[quote] There's a reason that college fraternities engage in "hazing" [/quote]

I wholeheartedly agree, not just because I was in a fraternity in school (the cause of my latent fear of saran-wrap), but because our steam crew is very much LIKE a fraternity. We share a bond through our common interests, abilities, humor (must have a low standard) and from the sheer number of hours we have spent working together on our engine.

All new prospective volunteers with the steam crew (pledges?), regardless of past experience, start with the title Assistant to the Junior Engine Wiper's Apprentice, Third Class. How they respond to that title is a good indicator of how well they will fit in with the crew. I am proud to say we have as many "wipers" as crew, and they are all top notch volunteers well on their way to earning their hat. (We're already impressed, but we can't tell them that or their hats won't fit.)

Mike MacLean
Vice President, Steam Operations
New Hope Valley Railway

Mike pointed out something I had forgotten about, other than his fear of saran wrap, giving new comers the opportunity to work towards something like the hat that members of the NHV steam crew work towards acquiring.

Another possible way I thought about earlier is to work with local area high schools and colleges creating some kind of work-study program. At the community college here in Sanford, some of the instructors give extra credit to students that volunteer with certain groups and either write reports or present some sort of project.

One thing I've seen over the past few years that I've been in charge of recruiting for a non-profit is that you really have to put yourself out there where people can see you because there are plenty of things that tend to drown out others. The true die-hards will seek you out, but there are many that will volunteer with great enthusiasm that may not know about you.

Which brings us back to the importance of having an informative and up to date website, since it is one of the most effective and wide-reaching means of making the public aware of the existence of your organizations.

And at the risk of irritating those who do not want to hear about preservation organizations in other areas of interest, I would like to point out that the USS SLATER has one of the best websites of any preservation activity. It has a high value as an educational tool, it helps keep the public up to date about activities on the ship, and it has a section that identifies things which are needed for the preservation effort with photos and descriptions. The SLATER organization has attracted a number of very dedicated work crews that team up to drive tremendous distances from the midwest to Albany, New York to volunteer their time. There is a great deal to learn from the way that the SLATER organization does things, provided that you are willing to take a look outside railroad preservation.

PC