a grueling 4-hour bench-cutting session. Host “Ride & Prune” or “Ride and Pick up Trash” events. These are styled as fun, casual group rides where everyone carries hand pruners or folding saws or brings a bag to put trail trash into. It keeps the atmosphere light and social while successfully clearing corridors of overgrowth or debris.
9. 🍕 Never Underestimate the Power of Food
Always feed your crew! Providing bagels and donuts before a morning build, or pizza and cold drinks after an evening session, goes a long way. People love to be fed, and the post-work meal acts as a crucial social hour to build community among your volunteers. 🍩🥤
🛠️ Official JORBA Volunteer ResourcesVisit Site
To help you seamlessly organize, protect, and run your next chapter workday, utilize the following official resources available on JORBA.org:
- ℹ️ General Volunteer Information – The central hub for all things volunteering.
- 🌿 Starting a JORBA Chapter – A guide for establishing new groups and frameworks.
- 📐 Trail Management Resources & Links – Technical guidelines and best practices for trail work.
- 📋 Organizing a Workday – Step-by-step instructions on planning and executing a public trail day.
- 🦺 JORBA’s Risk Management Plan – Essential reading to ensure safety compliance on the dirt.
- ✍️ JORBA’s Waiver of Liability – The mandatory digital waiver link for all participating volunteers.
