Posts Tagged ‘Christmas and holiday season’

Planning an Employee Service Project

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Today’s post comes from Julie Murphy, Senior Director of Government Affairs at Points of Light. She is also the head of the Washington, DC Office for Points of Light.  In this role, she is responsible for relationship management and communications with public policymakers in the promotion of volunteerism, service and policies that encourage civic engagement.  She joined Points of Light in January of 2008. 

When the idea surfaced of a volunteer service project for the Points of Light DC staff in conjunction with Thanksgiving, I thought to myself, “This will be a piece of cake because this is our bread and butter.”  (Yes, a delicious mix of metaphors, appropriate for the holiday!)

The process of identifying and conducting an employee service project revealed to me, however, how challenging and how valuable our work is and how the relationships between individuals and those in need can become a deep bond through service.

We are a motley crew here in DC with competing schedules and high energy.  When we decided that we would like to do a service project as a way of giving thanks, Norman Walton, our DC Operations Manager and I quickly contacted several organizations, assuming they would welcome us with open arms.  Many never got back to us; others had as many volunteers as they needed.  One project to load food boxes for distribution on Thanksgiving turned out to be a 30 minute drive from downtown Washington.

It was looking discouraging and the irony was not lost on our team. It was made evident to us that the work that our affiliates do every day across the country is far from simple and far from automatic.  Many organizations could use help year round but do not have the bandwidth to operate a nimble and comprehensive volunteer management program.

Finally, we happened upon A-SPAN, the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network.  Our first contact was with Sarah Morse, Manager of Volunteer Programs & Special Events.  When we arrived at their offices and in-take center, she provided our intrepid team of Kerby Teller, Khyati Desai, Kelly Zito, Norman Walton and I with an overview of A-SPAN’s mission and programs, oriented us to their offices and introduced us to their Executive Director who was more than gracious.

We then spent the next 2 hours sorting through piles of donated clothes and personal hygiene products.  We even came across a HandsOn Gulf Coast T-shirt, well worn and a tangible reminder of the scope of our footprint!  The only challenge we had was when Norman and Kerby came across a mint-condition Cal Ripken baseball jersey that each of them coveted!

At the end of our time at A-SPAN, we were able to step back and proudly survey two rooms full of clothes and toiletries, fully organized by size and type and available to those in need.  We left feeling that, even in a small way, we had made a difference.

The DC office of Points of Light hopes to establish a long-term relationship with A-SPAN.  As with most acts of service, what the giver receives is beyond measure and we were privileged to have had this opportunity to build a stronger connection to the many around us who must go without during this holiday season.

 

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Improve Your Group Volunteer Experience! Engaging with Fellow Volunteers Brings Special Rewards

Monday, December 19th, 2011

Today’s post first appeared on VolunteerSpot on December 1, 2011. This post was written by Jessica Young, a social media specialist at VolunteerSpot. Jessica also coaches volunteer leaders in getting the most out of social media and her organization’s free online tools.

 We’ve all been touched by the “warm fuzzies,” those satisfying feelings when you know you’ve touched a life because you took the time to give back.  There are times, however, when you aren’t rewarded with a gratifying gold star.  You won’t always capture the smiles of the family whose home you helped build; nor hear the sigh of a child after they fill their tummy with food you helped prepare.

Volunteering is in many ways honest intentions with a seemingly blind result, and the warm fuzzies don’t necessarily creep their way into every volunteer experience.

Aim to get the most out of your volunteer time by recognizing the benefits to volunteering with a group.   Whether with members of your faith group, your child’s classroom, your workplace, team or Scout troop, or a neighborhood or civic organization, chances are you’re probably not volunteering by yourself.

5 tips for getting the most out of your group volunteer experience

  1. Making friends:  Seems like a no-brainer, right?  Maybe not.  Relationships unique to this type of shared experienced are special, they stand out and are based off common desires to give back and do good.  Recognize and celebrate them! Make the extra effort to stay in touch or find additional ways to volunteer with a new friend whom you already have common hopes and goals.
  2. Team-building:  Remember those dreaded group projects from school?   Little did we know as students that it was not just about the end goal, be it a presentation or report; but our teachers aimed for part of the lesson to be acquiring the skills to negotiate, share, and work with one another as a team.  The same goes for volunteering!  Working with a new and diverse group of personalities brings out unseen aspects of your own personality, engaging you in new ways and allowing you to become a vital part of a team operation.
  3. Stepping out of the box:   Especially in a new environment, or when asked to learn and perform brand new skill-sets, make an effort to step out of your comfort zone and encourage others in your group to do the same!  The volunteer experience often drags you out of the “same ‘ol, same ‘ol” and into the “I learned something new,” and “I met the coolest person. . .” when you’re willing to step out of the box and volunteer to do something you wouldn’t normally do.
  4. Praise and Compliments:  Giving back with others allows you the opportunity to support one another in ways which are not necessarily available to you at home or in the workplace.  Celebrate one another’s accomplishments; find fun and spectacular ways to thank others for their effort and positive attitudes.   Individual recognition within a group setting makes the entire giving back experience warm and fuzzy in its own unique way.
  5. Deeper Commitment: If you’ve enjoyed your volunteer experience and are ready for the next level, consider making a deeper commitment to the group you’re serving.  Can your group commit to a regular volunteer shift together? Can you engage others at your work, school, Church, etc. to take on a regular commitment?  Are you interested in a fundraising role or joining the advisory board? What special skills are needed that you can offer this organization, e.g. video production, carpentry, computer networking?  Most nonprofits and schools have many, many opportunities for help and welcome participation at deeper levels.

One more suggestion to get more out of giving back within a group is to simply ASK for the results of your efforts. {Volunteer savvy organizations will preempt the ask and share the impact of your service.} 

Inquire of the nonprofit or school you’re serving to show you how your service is making a difference.  They should be more than happy to connect the dots and quantify how your service adds value to their mission.  When practical, most will share actual statistics of the number of families fed, housed, tutored, etc. and others will be able to share anecdotes and stories of the impact of your good work – possibly directly from the service recipient.

Particularly during the holiday season when schedules are hectic, it’s very important to share your time and talents with others. Enjoy your warm and fuzzy rewards, you deserve them!

 

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“Healthy” Volunteering: 5 ways to incorporate health into volunteering

Friday, December 16th, 2011

T’is the season! That means after all of the holiday food we’re ready for the all-too familiar New Year’s resolutions of “I’m going to loose [5,10, 10.5…] pounds this year.”  While exercise and dietary changes are essential for a healthy body, we also must  not forget about the health of others. Here are several ways of “healthy” volunteering for you, your family, and your community!

1) Volunteer at a Medicinal supply organization! With so many countries unable to provide proper medical care to its citizens, local nonprofits have willingly stepped in to provide proper medical supplies to these developing nations. Volunteering at one of these organizations is rewarding as this allows you to bond with everyone around you, hear stories of the various countries receiving the supplies, and ultimately realize the impact of volunteering your time.

2) Volunteer for a 3k, 5k or go the distance and do a marathon! Whether you’re actually volunteering or helping runners sign up for the race, the distance you choose doesn’t matter. It’s the cause behind the race that makes the biggest impact. Many races are fundraisers that raise money for research, causes, and organizations. Whatever the reason, races are beneficial for you and your family as they provide valuable family time and help support important causes.

3) Volunteering is mentally healthy! More than likely (well we hope) you want to be volunteering so you’re already in a good mood and guess what? The people you’re around also want to be volunteering. Overall people are happy to be volunteering, the good vibes are felt and shared throughout the experience. As you reflect upon your volunteering experience, you  will realize all of the heartening memories generated from the positivity and you’re already looking forward to the next time you volunteer!

4) Volunteering as a Baby Boomer! For Baby Boomers and retirees volunteering reshapes the perceptions of aging, shifting the focus from frailty and dependency long associated with old age to being active, productive which leads to improved health and longevity.

5) Help make our returning soldiers and Veterans healthy! If you’re a counselor or mental health professional, you can use your skills to provide free mental health services to members of the military, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and their loved ones. These services help soldiers to cope with the psychological and emotional consequences of a decade of war.

With these ideas, tell us how you plan on doing “healthy” volunteering during the holidays and through out the year.

For more information or to find local “healthy’ volunteering experiences near you go to HandsOn Network.

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7 Benefits to Volunteering for the Holidays

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

The holidays are just around the corner (“AHH I still have so much to do!”). We all know this time can be extremely stressful, especially during holidays that require gift giving.

The holidays are often so overwhelming and stressful because the focus is centered on giving commercial goods to our loved ones. We become so fixated on giving the perfect gift to others that we often forget the real meaning of the holidays. Although the holidays are a time of giving, it is also important to help those around us who may not be fortunate enough to have a holiday full of presents, parties, and big holiday meals.

So instead of fixating yourself on the material part of the holidays, make a pledge of service to your community this holiday season! Not only will you feel less anxious about the holidays because you are making a beneficial mark on someone else, you are also making someone’s holidays a little cheerier than they may have originally anticipated. After all, your holidays might be a little better, as well knowing that someone gets to enjoy the time just as much as you do.

Are you convinced that you can stay away from the malls for one day to help someone else? Alright well here are some more benefits to volunteering this holiday season in case you need some more convincing.

  • Volunteering helps you develop new life skills you may not have learned otherwise. Do you want to learn carpentry, become more social, or practice a new language? You can do all these things through volunteering! Volunteering is the perfect way to discover something that you’re really good at while contributing to the benefit of your community (it’s a win-win situation).
  • Volunteering is a means of establishing yourself in the community. The commercial side of the holidays has caused a disconnect between community members. Bridge that gap by coming together as a community and helping those who are less fortunate this holiday season. It not only builds relationships between community members, but it also helps members understand the issues that affect their immediate community.
  • Volunteering provides a sense of motivation and a feeling of achievement. Volunteers are motivated in their work because they are able to work for a cause or passion that they truly believe in. When one is able to work for an important cause they feel a sense of achievement because they see the importance that their good work has for someone else.
  • Increase your career opportunities. Volunteering looks great on school and job applications. It is also a way to explore different career paths if you are thinking of a switch. If this is not enough motivation for you, then what is?
  • Volunteering is a great way to gain new real world experience hands on! Volunteering is a way to gain life experiences in ways that you never would have thought possible.
  • Meet a new group of people you may not have met otherwise. Volunteering with others in your community brings together a diverse group with similar interests who may not have met otherwise. You can not only learn more about your community, but you may also build new relationships and friendships!
  • Volunteering serves as a good reflection of your entire self. Volunteering as an extracurricular activity reflects beneficially on your character. It sends the message that you have a good work and self balance. Who knows you may even inspire your family, friends, and coworkers to volunteer as well?

We hope these benefits are convincing enough to get you involved in giving back this holiday season. Your service acts can be big or small depending on your interests and schedule. Make your holiday more meaningful and less stressful; help make your community a better place today!

New to service? Check out our friends at generationOn today for their Holiday Gift Campaign! Every time a pledge of service is made no matter how big or small, Hasbro will donate a toy to a child in need through Toys for Tots (up to 100,000 toys).

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Dr. Seuss

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Can a Holiday Office Party Be Meaningful?

Friday, December 9th, 2011

It’s that time of year again, the annual office holiday parties! Great, a day full of awkward socializing, lots of food, and buying presents for people you don’t know very well. What could be better, right? Using this time to volunteer as an office instead of spending awkward quality time together!

“How can this happen?” you may be wondering. By turning your Secret Santa gifts into service donations!

“Whoopee! Wait now what? How do I actually do this in my office?”

Easy, tell employees to bring a toy that they think the employee whose name they drew would have liked as a kid. For example, bring in a football for that jock in your office, a Barbie doll for the fashionista, or a game of chess for the deep thinker. Once the gifts are exchanged, donate them to children in need! Not only does your office get to have a good laugh about the toys that they get, children also get to have an awesome Christmas thanks to your office donations!

Volunteering and donating to your office’s favorite charities is a great way to make a solid bond between co-workers. Want some more ideas to keep this holiday spirit of giving up around your office? Look, we’ve got more!

  • Volunteer for your co-workers favorite organizations or causes: Send around an email asking co-workers to share where they like to volunteer or what they are passionate about. Make these ideas into a day of employee service. Choose a place close to the office and try to get all staff members to attend. Try closing the office that day so that your co-workers can reflect on the experience together. Nothing spells teamwork like volunteering as a team!
  • Make toys or decorations for your community members: Is there a retirement community in your area? A children or family shelter? They would love help with Christmas celebrations this year! Make cards or pictures so that they can decorate their walls with lots of holiday chair. Make toys or assemble toys for families or children in need so that they can have an unforgettable Christmas! It is a great way to spark conversation among employees that will focus on something besides the stresses of work.
  • Make a donation to your company’s favorite cause: Do you have spare change laying around your desk or in your pocket? Great donate it to those who need it more than your desk surface! Vote on a charity to make donations to and pass around a collection bucket to your employees at the Christmas party. After donations are received recruit employees to personally donate the money to the designated charity. Who knows, they may like this idea so much that it will become an office tradition?
  • Pick an ornament, give a gift: Put up a Christmas tree in the office with names and ages of children or families who may be struggling this holiday season. Get in contact with your local shelters to see who will sponsor this project. Employees can grab a name, buy and wrap a present to put back under the tree. The presents will then get donated to the needy families. Not only will families get a better Christmas thanks to your company’s presents, but also your office will be decorated with the tree and Christmas presents.
  • Participate in generationOn’s Holiday Gift Campaign: GenerationOn and Hasbro have a holiday gift campaign running until December 13, 2011. Every time a pledge of service is made, a Hasbro toy is donated to Toys for Tots (up to 100,000 toys). A pledge of service can be made on behalf of an entire organization or company! It is an easy way to not only get this idea of giving back initiated into your office environment, but also a good way to give back to those in need!

Volunteering is a great way to bring employees together because it is a way to collaborate on something other than work. When all employees feel passionate about the activity they are doing they can build a more effective team.

Sounds better than your awkward office Secret Santa event or tacky sweater party? Great! Give back this holiday season, and build a more effective work team through volunteering!

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How Holiday Volunteering Can Be Like Black Friday Shopping

Friday, November 25th, 2011

Reading this title you may ask yourself “Why would I ever want to volunteer over the holidays if it will be like Black Friday shopping?”

We know Black Friday shopping can be extremely chaotic stressful for most people with the large crowds, circus of holiday decoration, and battles over the year’s most prized toys.

How does this have anything to do with volunteering?

Holiday volunteering can be just as stressful and overwhelming with the hundreds of volunteer opportunities, overcrowding of people wanting to fulfill the New Years resolution, and trying to fit it in to your already hectic holiday schedule.

How will you ever be able to give back to the community if your volunteering experience becomes as crazy as planning for Black Friday shopping? By following your general protocol for holiday shopping plans, your volunteer experience can go smoothly and actually be enjoyable.

You may even want to make it an actual habit unlike the one time a year holiday shopping event. Follow these tips to make volunteering an option this holiday season.

  • Define your goals. Like holiday shopping planning where you must figure out what you need to buy and who to buy for, holiday volunteering requires you to ask yourself these same questions like who do you want to serve and what do you want to do? You should consider what the scope of your project is, what you want to see happen in your community as a result of your project, how your goal choice will affect how you select and plan the project based on all your resources.
  • Creating a group project team. Holiday shopping requires a team of other people who can help with gift ideas and sometimes shopping with others can make it seem less overwhelming. Holiday volunteering also can be more enjoyable with a team of volunteers that donate various skills and ideas to the project. When planning a volunteering project consider who has participated in past volunteering experiences, who has expressed an interest, and who has demonstrated good leadership.
  • Selecting a project. Holiday shopping has a very important goal selecting the perfect gift that will bring cheer in the hearts of your loved ones. Holiday volunteering is exactly that selecting a project that will best help the issues that affect your community. You consider what issues concern community members, what charities are supported, what skills can be of benefit, understand  your project, and what types of activities would be most successful.
  • Planning the project. Black Friday shopping will be most effective with careful planning. Holiday volunteering also requires lots of planning before putting it into effect. Before starting your project organize the work, define your timeline, and share your success!
  • Recruiting volunteers. The most important task in planning holiday volunteering projects is recruiting other volunteers to participate. Consider whether you will recruit members from an organization or your friends and family, what age group you wish to engage, how will you reach volunteers, and whether or not you will recruit outside your community.
  • Budget and resource development. A well-organized budget is critical to a successful shopping trip, as well as a successful service project. You should consider what tasks need to be completed and financial resources you need.
  • Implementing the big day. After all this planning no matter if you’re shopping or volunteering, you want the day to run smoothly and according to plan. Some things that you should consider to guarantee this will happen include designating decision makers and team leaders, providing training and orientation, taking time for reflection, and celebrating your success.

While the holidays can be the most overwhelming and stressful time of the year, they can also be quite rewarding and fun at the same time. Volunteering your time and skills during the holidays will allow you time to reflect about how truly rewarding helping others in the community can be.

Hope these tips help and good luck with your holiday shopping!

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