1. What are the problems and challenges that your organization is currently experiencing?

Transcription

1 Needs Assessment Visit us online at jffixler.com or contact us at 1. What are the problems and challenges that your organization is currently experiencing? 2. What is your nonprofit currently doing that you would like to increase, replicate, or expand? 3. What is an area of your division/department that is always underutilized or understaffed or seems constantly overloaded? 4. What specific skills and resources would your organization s personnel need to fulfill your dreams? To meet its challenges?

2 5. Who in your circle of influence embraces volunteers and would be open to building the organization s capacity to address these dreams and challenges? 6. With what could your organization utilize a consultant or specialist to help you now and in the future work toward vision and mission fulfillment? 7. What areas of your organization would benefit from program outcome evaluation? Based on this needs assessment data, what are three entrepreneurial volunteer assignments or volunteer leadership positions that would be an asset to you and your organization?

3 Volunteer Position Description Visit us online at jffixler.com or contact us at Position Overview Write one or two sentences that give a powerful overview of the position and can be used in recruitment, particularly web-based volunteer matching search engines. Concepts to Consider Volunteer denotes who is doing the work; the position title denotes what they will be doing. A title, in and of itself, can be a motivator or a de-motivator for volunteer recruitment. For example, Committee Chair is not as captivating as Team Captain ; Researcher is not as captivating as CSI Community Service Investigator. Title: Distill the responsibilities into three or four key areas that accurately describe what is needed (refer to your strategic plan, if necessary). Give prospective volunteers enough information to envision themselves in the position without feeling overwhelmed. Resist the temptation to put policy and procedures into the position description document. Limit the key responsibilities to three or four. Fewer than three may feel insubstantial and more than four may feel overwhelming. Key Responsibilities: 1

4 Impact is the difference that this activity/volunteer assignment makes. Volunteer assignments must advance the mission, vision, and goals of the organization. For example: The impact of outreach efforts is that 250 previously unknown, rural clients will receive referrals to local support services, demonstrating increased access to services. Initial Impact: Sustained outcome is the lasting impact on the beneficiaries. Using the example above: The quality of life for 250 clients in rural areas will be improved as indicated by social service agency records documenting client contacts and actions taken. Sustained Outcomes: Volunteers want to do a good job and often worry whether they will have the skills to perform the job adequately. Defining the level of training will help to allay any fears that volunteers might have about doing the work. Training is often a great motivator for volunteers who wish to gain new skills. For example: All volunteers will receive training on current issues of our organization. Training: Support defines the supervision that the volunteer will receive. For example: Each team member will meet every other month for two hours for support from the Team Leader. Be as specific as you can in defining the length of time for the assignment: one time, weekly, Support: Commitment: 2

5 monthly, total time commitment for the project (months, years), and the amount of time needed for the project (weekly, monthly, annually). State when the project can be done: evenings, weekends, weekdays, or anytime. Identify the location of the work: at home, at the office, off-site, or volunteer- preferred location. The more flexible you can make the assignment, the easier it is to recruit for the position. Avoid the temptation to undersell the commitment. It is better to be realistic about the time commitment rather than risking volunteers becoming overwhelmed with the work and leaving their assignment before completion. Length of Time: Amount of Time: Specify Evenings, Weekdays, Weekends: Location of Volunteer Assignment: Define what you are looking for in terms of skills, behaviors, and willingness to learn. Don t be afraid to ask for the qualifications you need. Qualifications: Skills: Define what is in it for the volunteer in terms of meeting new people, learning new skills, training, professional references, etc. Helping the organization is not the most powerful benefit - making a difference for the organization s beneficiaries is a key benefit. Think about the tangible benefits you can offer your volunteers. For example, you might be able to offer gift certificates to a bookstore or coffee house. Training is a tangible benefit for volunteers. For example: Training Benefits: 3

6 is provided on database software for all administrative volunteers. 4

7 Targeted Recruitment Checklist Visit us online at jffixler.com or contact us at 1. Who would have the skills and interest to do this assignment? 2. Where will you find them? 3. Who knows them? 4. What information will the prospective volunteer need to make an informed decision? 1

8 5. What information will you need to make this placement? 6. Who are your potential recruiters for this assignment and how will you train them to do recruitment? 7. What are the key interview questions that you will use? 8. How will you track the efficacy of recruitment? 2

9 Recruitment Messages for Volunteer Engagement Co-Facilitator Visit us online at jffixler.com or contact us at WHAT: This is a resource of compelling and clear messages to be used for cultivating co-facilitators. WHY: All marketing including marketing to cultivate volunteers is more effective if the message is clear and strategically crafted. This is especially true when seeking high-impact volunteers, as Boomers and the generations that follow are motivated by knowing the impact they could have if they took on this role. HOW: Customize the following blurbs to help you cultivate qualified candidates for your co-facilitator positions. These blurbs can be used on the organization s website, employee communications, and newsletters, with online volunteer search engines (such as VolunteerMatch.org), and as scripts for personal conversations. Title Volunteer Engagement Co-Facilitator Call to Action This is a good length for a website ad or an inset box in a newsletter. Make a tangible difference in the future of this organization and directly help us reach beyond our current capacity and use your skills in teaching, coaching, organizational development, or human resources at the same time! Become a Boomer Volunteer Engagement Co-Facilitator, then train and support a volunteer engagement task force through a step-by-step process of engaging volunteers in new ways. Position Overview Where more detail can be printed or posted online, use position overview. The Boomer generation continues to seek to leave a social legacy and, in the process, is transforming the world of volunteerism. Our organization is ready to harness the energies and talents of the Baby Boomer generation. Boomer Volunteer Engagement Co- Facilitators will have the unique opportunity to directly: help us effectively engage Boomer volunteers; 1

10 bring volunteers into a relationship with our mission; and use Boomer skills and passions to collaboratively build our organizational capacity to serve clients, deliver programs, and have an impact beyond what staff alone can accomplish. Boomer Volunteer Engagement Facilitators will collaboratively facilitate our volunteer engagement Task Force made up of both staff and volunteers through a process of learning and applying new approaches to effectively engage Baby Boomer volunteers. Co-facilitators will train this Task Force on Boomer Volunteer Engagement, co-facilitate a step-by-step process of implementing one pilot program using Boomer volunteers, and help us to measure the impacts of using skilled Boomer volunteers. Personal Invitation If you already know of good candidates within your midst, identify the best person to approach them and use this script as a basis for the personal invitation. We value your skills and the way that you can envision a bigger future for our organization. We invite you to participate with us as we launch an initiative to help us transform the way we work with volunteers in order to intentionally and effectively engage Baby Boomers and all the skills they have to offer. It will be some of the most important work we can do in our community, especially in these challenging economic times. We are asking you to consider using your skills in [insert organizational development, teaching, nonprofit management or the like] to become one of two Boomer Volunteer Engagement Co-Facilitators. Co-facilitators will guide a new Task Force through a step-by-step process designed to help us shift from traditional volunteer management to volunteer engagement. You would provide training and facilitation and would receive support materials and a Facilitator s Tool Kit to help you. Can we set up a time to discuss the position description and see if this is a fit for you and for our organization? 2

11 Action Planning Worksheet Visit us online at jffixler.com or contact us at What needs to be done? By Whom? By When? Results 1