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by Alexa Plotkin

This next September 11, 2010, will mark the ninth anniversary of the tragic events at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, PA. For many Americans, including myself, it feels like just yesterday that we heard the news of the day’s catastrophic events. In actuality, it’s been almost ten years and every year that separates us from that fateful day in September, slips away the memory of the lives lost, the damage inflicted and the sorrow felt. This is why it is important for us, as members of a larger American community, to ban together and promise to never forget—we must never forget the depths of inhumanity of that day, and we must never lose sight of why we were attacked.

It had nothing to do, as some would have us believe, with what America had done wrong. Rather, it had everything to with what America does right; living by and insisting on principles of freedom and democracy, guaranteeing every citizen freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It is on these principles that our country was founded and on these principles that we continue to live our lives.

So on this day, nine years later, please join Operation Homefront and the Portland AmeriCorps Alums, in continuing a national tradition to reflect on the lives lost on September 11th, renew our commitment to freedom and to honor our veterans, past and present. Beginning at 8:00 am (registration at 7:30 am) we will kick off the walk with the National Anthem and a few words from local veterans/service men and women. No fee is required to participate, but donations are welcome. We would love to see a good number of AmeriCorps Alums and current members come out and participate in this very important day of remembrance. To register to walk, visit http://tinyurl.com/253legt.

Alexa Plotkin is a member of AmeriCorps Alums, Portland, Maine. She is a guest blogger.

by Jen Lobley

The Machias Blueberry Festival takes place each year on the third weekend of August. The event has taken place for 35 years! There are a variety of activities that happen throughout the weekend. There’s the children’s parade, the road race, the pie-eating contest, the musical, and the craft show. There’s the quilt raffle, the selling of t-shirts, the banner contest and the cooking contest. There’s the pancake breakfast, the fish fry, a dessert café, the food court and the blueberry pie sale. Don’t forget the shuttle service, art show, and flea market. Whew! And it all gets accomplished with the donated time, talents and wisdom of over 200 volunteers from the community!

I love this event because it allows me the opportunity to BE a volunteer. I oversee the organization of the crafters and vendors. My work begins in January when we send out the invitations. Throughout the spring, as applications come in, I assign spaces and have various phone and email “festival conversations” with both new and returning vendors. On Saturday morning of the festival, I arrive on site at 4:30AM to prepare a wagon of hot coffee and blueberry muffins that will be distributed to the vendors as they arrive and set up. I run around with my clipboard checking in vendors, helping them find their space, and making sure their cars are moved by 7:00AM (so as not to interfere with the road race). I answer a myriad of questions, occasionally stop to help someone erect their tent, and most importantly, smile, be friendly and welcoming.

As a professional who works in the realm of volunteer development, I find my personal volunteer experiences to be critical to my work. Being a volunteer helps keep me grounded and prompts me to remember what it’s like to be on the “other side.” I have the chance to examine the following questions: What is it that I want and need as an actual volunteer? Did I enjoy the experience? Do I want to return? Were my efforts recognized in a way that was meaningful to me?

Through my volunteer experience, I take time to look through my professional lens and I am reminded of the importance of role descriptions, and how important it is to take the time to match the volunteer to the position that is right for them. I am reminded of how good orientation, training, and support can strengthen the ability of the volunteer, and how lack of these components can really hinder a volunteer’s work. I am reminded of how critical good communication is. Most importantly, I am reminded that a key piece of volunteer development is in the ability to empower a volunteer to do the work.

If you are a volunteer manager, I encourage you to immerse yourself in a volunteer experience. Having the perspective as a current, engaged volunteer provides you with insights that can strengthen the work you do with your own program volunteers.

Jen Lobley is the Extension Educator for Volunteer Development for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. She is a featured blogger.

by Penny Kern

This weekend, I helped at an open house for a wildlife rehabilitation center. This is a VERY grassroots, mom and pop organization and the volunteers are people like me - they have an interest and a desire to help.

Being an experienced volunteer manager, this type of set up drives me nuts. I keep thinking it should be better run. Position descriptions, interviews, background checks, etc., etc. etc. I can see so many places that a good volunteer manager could make a huge difference in making it BETTER and run more smoothly.

Then, at the end of the day, after helping over 200 people see the animals and learn about when the rehabilitation center does, I look at what happened and realize that it works just like it is. Two men came to volunteer - just dropped in off the street - and we put them to setting up a table to house the collage of pictures. They helped cut down some thistles and walked around the grounds to make sure there were no tripping hazards. They signed the visitors log, made a donation, and left content that they were of help.

I DO NOT recommend this for other organizations but, for this one and the mom and pop who run it, there’s no better way. As they get to know people, they allow volunteers to get more involved. If they keep coming back and show some aptitude for working with the animals, they help them learn more about how things work.

I think my point is that not all organizations can or should be run by the book. Even though it looks easier and certainly lower risk, it may not be in the long run.

Penny Kern is a retired manager of volunteers and is a featured blogger.

by Matt Robinson

Picture a blue tarp piled high with the contents of one lunch period’s garbage, displayed outside a middle school cafeteria.

“Wait a minute. This is all from just one lunch period at our school? If we multiply that by the number of lunches we have a day and the number of days we have a year…. All that is going to the town’s landfill? I can see food that’s compostable, paper and plastic that’s recyclable, and foam lunch trays that won’t break down for a bajillion years. We need to do something about this.”

Who said that? An engaged citizen, that’s who! A citizen who, although not old enough to vote, is talking the talk of someone who is motivated to respond to community needs. Talking the talk is one thing, but how do we help that citizen—in this case, a middle school student—to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions to walk the walk?

This is a question educators continually ask. There are many answers.

A study released in December 2009 by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement suggested that, overall, one of the most important predictors of youth civic engagement was environmental conservation. Other studies consistently show that youth engaged in service-learning were significantly more likely than peers not doing service-learning to show an increase on measures of civic, social, and school-related attitudes.

Through service-learning young people identify, research, and impact real community challenges, using knowledge and skills learned in their classroom or after school program.

Service-learning projects do not have to target an issue of environmental conservation. But it seems that when they do the benefits are a win-win-win: for the individuals (both youth and adult) involved, for the environment, and for the community.

How would students working with an educator and community partners go from a pile of garbage on a tarp to a learning experience that develops academic and civic knowledge and skills and has an impact on the issue? Visit http://www.kidsconsortium.org/grn_award.php to see what some student teams did this year in an effort to make communities “greener.”

For educators asking questions about how to engage students in “walking the walk,” and for students motivated to respond to community environmental needs, there are resources to support service-learning projects. Often being part of a larger effort can keep participants moving forward, and grant money is certainly helpful in turning project ideas into reality. To assist in these efforts KIDS Consortium is building on the success of the green service-learning projects completed during the 2009-2010 school year by offering mini-grants for the 2010-2011 school year. Visit http://www.kidsconsortium.org/2010minigrnt.php to learn more and to apply for a mini-grant to support a “green” service-learning project by September 13th.

Reading about the ideas and projects of other young people can help with taking that next step. Look at projects on Learn and Serve America’s National Service-Learning Clearinghouse site. And once a need has been identified, and a project is in the works, keep asking questions and seeking resources. In addition to KIDS Consortium’s service-learning mini-grants, there are other programs that fund youth projects, including http://www.waystohelp.org/ and some of the listings at http://www.YSA.org/grants.

Tap into these resources and watch your communities grow “greener” through the dedicated action of citizens of all ages.

Matt Robinson is an education consultant with KIDS Consortium and is a featured blogger.

by Michele Ober

A year ago, a volunteer inquiry came across my desk with name, contact information, and interest in three different areas in the organization. I proceeded to contact the volunteer leaders of each area asking that they send welcome emails and invitations to join their committees/projects. Within four months, the volunteer had experiences in each of those three areas and he proceeded to get involved in a couple more as he felt his professional skills and talents could be beneficial. At that four-month mark, a volunteer survey was completed at which time he commented on the lack of knowledge of his capabilities provided to the volunteer leaders, the lack of work in one area, and the overall lack of communication and appreciation. In one area, he stated that he “took the initiative to get things moving.”

After seven months, the volunteer had resigned from the original three areas in which he expressed his initial interests and was becoming active in three other areas. He was able to complete short-term projects in two areas but, in the third area, he felt progress in ongoing projects was not forthcoming. This past week, after little/no communication between the volunteer leaders and the volunteer, an email came to me which stated his grievances and his final goodbye.

After contemplating this volunteer’s experience over this past year, I became so much more aware of the need to truly engage volunteers, not just manage them. I referred to “Boomer Volunteer Engagement: Collaborate Today, Thrive Tomorrow“, by Jill Friedman Fixler and Sandie Eichberg, with Gail Lorenz, CVA. I concentrated on the chapter entitled “Nurturing the Relationship” and especially Friedman Fixler’s tool, the Individual Volunteer Plan (IVP). While she states this tool is not for everyone, I think it would have been appropriate for this volunteer. “For the Boomer who wants meaningful work with definable impact, an IVP can be written to promise increasing impact over the volunteer’s career… an IVP may offer a future of professional development and increased responsibility.” For this volunteer, the most important opportunity that the IVP could create is “new possibilities for those who have a terrific volunteer history but seem to be losing interest, decreasing commitment, or verging on problematic behavior.”

The basic structure of an IVP is that a supervisor or support liaison and the volunteer meet. Together they discuss current competencies (which may include communication, team building, collaboration, and technology), goals and benchmarks to improve skills, competencies, or experiences as well as project planning (which may include vision, resources, training, and additional needs), and updates to review progress and to revise the plan as needed. Lastly, it is advised to keep lines of communication open especially to check in on progress.

As I transition from a volunteer coordinator to a volunteer engagement professional, I will continue to look at strategies to support the volunteer’s “desire for autonomy, authority, impact, and opportunities to be creative and innovative.” Had a proper plan for engagement been in practice, this volunteer certainly could have added value to the organization and could have felt successful and appreciated.

Michele Ober is the Volunteer Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity / 7 Rivers Maine. She is a guest blogger.

By Jane Haskell

You all work with groups. Sometimes you lead the group. Sometimes you facilitate the group. Sometimes you are there to train or participate as a member. Sometimes you are in multiple roles.

What is a facilitator vs. a trainer vs. a leader? How can we be in a leadership position while facilitating? Can we remain neutral when we are invested in outcomes? Can we participate fully in generating outcomes when we are required to remain focused on directing a process?

According to the traditional definition of facilitation a group member cannot formally fill the role of facilitator because a group member is not content neutral. Traditionally a facilitator does not intervene directly in the content of the group’s discussions; to do so would require the facilitator to abandon a neutral position and reduce the group’s responsibility for solving its problems.

However, many times in real-life situations a crossover occurs between the roles of facilitator and participant. We, indeed, switch roles. As group members or leaders we suddenly find ourselves in the position of facilitator and must use facilitation principles and techniques to guide our groups through efficient processes to effective outcomes. This is our reality.

Meeting Situation
Read the following situation and jot down what you think you could do. Add to your notes when you read the chart below.
I am working with a group of 20 highly skilled, strong opinioned volunteers to plan a one-time event. They are not afraid to ‘speak up’. Their leader knows them well and has been a part of the group for many years. She tends to be easily shaken by the strong minded volunteers and meetings can get quickly overrun and out of hand once she hands over the floor to them. What can I do to make the meeting more effective (and enjoyable)?

We simply need to clarify – for ourselves – or the group – what our roles are. Myriam Laberge (2010) says that as tempting as it is, facilitation requires that you avoid controlling or influencing the discussion and outcome. She defines various situations in which we can find ourselves.

Our challenge is to observe and address facilitation opportunities that come with the multiple roles those leaders, group members and facilitators assume within group.

When a group of AmeriCorps members who were taking Strengthening Your Facilitation Skills, Level 2 were asked, If you could think of one word that captures the essence of what it is to be a facilitator AND a group member or group leader, what would it be?” They defined the challenge as…..

So, when you are asked to participate in a meeting that calls for facilitation, check out what is really meant. Then carefully prepare for your role(s) in that meeting.

In Strengthening Your Facilitation Skills training (http://www.umext.maine.edu/Waldo/comdev/SYFS1/default.htm), participants are often asked to reflect on various topics. Use these questions to reflect on neutral meeting facilitation:
 What risk do you take when you are a facilitator who remains neutral?
 What support do you get from your group when you need to step out of the neutral role?
 What support do you need more of?

Jane Haskell is Associate Extension Professor at the UMaine Extension, Waldo County Office and a guest blogger.

Material adapted from: Great Facilitation. Myriam Laberge. Delta, BC: Masterful Facilitation Institute, 2010 [found at http://myriam-musing.blogspot.com/]; Corrie Hunkler, interview, 2010; Strengthening Your Facilitation Skills, Level 2. Jane Haskell and Gabe McPhail. Orono, ME: UMaine Extension, 2010.

By Rochelle Runge

Front of the "Volunteer Cat Mobile!"

Right away anyone can see this is creative, but what makes is a fundraiser? I am a volunteer with the Humane Society of Knox County and recently worked with their Volunteer Coordinator, Joan Vargas, to create sponsorship packages that offer socially conscious business the opportunity to advertise on this, “Cat Volunteer Mobile,” while supporting local animals! The introduction to our outreach letter started like this:

“Good marketing professionals know catching their audience at the right time and the right place is essential. When dollars are stretched thin traditional advertising can be too expensive. Prices in local publications are as high as $4,000 for a year of advertising! What if there was an alternative? What if you could support a cause you and your customers care about? Have you heard the latest buzz about Cause Marketing and what it can do for your business?”

Catching a reader’s attention right away is important in a sponsorship letter. In the paragraph above you can see we use the ‘jump on the bandwagon’ approach, asked a question, and gave a statistic. What things have worked for you when trying to catch someone’s attention?

So, have you heard of cause marketing? If not you should read up. Many successful organizations have developed mantras of “doing well by doing good,” and have found success by becoming a community partner. Cause-related marketing is a powerful marketing tool that links a company or brand to a relevant social cause or issue for mutual benefit. According to a recent study, 89% of Americans would switch from one brand to another if the latter brand was associated with a ‘good cause’.* Can you see applications at your organization for Cause Marketing?

Back to the Humane Societies effort…

Organizations were offered the opportunity to put their logo on the “Cat Volunteer Mobile” in several cleverly named categories: Top Dog, Cats Meow, and Paw Prints. If you’re thinking of developing a sponsorship package for an event or fundraiser here are some things to consider:

1. Make sure the dollar value in each level is differentiated. This way people can see what they are getting for shelling out additional cash.
2.  Have price point options. People like choices. But be careful not to have so many its confusing.
3.  Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Try to think about what would benefit them as well as your organization. How can you collaborate for mutual benefit?
4.  Be creative and unique to catch their attention!
5.  Follow up! Send out your letter or email but be sure to call in a week or so to answer any questions. That small personal touch could make all the difference!

This “Volunteer Cat Mobile” has been a fun project to help on. The day Joan sent out the announcement we had three organizations interested within 10 minutes! VolunteerMaine.org even has a logo on the car too! Keep your eyes peeled for the “Volunteer Cat Mobile,” it’s quite a site to see!

VolunteerMaine.org Logo!

The Humane Society of Knox County is devoted to caring for unwanted and homeless animals while participating in activities advocating responsible pet ownership and the prevention of abuse and cruelty. They serve more than 20 towns and care for hundreds of dogs and cats each year. If you would like more information about this initiative please contact, Volunteer Coordinator, Joan Vargas.

* Cone Millennial Cause Study- http://www.coneinc.com/

Rochelle Runge is the Public Relations Representative at the Maine Commission for Community and a volunteer at the Humane Society if Knox County.

by Michelle Mason

Well, it’s that time of year again! The registration for the 2010 Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism is now open!

This year’s keynote speaker is Susan Stroud, the Executive Director of Innovations In Civic Participation and Co-Director of the Global Service Institute. Ms Stroud brings countless years of experience and we are very lucky to have her! For all of you interested in service-learning, she’ll also be facilitating a workshop on Summer of Service, where children are immersed in the world of service learning during the summer months, bettering themselves and their communities in the process.

Service-learning not your thing? Worry not! We have a diverse workshop lineup for you to pick from. From workshops on building capacity, to disaster response, to faith-based volunteers, to youth adult partnerships-you’ll be sure to find something that sparks your interest on a personal and/or professional level!

In these tough economic times, you’ll also be glad to hear that scholarships are now available, and for those of you traveling a distance, the Black Bear Inn has very graciously extended our conference-goers a reduced rate on a room right in Orono!

It’s a great opportunity for networking and professional development-and I hope to see you all there!

Michelle Mason is an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Maine Commission for Community Service. She is a guest blogger.

by Michael A. Aiguier

Sometimes a volunteer manager will find themselves with the fortunate situation of having an over abundance of people willing to help out in their organization. In this situation, it can be tempting to throw one’s hands up and just send people home with no clear reason as to why, or, if they have not arrived for an opportunity, not giving them a call. Both of these situations can lead to hurt feelings and the high likelihood that when you do need them, they will not be there.

So, how does one avoid these situations? Finding other organizations that have similar ends and are much needier than you is a good start. If you can build a standing relationship with one or a few other groups that also need volunteers on short notice, you can build good will by sending overflow to them and allowing your volunteers to participate in organizations with similar goals as they have.

Always having a back-up project is another way to help ensure satisfaction with your volunteer program. Have staff add ideas to a “project bank” that volunteers can withdraw from when they come in. You should also encourage your volunteers to suggest ideas for projects that they or others with the right skill set can do. Sometimes it is easier for some one doing volunteer work to see where a program can be improved with just a little more people power.

Designing projects in such a way as to have them easily broken down into teams, and to have those teams broken easily into further groups is another effective way of managing overflow. You automatically have created new volunteer positions (team leaders), and found a way to distribute new volunteers (as they come in you can assign them to one of the current teams).

So, when you have advertised your event or position so well that you have an overwhelming response, do not despair. Be thankful, and reward the interest in your organization with new and on-going opportunities.

Michael Aiguier is an AmeriCorps VISTA with the VolunteerMaine Project serving at the United Way of Eastern Maine. He is a featured blogger.

by Morgan January

This quarter I began making visits to our member food pantries in Aroostook County; I’ve visited three pantries in the past month. Let me preclude this story by saying that I am aware that Catholic Charities Maine helps put food on the tables of some of the neediest people I have ever seen. However, I feel as though I am sometimes quite removed from the entire situation.

On June 3rd, Dottie Sines of the Aroostook Area Agency on Aging and I went to the Van Buren pantry to help with the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Distribution. The Van Buren pantry is the 3rd largest CSFP distribution site with 45 seniors receiving commodities monthly. This being my first visit to a food pantry, I wasn’t prepared to see… the faces of hunger. I was visiting with an elderly lady at the pantry as she was standing in line to get her commodities and I asked her “How is this working out for you, is it helping?” and she looked down at the floor and said with tears in her eyes, “You have no idea, before this program I hadn’t had cheese in years.”

Living on the meager AmeriCorps stipend allows me to understand the struggle to put food on the table, but cheese is something I take for granted. Mike Bouchard runs the pantry in Van Buren and does an outstanding job, and while we were there we discussed the needs of the pantry. He mentioned that, like everywhere, monetary and food donations have dropped to nearly half of what they were last year although they have seen a steady rise in need. Mike noted that he had a lack of food preparation space (i.e. sink, running water, cutting/cleaning/bagging area) which made it hard to break down bulk items that we sometimes get, such as rice and pasta. Also, a local butcher offered to donate frozen beef and fresh deli meat, but because he lacked proper storage space and an area to package the meat he had to decline. His shelves were lacking some key staples so at the June CCME Distribution we gave him extra of everything we had to try and generate some relief.

After our CSFP distribution in Fort Kent on June 10, Dottie Sines, my mother, and I visited the Greater Fort Kent Ecumenical Food Pantry and St. Mary’s Food Pantry in Eagle Lake. The Fort Kent Pantry does a great job, and they run a very tight ship. Unlike the Van Buren pantry, they have an adequate amount of storage space as well as places to cut/clean/bag items. During the summer months they receive all the fresh produce from a garden that the local 4-H has planted. The Fort Kent Pantry does not handle any CSFP packages due to limitations on space. Lesley Kelley runs the Fort Kent food pantry and said they were in short supply of condiments like ketchup and mustard; she explained that those items are hardly ever donated and they are among the most requested.

St. Mary’s Food Pantry in Eagle Lake is operated by Tommy Labbe - it is one of our newest and smallest food pantries. We visited Tommy two days after our June CCME Monthly distribution that also included TeFAP commodities (TeFAP is a USDA program that is distributed 4 times/year and it usually doubles what our pantries take home). This pantry is located in the basement of the local Knight’s of Columbus building; it has a long row of shelving, one chest freezer, and no fresh storage. When we arrived Tommy had just finished completing his boxes for pick-up that was the next day. His shelves were nearly bare two days after distribution! Each month Eagle Lake serves on average 170 individuals, with 68 of those being children, and 36 seniors. Many places in Northern Maine have been affected by layoffs and people are turning to the food pantry for help. Tommy explained that both St. Mary’s and the Knight’s of Columbus chapter have collections taken up in the pantry’s name and that is his only source of funding. Donations of food from the community do come in, although in relatively small numbers. Tommy said if he could have anything, he needed more freezer space due the large amounts of frozen food CCME hands out.

My mind was reeling after I left this pantry - I was mad. My mother told me that she supported me when I moved across the country to be an AmeriCorps member and after seeing the work I do she understands why I did it. I came back and talked to Dixie, and she told me to talk to our warehouse manager and see what we could do about getting Tommy some more food. The following week we were able to give Eagle Lake an entire truckload of extra food (the third one this month)! I mentioned to one of our volunteers how badly Eagle Lake needed a freezer. I took a few days off and when I returned the following week I had a chest freezer waiting in the food warehouse - my volunteer ‘knew’ someone. I called Tommy and told him the good news and he came a few days later and picked it up along with another truckload of food. He thanked me for looking out for him.

Being able to go out to the pantries and identify their individual needs helps me help them.

Morgan January is a Community Resource Corps AmeriCorps Member. She serves at Catholic Charities Home Supply and Food Bank in Aroostook County. She is a guest blogger.