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by Bessie Wright

My work with volunteers is sporadic. Often I’ll bring a group together for a single day project and won’t see them again for months. This gives me a lot of “down time” between spurts of volunteer activity and I try to use that to my advantage as well as the advantage of the volunteers. I view each lull in a program as an opportunity for re-evaluation.

After every big project I ask myself the following:
- Did everything go as planned?
- If not, what didn’t go as planned and was that a bad thing?
- What, if anything, went poorly and why?
- How do I make this more worthwhile for the volunteer?
- How do I make this easier for the volunteer to effectively complete?
- How do I change this project next time so I get closer to the results I need?
- How can I make this better?

These are questions that every program coordinator (volunteer based or not) should be asking. More importantly, program coordinators need to act on the results of project evaluation. Sometimes taking the time out of a busy schedule to actually change things is the hardest part. I’m lucky that my programs have natural breaks in the schedule. Most coordinators may have to make the time, but program re-evaluation is well worth it.

Bessie Wright is an AmeriCorps member serving with the Maine Conservation Corps.

Programs and projects are always changing. A constantly shifting society, diverse volunteer groups, new technologies and new funding sources force volunteer-based programs to be flexible. By continually re-evaluating programs that inevitable change can be focused, timely and well planned.

Guest Blog by Mimi Mills

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a three part series about Southern Maine Community Organizations Active in Disaster (SMCOAD). Part I focused on the mission and history of SMCOAD. Part II focuses on the successes of SMCOAD, as well as lessons learned. Part III discusses how to get involved.

SMCOAD, Two years later:

Successes:

SMCOAD is a viable, collaborative and highly function network that now supports County systems during times of disaster or emergency. 211Maine is the source to receive, refer and record all disaster related calls for both immediate help from volunteers and long term help in meeting essential unmet needs.

• • Hundred’s of individuals and families have been helped that otherwise would not have received help and perhaps may never had recovered.
• • SMCOAD network covers both York and Cumberland Counties.
• • SMCOAD supports another viable network, Long Term Disaster Recovery Committee (LTDR) that serves three counties, York Cumberland and Oxford.
• • United Way’s of York County and Greater Portland, SMCOAD partners, are in agreement with York County Emergency Management to provide a Volunteer Reception Center to recruit, screen and deploy “unaffiliated” disaster volunteers.
• • SMCOAD received grant funding from Maine Commission for Community Service to sustain SMCOAD activities and share this experience through a state-wide Americorp/VISTA grant.
• • SMCOAD article and manual in final draft. This work can be shared with others that wish to start a COAD in their town or region.
• • SMCOAD received national recognition for Project TAHS, Technical Assistance in Homeland Security.

Lessons Learned:

• • Networks make a lot of sense. They build capacity, they are a great source of information and a community can achieve more by working together.
• • Network partners trust each other and can be more creative as they understand that “give and take” is essential to any good network.
• • Networks take time. It is often difficult for potential partners to know how they may serve or benefit from a network.
• Network resources vary from time to time and event to event. It is a challenge to maintain a log of available resources.
• Networks should be dynamic, with many sources but also be comfortable with some uncertainty and changes.
• Finding leadership and a home for this network has been a challenge.

Post by Jodi Freedman

It seems that Penny and I are on the same wavelength. I just read her blog from June 10th about rising fuel costs. My thoughts have been circling around how much I keep hearing about the cost of gas and cutting down on travel. At the same time, I just used my webcam to see my 6 month old nephew in California. So, my question is how can we use the technology that exists and is available to many of us to keep our volunteers engaged?

Now more than ever, volunteer managers are going to need to be creative. Can you use your volunteers via the internet, so that they are in fact telecomuting to their volunteer positions? Are there ways to make the opportunity move closer to the volunteer, such as representing your organization at a program or fair in their area? This would save you and the volunteer on gas costs!

I certainly don’t have the answers, but I think that we are all going to have to start looking at volunteering through a different lens.I am curious to hear how everyone is meeting this challenge. In an ideal situation, maybe we could buy our volunteers vespas so they could commute for less!

Jodi Freedman is a Major Gifts Specialist at the Maine Chapterof the Alzheimer’s Association.

Guest Blog by Mimi Mills

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a three part series about Southern Maine Community Organizations Active in Disaster (SMCOAD). Part I focuses on the mission and history of SMCOAD. Part II focuses on the successes of SMCOAD, as well as lessons learned. Part III discusses how to get involved.

As a result of the major flooding in northern Maine this spring, many organizations have expressed interest in Southern Maine Community Organizations Active in Disaster (SMCOAD). They want to know how they can prepare, respond, join or start a COAD in their community. These folks are more and more convinced that, as a community, they do need to have a viable and trusted network to address issues and are looking to SMCOAD for answers. SMCOAD advocates that community wide preparedness and participation is essential to a community’s ability to recover from a disaster.

What is Southern Maine Community Organizations Active in Disaster?

SMCOAD is a collaborative of community organizations or individuals representing businesses, organizations, agencies, schools, municipalities, and clubs that recognize the importance of being organized and able to respond in the event of an emergency or disaster. SMCOAD is not a “first responder” entity but SMCOAD does work in partnership with County and local Emergency Management Agencies. SMCOAD is a collective group of community organizations and individuals working together to help minimize the effects of an emergency or disaster on their local community.

SMCOAD has four primary objectives:

• To establish relationships and create trusted networks.

• To promote workplace, family and volunteer preparedness.

• Map the SMCOAD network; manpower (volunteermaine.org), materials (who have what & where) and money/ resources.

• Support Volunteer Reception Center and Long Term Recovery Committees

A Brief History of SMCOAD:

The SMCOAD began shortly following the Mother’s Day Flood in York County in 2006. Immediately after the flood, emergency response systems were activated and people were removed from harm’s way. First responders worked together to serve those in need. As first response subsided and recovery and long term needs became the priority, it was immediately apparent there was not a solid system in place to support the essential needs of those affected by the floods. Pre-planning and networking would have helped recovery efforts run more smoothly with more defined roles and resources. Volunteer networks with their abundant human and administrative resources as well as corporate/community networks are well positioned to organize and respond effectively. The first meeting of SMCOAD was held as a forum, Volunteer Response During Disaster: Preparation, Practice & Action, and served as informational and a call to action. More than 66 people from 45 organizations and businesses attended.

Mimi Mills has been Director of Volunteer! York County at the United Way of York County since May 2006.

by Margaret E. Puckett

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Leadership Institute in Volunteer Management Coaching Seminar held at the University of Maine campus in Orono. Now, training seminars can be a mixed bag – some are good and some are not so good. As a die-hard “cup is half full” kind of person I’ve generally found something of value in almost all of the training seminars I have attended over the past 35 years. But I would have to say that last week’s seminar was significantly different from any other training I have ever had.

The literature for the event said the trainer – Louise Franck Cyr (a Community Development Specialist at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension) – “is widely known and has an excellent reputation for being a dynamic and inspiring trainer.” What an understatement! I would categorize this training seminar to be perhaps the best training seminar I have ever attended. It was a truly awesome experience! Insightful and inspiring, Louise’s powerful presentation was jammed packed with great information and wonderful techniques. I’m still trying to mentally process everything I learned and experienced. I would certainly encourage anyone to attend her training if they have the opportunity.

There were far too many “Ah …” moments during the two day seminar to recount them all in this blog entry, but I would like to share with you one that really caught my attention. It was while we were talking about establishing relationships with our volunteers. There were two questions Louise recommended we ask every volunteer. I had never thought about asking either question, but it made so much sense to me, I now wonder why I had never thought about asking those questions before.

The first question was “If I had a difficult subject to discuss with you, how would you like me to approach you?” How many times could a difficult discussion with a volunteer be much less difficult, and more successful, by having those answers?

The second question was “How do you learn best?” Well, we all know everyone learns differently. How much more sense does it make to ask your volunteers how they learn before you start trying to teach them?

Whether establishing a new relationship with a volunteer, or cultivating a better relationship with a current volunteer, it just makes sense to ask these two basic questions. After all, who knows the answers better than the volunteers themselves?

Margaret E. Puckett is Volunteer Services Coordinator at Saint Joseph Hospital in Bangor, Maine.

by Penny Kern

This weekend it hit me how much volunteering is going to change because of fuel prices. Twice this past week, I had the opportunity to get involved in statewide volunteering that I would have LOVED to have participated in. Twice I’ve had to turn it down because these opportunities were in Orono–more than 150 miles from my house, one way. At $4.24 a gal for gas and no one to foot the bill but myself, I had to say no. How will your organization face this crisis? Are you, as an organization, ready to help volunteers actually be able to do what you need them to do or can you turn to the Internet and phone calls to make things still work?

Penny Kern is a retired volunteer manager from Aroostook County.

For more than 20 years, the Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism has provided learning and networking opportunities for Maine’s volunteer administrators and program managers. It is the only professional development conference tailored exclusively to the needs and challenges of leaders in the state’s volunteer sector.

This year’s conference is October 14 at the University of Maine, Orono. We are excited about our keynote speaker, Jean Twenge, PhD. She delivers talks across North America on today’s young generation, based on her research and her book, “Generation Me.” Additionally, Dr. Twenge will facilitate a workshop on managing programs with multi-generational volunteers.

The Blaine House Conference also will sponsor an all day seminar focusing on the legal and economic impact of volunteers. This seminar is tailored to the lawyers who advise volunteer programs or their sponsors as well as Managers of Volunteers. Another series of workshops facilitated by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center will address planning and risk management aspects of engaging volunteers in community work.

To supplement our menu of workshops, we are looking for experts from the field to provide additional workshops based on themes developed from past conference participant evaluations. The workshop themes include: Motivate & Engage Volunteers; Advocate Within Your Agency (for your volunteer program); Build Community Partnerships; Leverage Volunteers as Fundraisers; Manage Risk; and Maximize Technology. We are particularly interested in workshops that will appeal to experienced volunteer administrators/managers.

Information on the 2008 Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism and how to submit a proposal can be found here. Presenters whose proposals are selected will receive a complimentary registration to the Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism.

Mark your calendar for October 14, 2008 for the Blaine House Conference. Whether you attend as a presenter or a participant, it will be a great opportunity to gain new skills and network with other volunteer administrators/managers.

The Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism is sponsored by Maine Commission for Community Service and University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

by Bob Moore

If you’re reading this blog, you already know what a great resource volunteermaine.org is for organizations looking for volunteers, as well as individuals searching for volunteer opportunities. But like any good salesperson, marketing or advertising professional will tell you, you have to constantly be prospecting or promoting – whether it be for attracting financial sponsors, promoting a new program or special event and yes – even finding sources for volunteers. Since many non-profits rely heavily on volunteers to fulfill both everyday functions and to carry out special events, it pays to leave no stone unturned. Here are a few sources where we’ve had some success:

Patrons: A person who is interested enough to use a non-profit’s services is more likely to be interested in volunteering than someone from the general public. Make sure that any volunteer opportunities you have and how to apply are clearly posted where patrons can find them, and that your front-line staff knows enough about the openings so that they can answer basic questions. Take a look at who your members are or those who have participated in a program or special event – it also doesn’t hurt to personally ask a regular “customer” if he or she is willing to help out.

Current volunteers: One of the best sources for potential volunteers is your current volunteers. If someone is interested enough that they are already volunteering their time, it’s a good bet that they have at least some friends who share their same interests and passions. Also, a person who is already volunteering in an organization probably also has a good understanding of the organization’s needs and what types of personalities would do well there. In other words, a current volunteer can be the perfect volunteer recruiter. Make sure that you keep them abreast of any available volunteer positions.

Community Bulletin Boards: Coffee shops, libraries, places of worship, and local daily and weekly newspapers usually provide free space for volunteer advertising. You’d be amazed at how many people actually read every inch of a bulletin board or ‘community corner”.

Online: You need to make it easy for volunteers to find you. Today, many people interested in volunteering head online first to find out what opportunities exist near them. That’s why volunteermaine.org is so successful and such a great resource. But your own website should also include a current list of volunteer opportunities and how one can apply. Other third party websites that are related to what you do are also good sources – 3 of our last 4 AmeriCorps positions have come through posts on the site for Maine Land Trust Network. Though I’ve never used them, Craigslist or Idealist are some other options.

Students: We’ve had great results with area high school students looking to fulfill community service requirements. Establishing relationships with appropriate personnel in the school is key. Many look at volunteering as a way to build their resume, while others use the experience to learn more about an organization or explore a possible career. Most colleges have a job or intern posting area for employers. In Maine, several colleges are linked through eRecruiting. Note: Our current AmeriCorps intern position is being filled this summer by a Colby College senior who found the posting on the school website.

Seniors: Retirees are a great source as they are often looking for ways to make meaningful contributions in their community, to maintain their skills (or learn new ones) and to interact with others. Because they often have more daytime availability than others, they can make perfect volunteers. We’ve partnered in the past with HealthReach RSVP out of Waterville for our Courtesy Boat Inspection program.

Sheriff’s Department: Pre-release and non-violent prisoners have done an awful lot of maintenance and labor-related work at camps and high schools that I’ve been involved with. They come fully supervised, and are often itching to get outside.

These certainly are not all of the available sources for finding volunteers, but they’ve worked for us. Don’t forget the most important item noted in the first paragraph – you need to constantly be recruiting and prospecting if you want to be successful in finding volunteers.

Bob Moore is Executive Director of the Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed in Augusta, Maine.