Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice
Advisor
Mary Lynn Vogel
Committee Member
Linda Gaughan
Committee Member
Kimberly Durham
Keywords
minority volunteers, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, volunteer recruitment, minority mentors
Abstract
Youth from ethnic minority, disadvantaged families are less likely to have adult role models and caring adult relationships (other than parents) than socioeconomically advantaged youth. Yet recruiting and retaining volunteers to help at-risk youth remains a persistent challenge, including at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA). The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to determine best practices to increase the recruitment of ethnic minority volunteers in the BBBSA mentorship program in the midwestern United States. Staff at one BBBSA-affiliated program answered open-ended questionnaires to offer their perceptions of best practices and challenges in recruiting ethnic minority volunteers. The data were combined with research literature to determine best practices for the organization to increase ethnic minority recruitment. Organizations should work to create a compelling message targeted to the recruitment audience. The time commitment should be made clear. Current or former mentors should share their experiences to recruit others. Organizations can increase youth involvement in recruiting as well as use of workplace programs for recruitment. The literature remains limited on ethnic minority recruitment for BBBSA, and more research is needed.
NSUWorks Citation
Jarod Leonard. 2024. Practices to Increase the Recruitment of Ethnic Minority Volunteers in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Mentorship Program. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. (689)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/689.
