• Recruitment of potential participants
  • Characteristics of Potential Participants
  • Developing a Selection and Notification Process
  • Recruiting Participants
  • Checklist for Participant Recruitment, Selection and Notification
• Sample worksheets, letters, etc.
  • Sample Letter-- Invitation to Nominate
  • Sample worksheet for identifying Leadership Program participants
  • Sample worksheet for identifying influential community-based groups
  • Sample worksheet for identifying geographic distribution of Leadership Program participants
  • Sample Letter --You've Been Nominated
  • Summary sheet of selected participants
  • Sample letter of congratulations to selected participants
  • Sample Letter -- You've Been Selected
  • Sample Letter -- Not Selected
  • Sample Participant Commitment Form

Who Should Participate?

The early observations and discussions that stimulated the program should help you answer this question.  Where are the gaps in the leadership structure?  The criteria and policies you develop for participation should be consistent with the long-range goals and the mission of the program.  If you are committed to broadening the leadership base in your community and seeing leadership developed at all levels, then you must deliberately recruit and select participants that represent this philosophy.

Emerging leaders are often the focus of community leadership programs.  Leadership programs often require potential participants to have some level of demonstrated leadership even to fit into the “emerging” category.  The most established leaders rarely apply for community leadership programs – they are more likely to serve as presenters or mentors.

Leadership programs may choose to focus on emerging leaders, current leaders, or a mixture of both.  Be sure the focus is clear to everyone from the beginning, as well as the reasons behind it.  For example, if people believe the program is for established leaders but none participate, the program will be labeled a failure – even if the steering committee intentionally selected only emerging leaders.

Do you guarantee a spot in each class for sponsors that make major financial contributions to the leadership program?  Most programs agree that this is a dangerous policy, and it makes it very difficult to provide the kind of diversity most programs want.

Representing Community Viewpoints

Communities are becoming increasingly heterogeneous in both social makeup and range of values and viewpoints.  The criteria for participation and the participants selected for the leadership program should reflect that diversity.

Leadership programs that are concerned with a particular community issue, such as human relations, may choose to target certain groups for “over-representation”.  For example, if race relations is a particular community concern, a program may have a 50-50 balance of whites and minorities in the leadership class, even though this ratio is not an accurate reflection of the community as a whole.

The level of learning and the overall impact of the program are increased by including a balance of male and female participants, as well as people with a variety of backgrounds and experiences, such as:

Occupations

Ages, including older youth

Life experiences

Social, religious and political orientations

Ethnicity

Income levels

Length of time in the community (some programs require that applicants have lived in the community a specified amount of time, such as a minimum of one to three years)

Geography

Employment status (retirees, volunteers, full-time employed persons, etc.)

Private sector:  large business, small business, professions, agriculture, organized labor

Non-profit sector:  human service agencies, arts, education, religious/spiritual community, hospital

Public sector:  local government, court/judicial

When such diversity is present, people begin to understand the different cultures and values within their own community, which aids in working together toward common goals.  In their community leadership roles, graduates of the leadership program will work with a wide array of differences within the community.  Therefore, when fellow leadership class members represent a variety of viewpoints, interests, values and beliefs, program participants can practice effective ways of working with those differences during the leadership program and gain a better perspective on the needs and thinking of the entire community.

Consider a leadership program that includes adults, high school students or other young people, older adults and the newly retired.  Some communities have found teenagers to be among their most enthusiastic participants.

Expectations of Participants

Leadership development should be a partnership in which each program participant both learns from and teaches the others.  To achieve this participation, it is helpful to develop and clearly communicate expectations of participants.  Some possible expectations include the following:

• Consistent attendance
• Active participation
• Signed contractual agreement to attend and participate
• Support of participant’s family members and employer (formal commitment for employer to sign)
• Keeping current on reading assignments and other tasks
• Keeping an open mind
• Willingness to challenge the status of current situations
• Openness to new ideas, concepts and different values
• Fees paid by due date unless prior arrangements have been made

Class Size

Class size is not necessarily determined by the community size.  Class size should be appropriate for the outcomes you desire.  Most community leadership programs find 20-30 people the most workable class size.  Fewer than 20 persons can limit the range of diversity and viewpoints, and over 30 may inhibit effective group interaction, reflective discussion and learning.  While a larger class size can be a way to increase revenue, classes over 30-35 persons appear to diminish the quality of the leadership development experience.

One program determines the class size by the number of people who fit on the bus available to that program.  Another program in a small, rural community bases class size on the size of available meeting rooms.

Inclusiveness and diversity may determine class size.  Programs strive to include people in each leadership class that are representative of important sectors and categories in the community.  To avoid “tokenism” and to allow a valid voice, programs often find it meaningful to have more than one representative from each of the categories – this is important to the comfort of individual participants, and it is essential if a program wants to discuss and explore tough issues such as racism, sexism or ethnic stereotyping.

Meaningful conversations and trustful relationships among participants are important outcomes for many programs, especially with leaders from sectors of the community other than their own.  Many programs target participation by individuals from sectors that are least likely to interact under “normal” conditions, but where the potential for fruitful interaction is high.

Selection Criteria

If you have more applicants than openings in the class, how will you choose among them?  Decide on selection criteria before beginning recruitment and develop written guidelines.  Base the selection criteria on the overall program goals and participation criteria – for example, are more women or young people needed for local leadership in your community?  County-wide programs may want to include people from as many towns as possible.  Sample selection criteria may include the following:

Balance of male and female participants

A cross-section [total class] of the community regarding age, race, ethnic or cultural background, occupation and geography.

Concern for community well-being

Some level of demonstrated leadership

Interest in developing leadership ability

Commitment to attend all sessions

Commitment to become involved in building community and community development

Hand-picked vs. Application Process

Some leadership programs prefer to hand select the program participants, while others use an application process.  The choice is yours.

If you decide to use an application process, develop an application form to gather information that will help you make selection decisions.  The application can be part of the program’s informational brochure or a separate piece.  Link the items on the application form to the selection criteria that your leadership development program considers important.  Remember – only ask for information that is needed!

Keep the application form as simple as possible – many programs use a one-page application and ask that a resume and letters of recommendation be attached.   Elaborate application forms may send messages of exclusivity or elitism that some potentially valuable participants may find offensive.  Strive to develop a form that engages rather than intimidates people – especially if you are working for diversity in your program.  For example, emerging or potential leaders may not have a long list of honors, so do not leave a lot of space to answer this question.  Many programs no longer ask for resumes – they found that applicants would “go for length” and duplicating long applications for the selection committee becomes expensive.

You may want to develop a scoring sheet for reviewers as a companion to the application form.  The sheet should be based on the selection criteria and can help reviewers review the application during the selection process.

Selection Process

The selection process is never easy, so keep it simple by avoiding unnecessary steps that do not help you make choices.  Be aware that the selection process itself sends a strong message about your program.  Lengthy review processes may send messages of exclusivity or elitism that some potentially valuable participants may find offensive.

Smaller communities often find they do well with a much less elaborate selection process.  They work to reduce the perception of competitiveness and take advantage of the likelihood that most applicants will already be known by one or more members of the Selection Committee.

Selection Committee.  It is recommended that you identify a Selection Committee – a committee of 3-4 persons usually works well.  Many community leadership programs choose to keep the committee anonymous to prevent lobbying of the group, while other programs believe that making the composition of the Selection Committee known will enhance its credibility and perceived objectivity.  Sometimes selection committee members are recruited from other communities and do not know the applicants.  The committee has the responsibility to select a representative class.

Some leadership programs allow the program director to determine the last 3-5 members of a class in an effort to help the diversity and dynamics of the group.  This is especially helpful in small communities where the Selection Committee and the director may know potential participants.

Application review and ranking.  Each applicant’s form should be carefully reviewed using the established guidelines, including expectations such as commitment to regular attendance.  A scoring sheet with point values may help to facilitate this step in the process.  The selection committee should select the appropriate number of persons for the class, and identify alternates should a selected applicant decline the invitation to be in the leadership class.  If there are only one or two more valid applications than slots, the selection committee might consider recommending that the class size be expanded to include them.

To interview or not to interview.  Communities large and small use interviews, although many programs feel they can make appropriate decisions without the interviews.  Some programs interview all applicants to make sure they understand the requirements and expectations of the program, as well as to emphasize that participants are expected to take ownership of the community and make it a better place to live.  Interview questions usually relate to the applicant’s commitment to participate in the program, motivation for applying, understanding of the program, and additional interest areas.
 

Notice of Selection, Non-selection or Deferral

With the exception of a few programs that accept all applicants, every program will accept some applicants and must turn down others.  It is important to use consideration and wisdom in this part of the process to facilitate good relations.

After applicants are selected, those who have been accepted should be notified and asked to confirm their participation (see sample letter at end of section).  The notification process should take place 6-8 weeks before the course begins so that selected participants will have enough lead time to clear their calendars.

Delay notifying those who were not accepted until you have confirmation from the original group – some of those accepted may not participate and their slots can be offered to others.  Another option is to notify those not accepted that they are alternates in case of cancellation.

A carefully worded, thoughtful letter should be sent to those not selected (see sample letter at end of section).  A phone call is an additional courtesy – it can help avoid misunderstandings and convey appreciation of the applicant, especially in smaller communities where confidentiality about who applied and who was selected is virtually impossible to maintain.  Some leadership programs ask those not accepted to defer their participation to the next class time the class is held and reserve a spot for them.  Most programs encourage people to apply for the next leadership course. Be gentle to applicants – anyone interested enough to apply is an asset to the community.

If the applicant was nominated, some programs also write (or telephone) the applicant’s nominator or sponsor to let them know if their nominee is or is not selected.  Nominators whose nominees are not selected without explanation may simply stop nominating.

One major element of a leadership program’s success is getting the right people to apply for and participate in the program based on the leadership needs of your community.  Leadership programs are postponed more often for too few appropriate participants than for lack of funding!

To a great extent, recruitment is a personal process.  Most leadership program participants learn about the program from another person, not from the media or a brochure.  According to a recent study by the National Association for Community Leadership, 75 percent of leadership program participants said that their decision to apply for the program was influenced by a person, such as a previous participant, a boss or supervisor, an organization president or a colleague/friend.

Some people are apprehensive about participating in a leadership program.  Be prepared to address these concerns in your recruitment efforts.  One concern potential participants often have is the time commitment.  Some may question whether the program would be worthwhile, while some may be concerned that they will not measure up to the expectations of community leadership.

Recruitment begins informally when committee members discuss the program with others, and the process continues with more formal recruitment efforts such as nominations, brochures and advertising.  Recruitment efforts and materials should be inviting and accessible to the people you wish to attract.  Recruitment should start several months before the leadership course begins to that potential participants have enough lead time to clear their calendars.

The following steps and tips are recommended:

Have the committee prepare a preliminary list of potential participants from among those they know.  The more diverse the committee, the easier it is to reach potential applicants.

Outline a recruitment plan.  Include a time line and identify who will do what.  Strategies can include the following:

Nomination process

Informational brochure

Word-of-mouth publicity

News media, news releases, advertising

Speakers Bureau – brief recruitment presentations and appeals to organizations, employers, etc.

Follow-up telephone calls

Develop an informational brochure about the leadership program and the upcoming course.  In addition to general information about the program and its purpose as well as it goals/objectives, be sure to include the following:

Reasons why a person would want to participate, such as:

To increase awareness of community issues

To network with other leaders (established leaders as well as leadership class participants)

To give something back to the community

Expectations of Participants

Selection Criteria

Course content

Dates/times of the upcoming course sessions (so participants can check calendars for availability)

Fees

Develop a Nomination Letter (see sample letter at end of section) that can be personalized with the name of the potential participant and [optional] the name of the nominator.  Send the personalized letters to the preliminary list of potential participants.

Prepare a list of employers and organizations that might nominate potential participants.  Include alumni, clubs, schools and the spiritual community.  Develop an Invitation to Nominate Letter (see sample letter at end of section) to request nominations and send or hand deliver to the list.  Ask them to share information with their employees or membership through newsletters, announcements, bulletins, or other means.  Offer to make a presentation to explain the leadership program and answer questions about it.

Make follow-up telephone calls to potential participants and those contacted to suggest nominees – most people participate in leadership programs because someone personally encouraged them to get involved.

Disseminate information widely to ensure that all community members have the opportunity to apply:

Arrange for Speakers Bureau to recruit at organization meetings, board meetings, employee meetings, etc.

Prepare a news release.

Media publicity.  Involve the local news media in informing people in detail about the leadership program and its purpose.  Contact them ahead of time to find out what information is needed, in what form, and what time frame.  Strategies could include:

Local newspapers:  articles; public service announcements; steering committee meeting with editorial board of the newspaper

Local radio:  public service announcements; community talk show interviews; interview for local news

Television:  public TV; public service announcements; community talk show interviews; news story

City or regional magazine

Newsletters:  Chamber of Commerce; in-house newsletters available to steering committee and sponsors/supporters; alumni newsletters

Purchase an advertisement in the local media.

Contact organizations with member or employee newsletters or newspapers and submit the news release.  Do this early as this type of communication may be less frequent (quarterly, bi-monthly, etc.).

Provide a personal response to all inquiries.

• Set guidelines for participant recruitment based on program goals and objectives (8-10 months prior to target date for beginning program).
• Form a Recruitment Committee.
• Identify a Selection Committee.
• Determine selection criteria and process with the approval of the full steering committee.
• Determine opening and closing dates for application.
• Develop application form and contractual agreement form.
• Develop a descriptive brochure.
• Develop letters for recruitment, nomination, acceptance and deferral.
• Print letterhead and brochure.
• Mail recruitment letters and make personal contacts (6 months before start of program).
• Distribute recruitment information to media, businesses, organizations and other appropriate outlets.
• Review applications and select participants.
• Notify applicants of acceptance or deferral.
• Prepare list of participants.
• Ask appropriate officials (state legislators, county or municipal officials, employers, etc.) to write letters of congratulations to those accepted.

NOTE:  Monitor the number, source and quality of applications being received, and inform the Steering Committee of progress.  A shortfall of applications will affect all other plans.
 

Dear _________:

Leadership Stillwater Class X - WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! Remember the people you met and the things you learned? Remember how much fun it was?

Applications for Class XII are available to the public (Date). As distinguished alumni, you are receiving an advanced copy of the application. This class will run from (Date) and includes some exciting changes from previous years.

To ensure Leadership Stillwater continues to have strong representation from all areas of our community, we need your help. Do you know someone who might enjoy the experience of learning about our community and the leadership opportunities we have? Please take a moment to give the enclosed application and brochure to someone you think has potential to contribute leadership skills in our community or to someone that is already active and would make a great class member.

Keep the tradition going strong by helping us to recruit quality leaders for this program.  If you need additional information, please contact either of us.

Sincerely,

Name
Telephone
 

___________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 

Sample Worksheet for Identifying Leadership Program Participants to Be Recruited

Distribute this worksheet to Advisory Committee members to generate names of potential participants.
 
 

II.Sample Worksheet for Identifying Influential Community-based Groups

Distribute this worksheet to Advisory Committee members to generate names of groups that could

III.Sample Worksheet for Identifying Geographic Distribution of Potential Leadership Program Participants

Distribute this worksheet to Advisory Committee members to generate names of potential leadership

Dear Name:

Congratulations! You have been nominated for Leadership Stillwater Class XII.

Please take a few minutes to review the enclosed material. You will find Leadership Stillwater is an intensive community leadership development program designed to prepare you for positions of community involvement and civic leadership. A brochure, application, and calendar of events for the upcoming class have been enclosed.

Please complete the application and return it no later than (Date). If you will not be submitting an application for yourself, help us identify others who are also well suited for the program and encourage them to apply.

If you have questions or need further information, please call (Phone). Leadership Stillwater is truly an experience you don't want to miss; submit your application today.

Sincerely,

Name
Title
_______________________________________________________________________________________________