Attract & Retain

The current practice for many conservation citizen science organizations is to host a few training events and then essentially rely on volunteers to motivate themselves. I respect that approach, but we all know it isn't quite working. Interest and commitment just aren't growing fast enough. 

Lately, the biggest topic of conversation among citizen science organizations is our collective struggle to attract and retain people. It is hard to pin down a single reason, but we would be much better off if we actively invited people to join us in the field—making it a truly shared experience.

But we shouldn't stop there. We can motivate people simply by being out there with them as much as possible. It makes the work personal, and it illustrates our own genuineness and commitment firsthand.

Ultimately, it comes down to leading by example. If we walk the talk and do the work ourselves, people will get inspired. From there, our focus should be on empowering people and creating "doers." When you find a doer who wants to commit, delegate to them. At every step of the way, we must ensure we are empowering our community.

The truth is, there are always more followers than leaders, and today's world offers far too many distractions for people to stay focused easily. That is just the reality we have to work with. But by changing how we lead, we will get there eventually.