Challenges and Opportunities for Volunteer Managers and Administrators

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Challenges and Opportunities for Volunteer
Managers and Administrators

• Sue Pleskac, University of Wisconsin-Extension
• Sheri Seibold, University of Illinois

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What Was I Hired to Do?

• Delivering educational programs to citizens to
  improve their lives (Mission of Extension)
• In 4-H youth development this included the
  supporting of 4-H clubs and volunteers

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The Importance of Volunteerism to Extension Work
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The Importance of Volunteers to Our Work
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For 4-H Youth Development

• The focus of volunteerism for the 4-H Youth
  Development profession is the building and
  maintaining of volunteer delivery systems for
  youth development programs.

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What is a volunteer delivery system and how do I
get one?
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Volunteer Delivery System

• A volunteer delivery system is a unified, orderly
  process for coordinating and overseeing the work
  of volunteers and their partnership with staff at
  all levels of the county program.

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Volunteer Delivery System

• Volunteer Development
• Educating and empowering volunteers to assume or
  accept service or leadership roles. Improving
  and building volunteer knowledge and
  competencies.
• Volunteer Management
• Organizational operation oversight for the
  utilization of volunteers to achieve
  organizational goals by individuals who manage
  and control programs, resources, and inputs.

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Volunteer Delivery System

• Building individual competencies for volunteerism
  in paid staff will lead to increased
  organizational capability to achieve our mission
  and ultimately for community capacity to grow,
  support, and sustain 4-H youth development clubs,
  groups, and programs.

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National Framework for 4-H Volunteerism
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Core Elements of the Framework

• Administering Volunteer Management Systems
• Extension staff members administer effective
  4-H volunteer management systems, successfully
  engaging a cadre of diverse volunteers to deliver
  quality programs.

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National Learning Priority Team Volunteer
Development for the Next Generation

• Charge
• Develop and organize educational content for
  professional development in volunteerism.
• Overall Outcome
• 4-H professional will become equipped to enhance
  program quality which leads to positive outcomes
  for young people and improves the long-term
  success of 4-H programs.

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Mission

• To increase competencies in volunteer
  development, volunteer management, and volunteer
  delivery systems through education for 4-H youth
  development staff nationwide.

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NLP Volunteer Development for the Next Generation
Team

• Sue Pleskac
• Sheri Seibold
• Ken Culp, III
• Jana Ferris
• Janet Fox
• Patrick Nestor

• Sue Philley
• Doug Swanson
• Dan Tabler
• Ryan Schmeising
• Christy Barkley

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National Learning Priority Team Volunteer
Development for the Next Generation

• Outcomes
• Reviewed 4-H PRKC
• Conducted curriculum and literature review
• Met with external volunteer trainers
• Created a knowledge and skills rubric with 3
  different staffing levels

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Additional Outcomes

• Developed self-assessment tools to match the
  rubric
• Reviewed Everyone Ready and TAXI and did a gap
  analysis
• Developed a Logic Model for Volunteerism

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Recommendations

• Purchase Everyone Ready for nationwide use.
• Purchase staff time to develop/revise. curriculum
  such as TAXI to go along with ER.
• Support development of VRKC materials to enhance
  the Education of Volunteers segment of the
  rubric/syllabus.
• Post the rubric/syllabus and self-assessment
  tools on a national web site for all to access.

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4-H PRKC Volunteerism Domain

• Personal Readiness
• Organizational Readiness
• Engagement of Volunteers
• Education of Volunteers
• Sustainability of Volunteer Efforts

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Additions

• Developing and Implementing an Infrastructure to
  Support a Volunteer Delivery System
• Review and Analysis of Volunteer Delivery Systems

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Knowledge and Skills Rubric Syllabus

• Topic Area
• Overview
• Resources
• Staffing Levels
• Novice Level
• Practitioner Level
• Expert Level
• Specific Learning Outcomes
• Reading and Learning Activities

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Self-Assessment

• Designed to help staff gain a better
  understanding of their knowledge and skills
  related to planning, implementing, managing, and
  evaluating a successful volunteer delivery
  system.
• Tools intended for personal use.
• Five point scale.

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Try it out
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Organizational Readiness

• Topics
• Creating a Climate for Volunteerism
• Identifying Volunteer Needs
• Developing Volunteer Position Descriptions
• Overview
• Resources
• Novice, Practitioner, Expert

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Sample Learning Outcomes and Activities
Creating a Climate for Volunteerism
Specific Learning Outcomes Reading and Learning Activities
Define the purpose, goals, and objectives of the volunteer delivery system Everyone Ready. Focus on the Volunteer Program Manager A Task Analysis of the Role and it Significant Issues. Oct. Yr 1 Everyone Ready. Building and Sustaining Strong Volunteer Leadership. Jan Yr 2 Everyone Ready. Formulating Organizational Policies that Support Volunteer Involvement A Guide for an Organizational Leadership. Oct. Yr 3 Everyone Ready. The Power of Integrating Volunteers Throughout the Organization. May Yr 3 Everyone Ready. Budgeting for a Volunteer Program Money Well Planned and Well Spent. Feb. Yr 3 Review organization policies, procedures and structure.
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Using the Rubric Syllabus

• Personal professional development guide
• Complete with Direction and Resources
• Communication tool
• Scholarship of Volunteerism
• Importance of Skill and Knowledge Building in
  this Field

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How would YOU use this tool? How can
County, State and Administrative Staff use this
information?
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Rubric Online

• National 4-H Headquarters Look under Quick Links
  http//www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/comm/4h_pr
  odev_tpd.htm
• Rubric and PowerPoint http//www.uwex.edu/ces/4h/
  ncrvd/ref/NLPVolunteerism.cfm

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Next Steps

• Use The Rubric Develop Your Professional
  Development Plan
• Get on EVERYONE READY!
• Complete the GEM card
• See you at the Fireside Chat

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Thank You

• Susan Ellis susan_at_energizeinc.com
• Sue Pleskac sue.pleskac_at_ces.uwex.edu
• Sheri Seibold sseibold_at_illinois.edu