volunteer management

The handbook I've been working on for the past few months is listed below (and it's also found on the Volunteer Management Wiki. rian

I've been here two full weeks now and my boss has been gone for a week and 1/2 of that. Plus, she's going on vacay next week, so I'm kinda winging it. The good news about that is that I'm getting the opportunity to settle into the job and people watch while getting comfortable. The bad news is that my boss and a few others are the only ones that know I'm a VISTA. …read more

Felicia Sullivan presented at last week's Pre-Service Orientation (PSO) about "The Three C's of NPTech: Contacts, Communication, Cash." The full powerpoint presentation (with loads of helpful links) is available at http://organizerscollaborative.org/presentations. Felicia is the new Executive Director of the Organizer's Collaborative, as well as an ongoing advocate for community media and technology projects in Boston and in Lowell, MA. The CTC VISTA Project is partnering with the OC to hold then next PSO in Lowell in June during the Grassroots Radio / Grassroots Tech June 21-24 in Lowell (http://www.grassrootsradioxii.org and http://www.organizerscollaborative.org/conference). Stay tuned for more info!

by Denise Meise   West Tennessee STAR Center The West Tennessee Special Technology Access Resource Center, better known as the STAR Center, is a non-profit organization in Jackson, Tennessee that specializes in assistive technology. In 1988, Chuck and Margaret Doumitt discovered that their two youngest children were losing their eyesight, and doctors eventually determined that they had a rare condition called Batten’s disease. This disease would cause blindness, seizures, loss of motor skills, and ultimately death. Chuck and Margaret began to dream that George and Angela would someday have access to assistive technology. Instead of moving to a larger city that already had an assistive technology center, the Doumitts decided to start one on their own.   …read more

Hey all, Here are some resources that I hope you find useful!  The first site is more comprehensive, while the last three focus on volunteerism.  I have more resources related to other topics, but I'll save those for another day.  :) ETR Associates Epicenter www.nationalserviceresources.org - This site, developed by the Corporation for National and Community Service, lists best practices for a variety of topics.  AmeriCorps members submit what worked for them, so their experiences are easy to relate to.  If you click on the AmeriCorps logo, you can search by topic area, such as Education, Human Needs, Program Management, and Volunteer Management to name a few.  I found it to be useful during my previous VISTA term when I wasn't sure where to start on a certain task. …read more

Ug. I don't have time to reformat the whole list of notes in Drupal (can't just copy and paste from Word) so here's an attachment with the conference call notes from the Digital Media group last Friday, 10/2.  

Here's the beginning of some discussion around how to recruit and retain volunteers!

Yeah, so I'm blogging. Week 3 at the job. Trying to figure out that delicate balance between direct service and capacity building. Trying to get some people even crazier than me to do the direct service bit on a volunteer/intern basis. Anyone out there have any leads for getting volunteers? Specifically, in the Boston area? Been hitting colleges and posting on Craigslist and such.

I have officially been working with HPP for almost two weeks now.  Besides becoming formally oriented with the organization, I have spearheaded a couple of interesting projects.  My host organization, formally titled Homeless Prenatal Program although everyone calls it HPP, is made up many smaller departments: Community Health Worker Training, Wellness Program, Substance Abuse, Childcare Center and the Technology Center.  I am working in the technology center as a tech specialist.  I have also been assigned to being the volunteer coordinator.  At this moment there is nothing to formally monitor and organize volunteers.  …read more