SKILLED VOLUNTEERS

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SKILLED VOLUNTEERS

• Sandra Miller, VISTA Leader

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WHAT COULD YOUR ORGANIZATION DO. . .

• With more time?

• Organize your database
• Post a weekly blog
• Put Opportunities and/or Nonprofit Partners onto
  a Google Map
• Write informational articles for the newsletter
• Take pictures post to an online album.
• Film a video Upload to YouTube.

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What Could Your Organization DO?

• With More Skills?

• Develop an effective marketing campaign
• Develop effective, attractive, marketing
  materials including displays
• Develop provide mentor training
• Translate outreach materials and forms
• Lead strategic planning
• Develop effective research and data collection
  tools
• Grant Write

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Skilled Volunteers Wanted

• Press Releases and Public Service Announcements
  Writer
• Volunteer Opportunity Details
• May not require in office presence, but should be
  willing to meet periodically with staff or
  committee members to help develop publicity
  pieces. Comfort with and access to email if
  working from home. Distribution of announcements
  to appropriate media outlets. Maintain, or
  coordinate with staff or other volunteers to
  maintain, accurate data base of print, TV, and
  radio contacts. Minimum 1 2 times per month.
• Knowledge and skill at writing media releases,
  experience preferred.
• This opportunity is sponsored by Michigan
  Audubon Society

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WantedSkilled Volunteer

• Grant Writer
• Volunteer Opportunity Details
• The Lansing Latino Health Alliance is currently
  seeking a grant writer to assist us in
  obtaining/securing available funding for our
  organization.
• Volunteer candidate should have previous
  experience in grant writing (preferably 3 years)
  for nonprofit organizations, possess the ability
  to take our mission, vision, and values to
  connect LLHA with the proper grant opportunities,
  should be a very efficient, dependable, and
  trustworthy individual.

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WantedSkilled Volunteer

• Teen Open Art Studio Mentors Needed! Volunteer
  Opportunity Details
• TOS volunteers will mentor teenage participants
  in visual art activities once a weekly throughout
  the school year. These volunteers will encourage
  the teens to try different art media available at
  Reach - poetry, printmaking, painting and
  photography. The mentor will work with
  individuals or a small group of teens on a
  particular art media, encouraging the teens to
  set and work toward goals in building art making
  skills. Teen Studio takes place Thursdays from
  300 to 600PM.
• We prefer for this opportunity individuals who
  are highly qualified in art, specifically art
  education or studio art majors.

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Definition

• Skilled or skill-based volunteering is the
  practice of using work-related knowledge and
  expertise in a volunteer opportunity. In other
  words, skills normally used to generate income
  are provided free of charge to a nonprofit
  organization

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GOALS

• Analyze how implementing a skilled volunteer
  program can benefit nonprofit organizations.
• Identify possible strategies to be used in the
  development of skilled volunteer projects or
  programs.
• Present samples, techniques, and tools being used
  by other organizations.

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Skilled Volunteers Are Searching

• http//youngretired.ca/volunteering/Development/Vo
  lSectorDev.html

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The New Volunteer
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• QuoteVolunteering in many aspects is taking on
  more than just the philanthropic action it was
  once viewed as, and today many people are looking
  at volunteering as a way of gaining experience by
  using their own skills. . .Speaking from
  experience, being given menial tasks and little
  responsibility was the quickest way to send me
  looking for a new organization. . .
• Alyson Woloshyn, Kitchener Parks and Recreation,
  Ontario, Staff Resistance and the Highly
  Skilled Volunteer blog response,

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Community Service As A Goal
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Why Skill-Based?

• Large population of boomers and Gen Ys.
• Culture of community engagement
• Nonprofit Needs
• smart volunteerism vs more volunteerism
• Use of layered volunteerism
• Volunteer Expectations

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VITA EITC VolunteerVolunteer Muskegon

• Opportunities Wanted
• Delloitte/Points of Light Volunteer Impact Study
• Two out of five volunteers (40 percent) say
  they actively look for opportunities to use their
  workplace skills when they volunteer

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• Organizational Need

• Untapped Skills

• Nearly one-third (29 percent) of volunteers
  believe their workplace skills are what nonprofit
  organizations need from them most

• Only about one in five volunteers (19 percent)
  say they primarily apply their workplace skills
  in their volunteer assignments.

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Theres a disconnect

• Nonprofits in need

• Reasons why volunteers arent using their
  business skills

• 20 reduction in job growth (2008-2009)
• 20 position reduction
• 80 nonprofits citing significant economic stress
• 17 of families report concerns over food (MI)
• 100 increase in demand for winterwear (NY)

• 34 of nonprofits did not inquire about their
  workplace skills.
• 32 were not structured to use their skills.

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Start With A Plan Process

• Staff Volunteers identify projects
• Recruitment
• Positions Descriptions Developed before
  recruitment or in collaboration with volunteer
  after interview/matching
• Interview/Matching
• Volunteers Assume Leadership for Project
• Supervision/Evaluation Process

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EXAMPLES
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• Southern Maine Agency On Aging

• Nonprofit TrainingSkilled Volunteers
• Managers Identify Needs
• Needs Advertised (see flyer)
• Volunteers Apply Are Interviewed
• Position Descriptions Modified
• Outcomes IdentifiedThose identified below were
  not the original

Market Research-Program Improvement Development
of a new marketing strategy Fund
Development Planned Giving Program Development of
a Manual Funding Sources Information and
Advocacy Identification and connections to
resources Public Speaking, Interagency
Representation
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Chicago Life Opportunities Initiative Needs
Assessment throughMapping

• Meet with interested nonprofits
• Identify needs
• What could you do with more time?
• What could you do with more skills?
• What is needed to improve services?
• What is needed to build capacity?

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MAPPING EXAMPLE
NEED EVENT PLANNING
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Need Education/Training
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Need Technology
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REVERSE THE PROCESSStart with the volunteer
application or interview
Bank Manager Customer Service
Investments/ Savings
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THE IDEAL OPPORTUNITY

• Time Limited
• Focused
• Flexible hours/location
• Specific Objective/Outcome

OTHER--POLL
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Changing World. . .

• Volunteering is influenced by cultural shifts. .
  .The way people work today is different from 20
  years ago. There is part-time, flex-time,
  job-share, consultant as worker, intermittent,
  telecommuting, and seasonal work, to name a few.
  Those who experience flexibility in the workplace
  expect flexibility in their volunteer
  involvement
• (The Multi-Paradigm Model of VolunteeringA New
  Way to Identify and Manage Volunteers, Volunteer
  Leadership, Nancy Macduff, Fall 2006)

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Add these Buzz Words to your vocabulary

• Episodic Volunteering (one time event)
• Project Based Volunteer
• Entrepreneurial Volunteer (Leadership)
• Electronic Volunteering (Distance Volunteering)
• Teaming

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The New Volunteers Expectations
Flexibility

• Work Hours
• Work Environment
• Can be met through
• Project based assignments
• Home based/Telecommuting Projects
• Teaming (Job-Sharing)

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The New Volunteers Expectations

• Application and Development of Skills

• Recognition of Skills
• ASKWhat would you like to do?
• Leadership Projects
• Include in staff meetings
• Seek input and feedback

• Opportunities to Learn
• Staff trainings workshops
• Professional, State National Conferences
  Seminars

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Writing Position Descriptions

• Focus on skills, not titles
• Time-limited
• Allow for independence, self-direction
• Connect to mission
• Identify supervisor process
• MOU, Specific Outcomes, etc.
• Stress benefits to volunteer

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Sample Position Descriptions
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Volunteer Testimonial

• Susan became involved with the
• organization a decade ago.
• Colleen Kelly, Vantage Points
• Executive Director, came into
• my workplace to speak about skilled
• volunteering. I ended up on financial
• sustainability committee. It was
• As simple as that. . .In 2001 she completely
  revamped Vantage Points budget. . . (pg. 41)
• A People Lens 101 Ways to Move Your Organization
  Forward, Vantage Point, Volunteer Vancouver

• Susan Lovell,
• Vantage Point
• I benefit as much as
• I hope the organization does, she enthuses. I
  get a fresh take
• on life. I look at the world from a whole
  different perspective.

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Doing things the way youve always done them will
get you the results youve always got
Change is Necessary
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Roadblocks
Organizational Culture

• Staff Resistance
• Costs in terms of time
• Loss of Control
• Lack of Planning
• Volunteers expect efficiency
• Expectations
• From a Management Model to an Engagement Model
• Practice of hiring rather than engaging

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Poll/DiscussionBreak10 min.
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Clearing the Hurdles
Lessons Learned In The Trenches

• Cost Effective
• RSVP Capacity Corps Ratio 61
• Most of the staff time is upfront in planning
  stages
• Involve volunteers in the planning
• Need for a regular means of communication

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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

• Openness to changeMost critical element
• New communication strategies
• Flexibility of programming, organization,
  timelines
• SupervisionOpenness to feedback and suggestions.
  
• Access to administration

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Managing vs Engaging

• Managing Volunteers (Old)

• Engaging Volunteers (New)

• Top-down approach
• Supervision
• Staff person as boss
• Recognitions as big event
• One Volunteer/One Position/One schedule

• Lateral, parallel approach
• Support/Collaboration
• Equal Partnership
• Leadership Opportunities
• Volunteer Active in Program Development
  Evaluation
• Flexibility in Scheduling
• Teams/Committees, Short-Term/Project Based

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GETTING STARTED
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Start Small

• One Project
• Look for the easy wins
• Develop a draft plan
• RationaleBenefits
• Outline Steps
• Identify Desirable Outcomes
• Look for sustainable projects

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Meet with Senior Management

• Create a dialogue
• Ensure project has support and is a priority
• Emphasize competitive advantage
• Emphasize learning possibilities

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Identify Supervisors

• Who has the need?
• Who has the interest?
• Recommendationsno more than 2-3
• Should have solid management skills practices

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Publicize Your Plan

• Publicize earlybefore project begins
• Elicit interest
• Partners
• Volunteers

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Involve Staff Long-term Volunteers

• Development of written project descriptions
• Focus on tasks rather than titles
• Be clear about expectations and skills needed
• Aim for flexible, open timelines
• Committee/Team, Age-Cohort Approach
• Allow for volunteer input

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Begin Recruitment

• Identify Target Population
• Structure Market Strategies to population
• Venues, Strategies Materials
• Involve Steering Committee
• Volunteers drawn to skills sets rather than
  description of duties or titles
• Stress benefits to volunteer
• Be clear as to who the supervisor is

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Interview

• Ask for volunteers ideas/input
• Consider adapting the position and description
• Match skills to tasks
• Timelines
• Workplace
• Think in terms of goals and outcomes

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Orientation Training

• Orientation
• Organizational Mission Goals
• Review of Project Plan Goals
• Training
• Consider a MOU
• Timelines with expected tasks or outcomes
• Checkpoints
• Measurements of Success
• Review workplace expectations

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Supervision

• Collaborative
• Review of established timelines
• Review checkpoints
• Weekly to start
• Review refine plan
• Whats working
• What isnt
• Talk with related staff

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Track Outcomes Not Time On Project

• Demonstrates value
• Measures effects on wider community
• Facilitates replication
• Marketing tool.

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Final Steps

• Recognize and publicize success
• Reward successful service
• Review/Reflect (Exit Interview, Group Discussion)
• What made this successful?
• What were the problems? How might they be
  avoided or overcome?
• Whats the next step?

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Be certain toInvite the volunteer to continue
service
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Additional Outcomes Benefits

• New volunteer recruitment
• Increased satisfactionIncreased retention
• Decrease in staff stress
• Increased capacity
• Improved programming

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Coming Soon
PART II

• Skilled Volunteers
• Tools for Implementation

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Please Complete Evaluation Survey Now
All materials available at http//drop.io/hkpow8c