Archive for the ‘Volunteering’ Category

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7 Tips for First Time Volunteers

Monday, October 15th, 2012

Make a Difference Day logo.Make A Difference Day is just a few weeks away! If you know how you’re going to make a difference on October 27, awesome!

You might say “But I’ve never volunteered before? How can I make a difference? I don’t even know where to start”

Today is your lucky day! We have seven tips to help make sure your first volunteer experience is a great one!

Find a cause you care about.

Is there something that you really care about? Does your local school system need a little help? Are there a lot of stray animals in your neighborhood? Do you love the way your library smells and want everyone to be as excited about books as you are?

Once you’ve found something in your community you’d like to make better, then…

Find a project in the DAYta Bank.

Once you’ve decided on a cause you’d like to support, you can find a project near you in the Make A Difference Day DAYta Bank! As long as you’re looking, why not find a few different projects that sound like they could be fun and…

Do a little research.

Spend a bit of time on the websites of the nonprofits that are hosting the projects you’re interested in. Find out how they support the causes you’re interested in and the work they do in your community. If you find a nonprofit you’d like to support you can…

Sign up for a project!

The DAYta Bank makes it easy to sign up for a project! Once you find a project with an organization you like you’ll be taken to the signup page for that project. Sign up and you’ll be all set to volunteer on Make A Difference Day!

Remember it’s OK to ask questions.

It’s alright to ask questions about the project before you show up. Project listings should have a person to contact if you have any questions about what the project is about and how you need to prepare. A lot of questions are answered in the project descriptions, but if your question isn’t it’s alright to get in touch with the event organizer so you’re ready for the day when you show up!

Show up ready to have fun.

You’re volunteering because there’s a cause you care about, right? That doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time! The best way to make sure you’ll have fun at your first volunteer experience is to go in with an open mind. You might be asked to do something different than what you signed up for, or you might be asked to something you don’t know how to do. Keep an open mind and try it out, you might learn a thing or two, or find something you never thought you’d love to do! Volunteering can be serious business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.

Take time to reflect on your experience.

A lot of volunteer projects have some time set aside at the end of the project to think critically about the work that you just did. Reflecting on how working in a community garden can have an impact on the health of the local watershed or how it can influence kids to eat better is an important part of the volunteer experience. It doesn’t just give you a definite stopping point for a project, but it helps volunteers to better understand how their work has multiple effects in their community.

Keep making a difference!

Did you have a great time volunteering? Awesome! Tell us about it on the or Did you not quite fit with the project or organization? That’s alright! There are a lot more organizations out there that need your help! Try finding another project in the DAYta Bank or with HandsOn Network!

Was your first volunteer experience great? Did you decide to find a different way to volunteer? Let us know in the comments!

SUPER BONUS TIP!

Did you have a great time volunteering? Why not bring a friend along with you next time? Not only will it make sure you know someone at the project, but you’ll be involving your friend in something you care about and making your community better! Plus there’s a great opportunity to take cheesy pictures to share on Facebook!

 

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Posted in Events, Inspire, Mobilize, Volunteering, Volunteerism | 2 Comments »

5 Tips for Building Effective Partnerships

Thursday, October 11th, 2012

As connectors of people and organizations, you may have access to a wide variety of community partners. By leveraging these relationships – on both a formal and informal basis – you can gain support for new initiatives that expand outreached for increased and more effective engagement. Partnerships also allow organizations with limited resources to maximize impact from existing opportunities.

As you consider potential partners that could help attract and engage people in your community, think about their expectations and motivations for working with you and what outcomes both parties desire. Here are some steps to start a partnership with an organization:

Community Needs Assessment: In examine efforts to reach out to people in your community, examine the current conditions in your community. Look for potential synergies and complementary goals.

Identify Potential PartnersIdentify Potential Partners: Look for both natural and unlikely partners – but be aware of and account for cultural differences between the potential partners. Acknowledge organizational cultures, which can differ greatly in a successful partnership.

Develop Joint Goals: Critical to the partnership’s success is a common vision. Be sure to identify each partner’s desired outcomes. Joint goals must be both shared and measurable.

Agree on Roles, Tasks and Responsibilities: Mutual planning for performance is key to accountability. Each partner’s roles, resources, responsibilities and tasks must be clear and communicated. Understand the strengths and values each partner brings.

Oversee the Work: Document the successes of your partnership – not only your own portion, but also that of your partners. Monitor the performance of each aspect of the partnership, communicate the results and share your learnings.

Do you utilize partnerships? What tips and suggestions would you add? Let us know in the comments!

Posted in Volunteering | No Comments »

Short on Time? Six Quick Volunteer Ideas!

Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I’ve always wanted to volunteer, but I don’t have the time,” or “I just don’t know where to start”?

Challenge your definition of volunteering and you might just discover that you are doing it already! A volunteer, to put simply, is someone who gives his or her time willingly and expects nothing in return.

Have you ever helped a friend write a letter or a job application? Have you helped at your child’s school with an outing, at a book sale to raise money, or a community sports event? Ever “paid it forward” and committed a random act of kindness like helping a stranger with his or her suitcase at the airport? These acts are all forms of volunteering. I bet you didn’t even notice the time it took out of your day!

If time is short but you want to get involved, lending a hand can become a way of life. Here are six quick and easy ways to volunteer and start making a difference.

• Multitask!

You have to go food shopping. Why not call an elderly neighbor, or someone who can’t get out, and do his or her shopping? How about picking up a few cans for your local food bank? You are going anyway!

• Like to chat?

Do you have 30 minutes to spare, maybe once a week, and access to Facebook? Check out . You could partner up with someone wanting to learn your language and maybe learn his or hers, too.

• Throw a swap party!

Grab your friends for an hour and have a swap party. Choose a theme (books, clothes, toys, etc.). You might come away with something you didn’t know you needed, and all of those unused items will be recycled as something someone didn’t know they needed. All the unclaimed items can be donated to the charity of your choice.

• Are you a gamer?

Did you know that you can play online games for free that donate to charities on your behalf? One example is Charitii – a charity-donating crossword Web site that raises money to provide clean water, food for the malnourished, and protection of the rainforest worldwide.

• Utilize your own connections

If there is a cause that really means something to you, you can help raise awareness of its work using your own network. You never know who might be listening who can help! Colleagues at work, friends and family, acquaintances that you find yourself chatting with – help spread the word by talking to people. If you have time free during your lunch hour, maybe that charity needs help writing e-mails or posters that need to be put up. Why not write to your newspaper to tell of the good work that the charity does?

• Do what you know!

If you can cook, you can help. If you can read, you can help. Are you a computer programmer? A nurse? There are countless ways of using your existing skills to benefit others. Cook someone a meal, advise on health matters, fix a computer for an elderly neighbor or underfunded organization. Become aware of the people around you and figure out how much time you can spare each month. Even half an hour can make a huge difference for those who could benefit from your skills.

These are just a few small ways of donating a little bit of your time to help others. They are all unique volunteer activities and there are hundreds of more options out there. Small acts of kindness count, and add up overtime!

How do you volunteer in short time periods? Let us know in the comments below!

Posted in Equip, Service, Volunteering, Volunteerism | 2 Comments »

8 Ways to Grow Volunteer Leaders

Monday, September 17th, 2012

The secret to mobilizing and engaging volunteers to bring about sustainable, positive social change…

…is the development of volunteer leaders.

Volunteer leaders provide vision and they inspire, recruit and lead others.

You can play a role in mentoring, coaching and encouraging potential leaders to build the skills they need to take on leadership roles that drive social change.

First, identify individuals who have consistently demonstrated their ability to collaborate and work well with others in productive, long-term relationships.

Through mentoring, you can help new leaders recognize their own ability to manage a team and make effective decisions that result in progress toward objectives, which will improve the community.

Here are eight ways you can develop leaders from within your volunteer ranks:

1.  Provide opportunities within your organization for emerging volunteer leaders to develop and practice their skills.

2.  Encourage your volunteers to take on challenges that will foster their own growth and development.

3.  Make it safe for them to make mistakes by treating them as learning experiences.

4.  Support initiatives that your volunteers may come up with themselves rather than insisting on your own (to the degreethat you can). Volunteers will be inspired to pursue efforts and topics that are of particular interest to them rather than what you feel is best.

5.  Recognize individuals frequently for their contributions. Recognition that is low-key, frequent and personal is generally more meaningful to people than a big, annual event (although doing both is even better).

6.  Send volunteers with leadership potential to a training or take them to conferences.

7.  Remind yourself that a progressive increase in responsibility coupled with improved skills helps build leaders.

8.  Believe in everyone’s ability to reach higher and achieve more.

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Posted in Volunteer Recruitment, Volunteering | No Comments »

Tips for Connecting With Your Volunteers

Friday, September 7th, 2012

An organization’s ability to not only survive, but also thrive in the future is directly proportionate to its capacity to learn. People within organizations, both individually and collectively, need to develop the ability to reflect on their work and willingness to uncover, understand, and reconsider the basic assumptions that underlie the work.

Out with the old, in with the new.

Remain aware of the changing social, economic, and demographic realities of today as they have a direct bearing on your ability to attract and retain volunteer involvement. We are quick to recognize the need for change in how we raise funds, address personal issues, and conduct marketing, but more often, we are less likely to focus on updating their volunteer management strategies.

  1. Consider the possibility that some assumptions are no longer valid and limit the way you think and behave
  2. Welcome new ways to stay connected to volunteers through workforce diversification, volunteer feedback, and the use of technology.

Diversity as a goal.

In this increasingly multicultural world in which a variety of lifestyles, cultures, age groups and value orientations seek to coexist, leaders should speak knowledgeably and sensitively about the changing demographics in their communities.  Recognize the inherent importance of engaging people from all these groups as volunteers in order to remain truly responsive to the whole community.

Lend an ear to a volunteer.

Try to learn as much about volunteers as possible. Find out what motivates them, and the quality of their experience with the organization. Use these as clues on how the organization can better adapt and change in order to better sustain and support this vitally important human resource. Always keep in mind the volunteers are grassroots enforcers of the mission!

What do you do to build strong connections with your volunteers? Let us know in the comments!

A lot of this week’s posts were about building connections. In case you missed them, check out:

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Posted in Volunteering | 1 Comment »

5 Tips for Solving Any Problem With Your Volunteer Program

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

No matter how well you plan a volunteer event or manage your volunteers, eventually something is going to happen that doesn’t quite go as planned. It’s important to address the problem quickly and professionally and getting back to normal.

Identify the Problem

Try to understand what has happened that has created some difficulty. Take a moment to reflect on the problem to try to find the root of it. What’s going wrong at the moment needs to be addressed, but there may be a deeper cause of the problem.

Face the Problem

After you’ve identified the problem facing your program, the next step is to face it.

While it might be easier to avoid the problem, avoiding it won’t help make it go away. Face the problem with resolve and try to solve it in a positive way.

Move On

Once the problem is solved, move on. Try not to dwell on the problem once it’s solved. Don’t keep rolling the situation around in your head, it will only make you anxious and stressed.

 

Remember the Lessons Learned

Moving on doesn’t mean that you forget that the problem happened, though. Make sure you understand what caused the problem and try to implement new practices that won’t let the same problem happen again.

Be Ready for Problems

No matter how well you plan a volunteer event or the processes in your program, something is eventually going to go wrong. Knowing that and understanding how to solve problems can make your program stronger and better able to deal with unexpected problems.

 

What was the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced managing volunteers? How did you solve it? What did you learn from it? Let us know in the comments!

Posted in Volunteer Leader, Volunteer Management, Volunteering | No Comments »

Why Should I Volunteer in Schools?

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012

school volunteering

By now, school has started around the country, and while kids everywhere are heading back to classes, volunteers are heading back to school too!

Volunteering in schools can be beneficial for everyone involved: the students get to meet older students or adults from outside of the school, the school benefits from the skills and talent that the volunteer brings to the table, and the volunteer can grow their network and circle of friends!

Figuring out how to volunteer with a school is an important step in planning your volunteer role, but so is understanding the costs (mostly time) and benefits of volunteering.

Benefits for Students

volunteering in schools

Volunteers in schools can play an important role in the lives of students. They can be an important adult connection for students. Students who have involved adult volunteers in their school generally have better grades, better attendance, and higher graduation rates. Increased adult involvement also causes students to have more positive attitudes, more motivation, and higher self-esteem.

Volunteers may also help students by serving as a link between a school and a community. Students do better when schools, families, and communities work together, and involvement is strong.
Volunteers can be a strong advocate for the school they volunteer with. They can be a voice in the community for the school, helping to bring in needed resources or helping people to see the school as a positive force in their neighborhood.

Benefits for Schools

Schools can benefit from adult volunteers through:

  • Increased individual attention for students
  • Extra support on projects
  • Stronger ties to the community
  • Higher levels of parent-teacher communication
  • Increased capacity to better serve a wider variety of youth needs
  • Higher test/grade scores
  • Strengthened programs
  • Improved student behavior

Benefits for Volunteers

Volunteers benefit from volunteering, whether it’s from a closer peer-relationship with teachers and staff at the school or by building positive relationships with students. Volunteers benefit from their work with schools through:

  • Opportunities to meet new people
  • Improving communication, management, and interpersonal skills
  • Improving problem-solving skills
  • Increased self-confidence
  • A clearer understanding of school structure and curriculum
  • Gaining valuable job experience
  • The opportunity to serve as a role model for students
  • The chance to inspire, educate, and motivate future generations

Parents who are active in their child’s school can benefits at home, too. Parent volunteers can form tighter bonds with their children and often find themselves having more open discussions about life at, and outside of, school. Family members that volunteer aid their child’s transition from the home to school. By assisting in this transition, parents learn the structure and expectations of schools.

If you want to volunteer at your child’s school, get in touch with the school’s principal to find out where volunteers are needed in the school. If

Do you volunteer at a school? What benefits do you see from what you do? Let us know in the comments!

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Posted in Education, Volunteering | No Comments »

How to Write Policies for Volunteer Programs

Thursday, August 30th, 2012

Volunteer work has become increasingly responsible, sophisticated, and complex. There are many excellent reasons to write policies around voluntary action in nonprofit organizations. Such policies can be used to establish continuity, to ensure fairness and equity, to clarify values and beliefs, to communicate expectations, to specify standards, and to state rules. Read on as we share six important principles of writing volunteer policies.

Be Concise

Write as much as is required to be clear and comprehensive. Remember, however, that the longer the policies and the thicker the policy manual, the more intimidating it will be and the less likely that it will be read and used regularly.

Be Clear

Take great care to ensure that the policies developed convey precisely and completely what is intended. Do no assume that people reading and applying policies will understand them to mean what was intended. Avoid technical terminology and jargon.

Be Directive

Policies should very clearly tell people what is expected. Although one would hope for complete compliance with all policies, it is obvious that compliance with some policies is much more important than with others. Therefore, some policies may be more strongly worded and authoritative than others.

Round the Edges

Be careful not to lose sight of the fact that the subject of policy development being discussed here is the work of volunteers. For this reason, the tone of many policies in the volunteer department should very consciously be softened to be as palatable and inoffensive as possible. Be sure to convey a deep respect for the rights and dignity of volunteers, which still getting your message across.

Emphasize the Positives

Whenever possible, policies should motivate, enable, and inspire. They should articulate outside limits, leaving as much room as possible for flexibility and creativity. The presence of supportive and enabling policies can provide the encouragement and recognition that volunteers require to maximize their potential. Policies can demonstrate just how important the work is and the very real consequences of error when standards are not attained.

Illustrate

Do not hesitate to draw pictures, illustrate steps and sequences, or sketch methods or techniques. Diagrams and other graphic additions make the manual more pleasing to read, but more to the point, convey specific details that words sometimes cannot.

Does your volunteer program utilize policies? Let us know how in the comments below.

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Posted in Volunteer Leader, Volunteering, Volunteerism | No Comments »

5 Ways to Support Staff Volunteerism

Thursday, August 23rd, 2012

A company that volunteers is a happier and better company, but that is only a small part of the picture. The support and encouragement that an employer gives to its employee’s volunteer activity can make a world of difference to their outcome! From something as simple as a kind word to an elaborate partnership with a local nonprofit organization, there are many ways employers can encourage volunteering among their staff. A variety of approaches can be utilized to reinforce or complement one another and suit the needs of the company. Read on to find an approach that is right for your organization.

Acknowledgement

Acknowledging the volunteer work of employees may seem like a small thing, but projects and people alike thrive on acknowledgement. How can the employer acknowledge that employees are involved as volunteers and try to accommodate this reality whenever possible?

  • Counting relevant volunteer work as experience when considering candidate for a promotion
  • Allowing leaves of absence without pay for volunteer work
  • Allowing employees to adjust their work schedules to make it possible to carry out their volunteer work activities

Promotion

Recognition of employees who are involved with voluntary organizations and highlighting their achievements creates an atmosphere in which other employees become eager to be involved and be recognized themselves! How can an employer promote the service employees are doing?

  • Sending a letter or memo to all employees in which the CEO expresses his or her views on the value of volunteer participation
  • Sending a thank you note to employees during National Volunteer Week
  • Publishing activities or a regular column in the company newsletters profiling the volunteer work of employees

Encouragement

Perhaps the employer has already acknowledged and promoted staff volunteer work. Take the next step, with policies that encourage employees to volunteer!

  • Encouraging volunteer work as a legitimate way to gain skills and experience for professional development
  • Offering pre-retirement seminars promoting volunteer work
  • Featuring appeals in internal newsletters from employees on behalf of organizations they support
  • Inviting speakers from volunteer organizations to address employees

Endorsement

Several entities have a vested interest in service work done by employees. Get local nonprofits involved by working actively with volunteer groups to encourage employees to do volunteer work. How can an employer do this effectively?

  • Liaisons with a local volunteer center regularly to make employees aware of volunteer jobs available in the community
  • Developing a skill bank to record the skills and experience of employees who are interested in volunteer positions
  • Offering to help in kind or free services to the organizations for which employees volunteer without requiring the organization to identify or publicize the source

Sponsorship

Perhaps your company is saturated in the spirit of volunteerism already! It may be time to consider sponsorship, volunteer work done under the auspices of the company.  How can an employer institute this corporate driven element of service?

  • Appeals to the employees to volunteer for a specific organization
  • Nomination of employees to serve on the board of a specific volunteer organization
  • Employer sanctioned volunteer time and company projects that take place in regular working hours

How does your organization support staff service? Let us know in the comments below.

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Posted in Volunteer Recognition, Volunteering, Volunteerism | No Comments »

How do you plan on ensuring that your nonprofit board members are held legally responsible?

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

Most liability claims filed against nonprofit organizations are the result of an accidental injury or property damage. However, sometimes claims are made against individuals-such as board members, officers, trustees, employees, and volunteers- who while acting on behalf of the organization, might have accidentally caused an injury or damaged another’s property. Board members of a nonprofit organization may believe that the responsibilities associated with operating the organization do not hold the same weight as those for a for-profit organization. Those operating a nonprofit organization should be aware, however, that in some ways they will be held to a higher standard because of the trust they hold on behalf of those benefitting from the services offered.

Board members of volunteer organizations must manage the organization with the same diligence and attention they would apply to a for-profit organization. Board members are bound by the legal duties of care, loyalty, and obedience to the organization. All duties must be performed in good faith and in the best interest of the organization.

Care: This duty extends to questioning and monitoring the activities of the organization, including financial matters, personnel issues, programs, use and maintenance of property, and planning for the future. Board members must actively resist matters they think are not proper.

Loyalty: Directors and officers are required to place the interest of the organization above their own personal interests. They must avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest and take no action that would be detrimental to the organization in order to benefit themselves or another party.

Obedience: Directors and officers must perform their duties according to the organization’s charter and mission and

according to all applicable statues and regulations governing charitable institutions. A board member may be held personally liable if found to have willfully or negligently permitted the organization to engage in activities beyond the organization’s authority.

The most common claims filed against nonprofits are for wrongful discharge, discrimination, and former employees. However, other claims may be made by anyone inside or from outside the organization. Fortunately, the vast majority of these types of claims are filed against the organization and only occasionally name the board members.

How do you plan on ensuring that your non-profit board members are held legally responsible?

Posted in Social Justice, Volunteering | No Comments »

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