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When asked how they recruit and retain lifeguards, here is what your colleagues have said...
"We advertise in free-subscription advertisers, public access television and newspapers. Local businesses are happy to lend space to advertise our courses. We set up booths at colleges on "job days." We also send information and flyers home with high school students."
Lori Howard
Stanely, WI
"We get area businesses to donate items such as movie passes and dinners, then we have weekly door prize drawings."
Kim Dowling
Carmel, IN
Area merchants may be willing to provide incentive items such as water bottles, hats, swimsuits, t-shirts or tank tops to lifeguards who complete Lifeguard Training through the American Red Cross. These items, like American Red Cross items, can serve as an opportunity to bring visibility to a local merchant or organization.
There may be several untapped resources in your community that would be willing to donate support for lifeguard scholarships or gifts of merchandise. Some chapters have worked in conjunction with their aquatic facilities to offer "Water Bucks" or "Longfellow's Bucks" that are cashed in at either aquatic facilities for concessions, the local chapter for American Red Cross merchandise, or with other area businesses. Many facilities offer either paid training or reimburse lifeguards for their training expenses if they stay employed with them through the entire summer season.
Old Navy Gets in the Action
The Delaware County Chapter in Delaware, Ohio, has developed a relationship with its local Old Navy store that creates a "win-win-win" situation for the chapter, their local aquatic facilities and their Lifeguard Training participants. The chapter found that they were training plenty of lifeguards for their jurisdiction, but their local aquatic facilities were not aggressively marketing themselves to get enough trained lifeguards employed for their busy summer season.
Through a relationship initiated by the chapter, Lifeguard Training participants taking an American Red Cross Lifeguarding class within a certain time period in the Spring are rewarded with a $25 gift certificate from Old Navy. After the students secure lifeguarding jobs and send copies of their first pay stubs to the chapter, they are sent the gift certificates. The arrangement is great for the chapter's relationship with their aquatic customers, and at the same time helps to encourage enrollment in Lifeguard Training.
Old Navy is recognized in the chapter's annual report and on their chapter developed course brochure for Lifeguarding.
The chapter has also instituted another practice to assist area facilities. The chapter invites aquatic facilities to the last session of Lifeguard Training courses. The guests are encouraged to do an overview of their facility and bring applications for employment to distribute to students.
The Delaware County chapter also works with schools to offer lifeguard recruitment presentations during lunch and physical education classes. The chapter representative, accompanied by a current lifeguard with whom students are familiar, helps answer questions openly and honestly regarding training details and explains the benefits of becoming a lifeguard on a peer-to-peer level.
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