Free and Clear at Volunteer Maine
18
by Christy Monroe
I’m going to go out on a limb here in assuming that you are reading this blog because you’re a manager of volunteers or you’re interested in the management of volunteers. The question is- have you have utilized Volunteer Maine as Maine’s FREE online resource for volunteer recruitment and management? Are your agency’s volunteer opportunities listed?
Three reasons why you should consider (or re-consider) registering your agency and volunteer opportunities:
• Each month over 11,000 unique visitors check out the site and volunteer listings
• You can post one-time and ongoing volunteer opportunities, as well as recruit board and committee members and request in-kind donations
• Your volunteers can track their hours on the site
Maybe you’ve tried to register in the past, but you felt overwhelmed or unprepared. You’ll find resources like the Agency Registration Worksheet and the Volunteer Opportunity Worksheet to help you prepare before starting the registration process, along with instructions and helpful tips.
Perhaps your agency listing is outdated or you’ve lost your password-no worries. Personalized problem solving, trouble shooting, and technical assistance is enthusiastically offered by our Volunteer Maine AmeriCorps VISTA members and by Aroostook County RSVP! Give them a ring or send a quick email, and they’ll be happy to help.
We’d love to hear from some of the 600+ agencies statewide who are actively using Volunteer Maine or from volunteers who are familiar with this site. How have you found this resource to be most helpful? What tips do you have for other would-be users?
Aroostook County RSVP, Contact Kevin Giles and Carl Olsen 207-764-6184
Volunteer Maine VISTAs:
Joel Biron, 207-795-4010
Seniors Plus of Lewiston
jbiron@seniorsplus.org
Wendy Cattell, 207-985-3359
United Way of York County
wcattell@buildcommunity.org
Meredith Eaton, 207-941-2800
United Way of Eastern Maine
meredithe@unitedwayem.org
Jeremy Hammond, 207-782-3554
Good Shepherd Food Bank
jhammond@gsfb.org
Sarah McLuer, 207-443-9752
United Way of MidCoast Maine
VISTA@uwmcm.org
Kala Stenehjem, 207-874-1000×312
United Way of Greater Portland
kstenehjem@unitedwaygp.org
Christy Monroe is the Training VISTA at the Maine Commission for Community Service.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:49 am
This is a GREAT website. I do hope more organizations use it. It’s not that difficult to use and there’s so much information there.
Some organizations believe they are already a member because they signed up years ago when it first started. They may want to check with their contact person because they probably aren’t.
In Aroostook, we’re getting ready to do a big push to help people put volunteermaine.org at the front of their mind so they automatically go there to find an opportunity. I’ve also been talking to youth groups, schools, and businesses to go there when looking for large group opportunities. There’s even a calendar so we can post what’s going on.
It’s a great site. Thank you for reminding people.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:05 am
That’s great, Penny!
Those Volunteer Maine VISTAs have been working hard to push the site into the limelight through marketing, public presentations, and technical assistance.
Please feel free to invite them to introduce the website to any groups or organizational gatherings. Distance is no issue as they can host an easy to access web/phone conference to train individuals or groups. And best of all they would be thrilled to help!