Nonprofit User Guide to

Revised on June 15, 2009 Table of Contents What is Hands On Greater Portland? Hands On Programs Hands On Partner Services Project Model: Calendar Projects Standards of Excellence for Calendar Projects Creating, Posting, & Orchestrating Calendar Projects Project Model: Referral Opportunities Hands On Program Staff TECHNOLOGY: How Do Volunteers Connect with You via the Website TECHNOLOGY: How Do You Use Our Website to Manage Volunteers 3 4 5 6 7 6 7 8 9 11 What is Hands On Greater Portland? History of Hands On Hands On Greater Portland formed in 1996 when a circle of friends sought to recreate in Portland the successful “Hands On” model of volunteering. The model had become popular in cities such as Atlanta, New York, and Chicago by connecting volunteers with one-time projects that required no advance training or experience. The "Hands On" programs are a part of a national umbrella organization called Hands On Network, which can be found in 50 cities across America (7 internationally) and boast over one million volunteers. By 2003, Hands On was connecting 4,000 of volunteers a year when it merged with VolunteerWorks creating a streamlined, more efficient organization from which to expand volunteerism in the Greater Portland Area. In 2006, Hands On celebrates its 10th year as an organization that makes more than 13,000 volunteer connections a year in partnership with 200 nonprofits, schools and community organizations. In recognition of its expansion into Washington County, and to set a future course, the Board of Directors approved a name change to Hands On Greater Portland. Our Mission Everyone can do something for the community. At Hands On Greater Portland, we develop this potential in volunteers. We connect them with opportunities to feed the hungry, teach our children, house the homeless, restore our environment and meet other important community needs. Hands On Greater Portland Is:       A volunteer hub – providing citizens with a myriad of ways to volunteer, from done-in-a-day and longer-term projects to team and corporate projects. A network – connecting over 200 non-profits with local businesses and with over 13,000 volunteers. A website – providing easy access to volunteer opportunities. A resource – providing access to volunteer management training and clinics, youth friendly projects and to a non-profit tool lending library An agent – of change A builder – of community, of understanding, of team pride, and social awareness Hands On Programs Calendar Projects A Hands On Project Leader can coordinate a done-in-a-day project at your agency. These projects are listed on our online project calendar, where volunteers can easily sign-up and receive project information. Referral Opportunities List your longer term volunteer opportunities on our searchable “ongoing projects” pages. This section of our website is searchable and will allow the volunteer to contact the agency directly for additional information. TeamWorks In TeamWorks, a team of around 10 volunteers work together on a series of projects over a period of a few months, allowing them to get to know one another and gain a deeper understanding of community issues. Business Cares You may have the opportunity to participate in a service day with one of our corporate partners. Current BusinessCares clients include Nike, Adidas, Comcast, PGE and more! Highlighted Pages on the Hands On Greater Portland website: Seasonal Volunteer Opportunity Listing Advertise your special volunteer opportunities during December to all the holiday helpers who are looking for volunteer opportunities during the holiday season. Fundraisers & Special Events We have a page on our website dedicated to recruit volunteers for your big events: runs, walks, galas, auctions & more. Youth & Family In an effort to instill volunteerism in the lives of the Portland area’s younger generation, we provide projects especially designed for families to volunteer together and for highschoolers. Volunteer Trips Hands On is sending its first group of volunteers down to New Orleans to help with rebuilding efforts in October. We hope to continue this program to show support at national sites of natural disaster and tragedy. Hands On Partner Services All Hands On Greater Portland Community Partners have FREE access to the following services: Volunteers Hands On will help your organization recruit volunteers for both calendar projects and referral opportunities. Project Leaders A Hands On Project Leader is a Hands On trained “super volunteer” that helps coordinate and manage volunteers for all calendar projects. Seasonal Volunteer Opportunity Listing Advertise your special volunteer opportunities to the holiday helpers and volunteers on summer break. Consulting Services & Workshops Hands On can answer questions about volunteer recruitment, retention, selection, etc. Participate in workshops offered by Hands On Greater Portland, for example, “How to diversify your volunteer pool.” Community Partner eNewsletter Check out the periodic eNewsletter for information about volunteerism trends and resources in the Portland area and beyond. Tool Lending Library Borrow shovels, paint brushes, etc. for your big service project. Access our library of tools for no fee! The current inventory is always available at: http://www.handsonportland.org/AboutUs/index.php/tools.html Online Resource Library This is where you will find local and national information on volunteer training, recruiting tools, technology and more! You will also find data and research on volunteerism, Hands On related documents and specifics regarding national days of service. We are only as successful as our Community Partners All Hands On Community Partners are required to complete an evaluation of the Agency’s Volunteer Program. Resources will be provided by Hands On to encourage program success. Community Partners will also be subject to feedback from participating Hands On volunteers. On our website, you can find out more about all of our partner services on the Partner Agency information page, found at: http://www.handsonportland.org/AboutUs/index.php/partner_agencies.html Becoming a Partner NOTE: This page and all its links can be found on our website at: http://www.handsonportland.org/AboutUs/index.php/partner_agencies.html Start the Process! Hands On Greater Portland works in partnership with community-based agencies. All Hands On Partner Agencies must sign the Hands On Partnership Agreement, submit a singed nondiscrimination policy and be located in Multnomah or Washington County, Oregon. Are you already a Partner Agency? Check the Partner Directory to see if you are already a Community Partner. You can find the Partner Directory on the “Need volunteers?” page of our website, in the grey box on the right-hand side of the page. If you are not currently a Hands On Partner Agency: Step 1: Complete an Agency Registration form. As soon as we receive your registration, one of our staff members will contact you to help determine your volunteer needs and which Hands On Programs are a match for your agency. If you are unable to complete the agency registration process, please contact support@handsonportland.org for assistance. Step 2: Complete a Partnership Agreement Every Hands On Partner Agency is required to sign a partnership agreement. To download the form, please visit this page on our website. The Partner Agreement requires Community Partners submit a copy of the organization's nondiscrimination policy. If you do not have a nondiscrimination policy, you can also download a sample on this page of our website. If you are unable to download the forms, please contact support@handsonportland.org. Step 3: Attend a New Partner Orientation Session Learn more about the programs and services offered by Hands On Greater Portland and how your agency can benefit from these services. Please join us for a brief orientation held every month at both our Beaverton and NW Portland offices. These sessions are required of new partner agencies as they provide the opportunity to learn more about us, meet members of our team, ask questions specific to your organization, and gain valuable information on effective volunteer recruitment. This is a free orientation, and there is no cost to become a partner of Hands On! Step 4: Start Recruiting Volunteers! You will receive instructions on how to propose projects through both the orientation and our website. For questions about Hands On Greater Portland Partner Services, in Multnomah County please contact Melia Tichenor, Partner Services Coordinator, at 503.413.7856 or melia@handsonportland.org. In Washington County contact Rachel Rappaport, Washington County Coordinator, at 503.413.8925 or rachel@handsonportland.org Project Model: Calendar Projects Calendar projects are “done in a day” projects created by your agency and supported through Hands On Greater Portland's programs. They are advertised through our CommunityWorks online project calendar, which allows for easy browsing by volunteers and quick online registration. A print calendar is also distributed monthly to our volunteer mailing list. A Rose by any other name… You may find Calendar Projects also referred to as:  CommunityWorks projects (in reference to the calendar’s name)  Episodic projects (because volunteers need only attend a single episode)  Full-signup projects (used only when creating a project in our database) Calendar Project Criteria: - Done-in-a-day (usually 2-4 hours) - Group-based (minimum of 3 volunteers) - Hands-on - Volunteer activities directly serve Partner Agency mission - No advance training aside from on-site - Orientation the day of the project lead by agency contact. - Wrap-up reflection at project’s end, lead by a Hands On Project Leader Who’s in Charge? Hands On Greater Portland is in charge of signing up all volunteers for Calendar Projects through its online sign-up system, as well as recruiting a project leader to head up the volunteer team on the day of the project. Agencies will have no direct contact with volunteers prior to the day of the event; any advance correspondence must be orchestrated through the project leader and Hands On staff. On the day of, Calendar project leadership is shared between two people: the Agency Contact, who leads and supervises the work being done, and the trained Hands On Project Leader, serving as the Hands On ambassador. The Agency Contact has overall responsibility for managing the work to be done: she/he designs the project with a clear idea of what needs to be accomplished, arranges to have necessary tools or supplies, provides orientation and/or training to volunteers at the beginning of the project, has a safety procedure in place and is present during the entire project. The Project Leader is responsible for managing the volunteers, communicating scheduling information between the agency and Hands On staff, working with the agency contact to oversee the event, leading a reflection activity at the end of the project and reporting back to Hands On. STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE for Hands On Calendar Projects: These Standards of Excellence are intended to describe the key elements of a quality, Hands On Greater Portland Calendar Project. The Standards provide a framework for determining whether Hands On Greater Portland, the partner agency and the project leader are delivering a quality project. Communication Every project has an on-site orientation and project wrap up co-facilitated by agency contact and Project Leader. The orientation communicates the Hands On brand as well as an overview of our Programs. Prior to the project, volunteers receive a confirmation and reminder email, including a project description and directions to the project site. Volunteer efforts are recognized by partner agency and Hands On Leadership Episodic project leadership is shared between two people; the Agency Contact, who leads and supervises the work being done and the trained Hands On Project Leader, who is the Hands On ambassador. Meaning/Reciprocity Projects address a critical need in our community as defined by Hands On, partner agencies and volunteers. The actual volunteer activity is hands on and is closely connected to the mission of the agency. Volunteers gain an understanding of the benefit of their work through guided reflection conducted by the Project Leader in conjunction with the Agency Contact. Projects serve to benefit all involved, including the client, the volunteer, the partner, and Hands On. Safety & Supervision Hands On does not take primary responsibility for the safety of the agency's clients. For every episodic project, Hands On requires a safety plan that demonstrates the agency’s readiness to respond to an emergency as well as an agency contact to be present for the duration of the project. Where applicable, an overview of safety related information is communicated to volunteers through the project description. Feedback & Evaluation All volunteers are invited to evaluate each project online as part of our follow up email. This volunteer feedback is screened monthly by Hands On staff and acted upon as needed. Project Leaders and Agency Contacts are welcome and encouraged to provide feedback at anytime to any of the Hands On program staff and are also surveyed yearly for feedback and input. Inclusivity Hands On strives to develop, in conjunction with our agency partners, episodic projects that are open to all members of the community by developing projects that vary based on physical activity, ease, location in the Portland Metro area, indoor or outdoor, time commitment, time of the week, and accessibility by public transportation. There is no cost to volunteer unless required by partner agency. Tips for Creating, Posting, and Orchestrating Calendar Projects: Steps for posting a calendar project: 1. Design Project: finalize details, create description, confirm supplies. Think about the elements that make a project attractive to volunteers:   Title: Catchy titles filled with searchable key words – remember, this is the first thing the volunteers will see. Description: The first sentence should be a “hook” that will capture people’s attention. Also, make sure that you include something about your agency, so volunteers know what mission they will be upholding and the population they will be helping. Time: Volunteers are most available during evenings and weekends; can your project be completed then? It is best to avoid Friday afternoons and Sunday mornings. Direct Service: The more hands-on work that the volunteers can do to directly assist the population you serve, the more they will connect with their day with your organization and mission. Think about giving a tour to make the connection if the project doesn’t include as much direct service.   2. Post project on the Hands On Greater Portland website (see Hands On Technology training guide). After a Hands On staff member approves it, it will appear on the Hands On online calendar. 3. STAY IN CONTACT before the project:  check # of registered volunteers by looking at your posting  call/email with Project Leader  call your Hands On coordinator with any questions  Reserve the Hands On spots within your volunteer count so you don’t end up with too many volunteers the day of the event. 4. Coordinate the volunteers on the day of the project, making sure you are available to orient the volunteers to the organization, explain project tasks, and answer questions throughout the entire project. We encourage you to stick around and join the group in a wrap-up reflection at the close of the project What information should you include about your event?  Creative and informative title  Complete project description. 1. “Hook” sentence to get people reading 2. Clear description of project tasks and goals 3. Brief description of agency (mission, services, clients population). 4. Age minimums for volunteers, especially youth with adult supervision or on their own. 5. Equipment, special clothing, and food that volunteers should bring. 6. Equipment that volunteers will be expected to use.  Project date and time. Be sure the shift includes time for orientation and group wrap up.  Name and email of agency representative who will be facilitate the project.  Clear directions to the project site. Many PL’s find www.mapquest.com or http://maps.google.com helpful. Changing & Cancelling Projects: 1. What if I want to change a project once it is posted? If the nature of the project completely changes, we will need to notify those volunteers who have registered to make sure they are aware of the change and still wish to participate. If you need to change a project, please contact the Partner Services Director as soon as possible. 2. What if I want to cancel a project? We STRONGLY DISCOURAGE cancelling projects once they are set-up. If your project falls through or you are unable to support the volunteers on the scheduled day, please contact the Partner Services Director as soon as possible. Hands On will contact registered volunteers and notify them of the cancellation. ORIENTATION… part of what makes a project successful! Led by Partner Agency contact at the beginning of the project. Why?  To educate volunteers about the social, economic, or environmental issues your agency addresses. To distinguish your agency from others that may do similar work. To inform volunteers of ways they can get involved directly with your agency or other steps they personally can take to address the issue.   Areas to Cover:        Who are your clients? What programs do you implement? What are the root causes of the problem you are working to address? What makes your agency unique? Do you have ongoing, long-term volunteer opportunities? How do volunteers help further your agency’s mission/help the community? What narratives and statistics can you share to demonstrate the success of your agency? WRAP-UP will be lead by the project leader at the end of the project as a chance to thank volunteers, an opportunity for questions, and a time for reflection. The agency contact is welcome and encouraged to participate in this final portion of the day. Project Model: Referral Opportunities Referral opportunities are created by your agency and advertised through the Hands On website. Once a volunteer expresses interest in the position, their contact information is sent to the referral contact at your agency via email. From here, the agency is in charge of initiating further communication with the volunteer; Hands On is no longer involved. Referral Opportunities often include: - Volunteer positions requiring long-term or on-going commitment - Positions calling for specialized skills - Requests for single volunteers (as opposed to group projects) - Anything that requires a background check - Opportunities requiring less hands-on, mission-oriented tasks (e.g. mailings) - General fundraisers (e.g. walks, runs, gala dinners, etc.) - One-time volunteer opportunities that may not meet the Hands On Standards of Excellence for Calendar projects A Rose by any other name… You may find Referral Projects also referred to as:  NetWorks opportunities (in reference to the NetWorks online bulletin board which advertises them)  On-going projects (because many times, these projects require an on-going commitment)  Email-signups: on-going (used only when creating a project in our database) What information should you include in the project description?  Creative and informative title filled with keywords  “Hook” sentence to catch people’s attention.  A thorough overview of what volunteers will be doing while they are working with you. It does not have to include every detail since descriptions that are too long will turn volunteers away. You want to give the volunteers all the key information.  Time commitment that will be asked of the volunteers  Is there an incentive for their work? Will they get free admission to one of your events or have the opportunity to take one of your workshops?  Age limit  Any special requirements for volunteers (specialized skills, appropriate dress, etc.)  A few sentences about your agency. This could be in the form of your mission statement or a more informal explanation of the work you do and the population you serve. Tips for Posting: As an agency manager, you will have access to post, change, and remove your ongoing listings. You can make changes to the description, extend the length of time the posting is on the website, or remove it until next year. Each time you make a change, it will be approved by your Hands On coordinator. If you are looking for volunteers to help with multiple positions, you can post them separately with different titles. This will help volunteers find more specific projects with your agency when they use the search tool. Hands On Program Staff Melia Tichenor Partner Services Coordinator/Multnomah County AmeriCorps member 503.413.7856 melia@handsonportland.org Rachel Rappaport Partner Services Coordinator/Washington County AmeriCorps member 503.413.8925 rachel@handsonportland.org Brenden Butler Program Manager 503.413.6413 Brenden@handsonportland.org Mindy Coolidge Program Director 503.413.8902 mindy@handsonportland.org How Volunteers Connect With You via www.handsonportland.org Volunteers visit www.handsonportland.org and register with a personal profile. To figure out what they want to do, they might check out the calendar of projects: To sign up for a calendar project, they click on the “Sign me Up” button. They will receive a confirmation email the moment they register. They will also receive a reminder email 24-48 hours prior to the project. If a volunteer wants to look for a more involved or longer-term volunteer opportunity, he or she can visit our NetWorks bulletin board: They find an opportunity that interests them and click on “Have Agency Contact Me.” An email will be generated to the agency with the volunteer’s contact info. The volunteer will also receive an email with the volunteer’s contact info. We feature projects on our front page IF they need help filling (projects are chosen at our discretion). Using Hands On Technology (HOT) for Agency Managers Revised on 6/15/2009 STEP 1: GETTING STARTED STEP 2: LOGGING IN TO HOT STEP 3: ADDING A VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY DONE-IN-A-DAY PROJECTS OR “FULL SIGN-UP” PROJECTS ONGOING PROJECTS OR “EMAIL SIGN-UP” PROJECTS STEP 4: MANAGING YOUR PROJECTS AND YOUR HANDS ON VOLUNTEERS STEP 5: EDITING YOUR PROJECTS 21 22 23 23 25 27 30 Step 1: Getting Started In order for us to give you administrative access to Hands On technology, you first need to be in our system. You will need to go to our public website and register with a personal profile (the same one volunteers use to sign up with our site) . . . Click on Register and fill in the required fields, including Place of Employment – your organization should be in our system. Next, send an email to partners@handsonportland.org, with your name and agency, letting us know you’ve created a profile and need to be officially linked as an agency contact. You will receive a confirmation email once you have been granted administrative access. Step 2: Logging in to HOT The first step is to go to our admin site, at http://admin.handsonportland.org, and login to the system using your email address and the password you chose when you signed up with an individual profile. If you have forgotten your password, go to our the My Volunteer Page of our public website and have it reassigned: http://tinyurl.com/ocw62. Once you’ve logged in, click on My Projects and a sub-list will appear under that heading . . . Step 3: Adding a Volunteer Opportunity – Proposing a Project Click on Manage and you will see a drop-down list . . . Important Terms: “Full Sign-up” refers to the registration process for CALENDAR done-in-a-day projects – volunteers will register through the Hands On website, without having any contact with you. “Email Sign-Ups (Ongoing)” refers to the registration process for REFERRAL projects that may not occur on a specific date or at a specific time, or may involve specialized skills or background checks – volunteers cannot register for these opportunities directly through our website. These projects are posted on our searchable bulletin board. Click on Create a new project. Done-in-a-day Calendar Projects or “Full Sign-Up” Projects The project below is a calendar project, with “Full Sign-up” through our website. If your opportunity is more ongoing or requires a long-term commitment, please see page 17. Note: The more project attributes you click, the more chance your project will show up in a search. If a project is for adults 18+, please mark all three adult options: adults 18+, adults 21+, and adults 47+. This will ensure that your project shows up if someone searches by any of these criteria. The same goes for youth age criteria; mark all boxes that apply. Add all of your information in the fields. Anything absolutely required will be indicated with a red “*” symbol. You should use the notes field (at the bottom) to add any information that WILL NOT be visible to volunteers, but should be used by you or the Hands On staff. Click Continue and you will have the opportunity to add an occurrence date, time and location. For Calendar Postings, creation of an occurrence is essential step to getting your opportunity up and running. Click Submit and the project will be sent to Hands On staff for approval. If there are any questions, a staff member will contact you within 24 hours. NOTE – BEFORE YOUR PROJECT IS POSTED: Your project will be advertised to our Hands On Project Leaders. Before your project is posted a Project Leader will need to be assigned. This process may take months and it is not guaranteed that a leader will be available or interested. This is the message you will see after clicking on Submit. Referral Opportunities (or “Email Sign-up” Projects) If you would like to add a referral opportunity, click on Manage Projects or Manage in the subfolder of the left-side menu. Click on Create a new project. Click as many project attribute and impact area boxes as apply; many times, volunteers will search by these criteria and the more you have that apply, the more often your opportunitiy comes up in search results. Designate the project as “Email Sign-ups (Ongoing)” and complete all required fields – including date range that the opportunity should appear on our site (6 months should be the longest, then the opportunity should be reviewed and renewed if necessary). The “Email Only Referral Contact” should be the person who will receive inquiries when a volunteer is interested. This person will also be responsible for responding to volunteer questions, and communicating with interested volunteers. Reminder: “Full Sign-up” refers to the registration process for CALENDAR done-in-a-day projects – volunteers will register through the Hands On website, without having any contact with you. “Email Sign-Ups (Ongoing)” refers to the registration process for REFERRAL projects that may not occur on a specific date or at a specific time, or may involve specialized skills or background checks – volunteers cannot register for these opportunities directly through our website. These projects are posted on our searchable bulletin board. Click Continue and the project will go to a Hands On staff member for approval within 24 hours (unless there are questions). You will receive email messages when a volunteer expresses interest in the opportunity. Please reply to the email as soon as possible – within 24 hours. Step 4: Managing Your Projects and Your Hands On Volunteers If you would like to check up on your projects and see who has registered or expressed interest, click on Browse on the left side sub-menu . . . Click on the project you are interested in . . . For “Ongoing Projects” you will be able to View Interested Volunteers You can click on the check-box next to their names and use the pull-down box to Email Selected Volunteers with more information about the volunteer opportunity, unless you emailed straight from their original inquiry. For the Calendar (“Full Sign-up”) Projects, you can click on the Project Occurrence date for more information, such as number of volunteers signed up . . . Again, you will be able to Email Selected Volunteers . . . A template of information is provided. You can edit the subject line and body of the email. Remember: an automatic email containing ALL project details is sent out when the volunteer registers and again (automatically) 24-48 hours prior to the project date (as a reminder). Step 5: Editing Your Projects If you need to make changes to your posted volunteer opportunities, click on Manage on the left side sub-menu. Select your opportunity from the drop-down. NOTE: If you would like to change the date, time, or make a significant change to the nature of a Calendar or “Full Sign-up” project, please contact Partner Services, 503.413.7787 or partners@handsonportland.org. We STRONGLY discourage you from changing this information once volunteers have started registering for the project. Once you have submitted your changes, you will be asked to confirm. Once changes are submitted, the project will disappear from the site until Hands On staff approves the revisions. If you have additional questions about using the Hands On Technology (HOT) site, please contact the Partner Services Coordinator at 503.413.7787 or partners@handsonportland.org. Appendix Partnership with Hands On: What Does It Mean? 1. Understand that the screening process is your responsibility. Interview and screen prospective volunteers (including background checks if required) to make the final decision on placement of referred volunteers with the Partner Agency. The screening of volunteers for appropriate assignment (including background checks) is the responsibility of the Partner Agency. The Partner Agency is free to accept or reject any volunteer referred to it by Hands On based upon the evaluation of such volunteer by the Partner Agency. Upon its acceptance of a volunteer, the referred volunteer becomes a volunteer of the Partner Agency. 2. Provide an accessible work place for volunteers and make reasonable accommodations for volunteers with special needs. Provide Hands On with up-to-date information. Respond to Hands On’s periodic requests for updated information to maintain accurate and current volunteer opportunity listings, and notify Hands On of any change of address/telephone number/contact person within the volunteer program. Understand our privacy policy. Hands On Project Leaders, or anyone else connected with Hands On, may not release to the Partner Agencies, its employees, or its clients the phone numbers, addresses or e-mail addresses of Hands On volunteers without prior permission from the volunteer. Realize there is no guarantee. Hands On cannot guarantee that Partner Agency will be provided a specific number of volunteers. Hands On cannot guarantee to match Partner Agency with a Project Leader for Hands On managed projects. 3. 4. 5. NEED MORE HELP? Consulting Services & Workshops Hands On can consult with your agency about volunteer recruitment, retention, selection, etc. Hands On has a Certified Volunteer Administrator (CVA) on staff who can share expertise in volunteer program development and management. Volunteer Management Clinics Join us for a skills clinic. They're short, relevant and will provide you with tools you can use to more effectively manage your volunteer program. All sessions $15 unless otherwise noted. Scholarships available. Choose from sessions ranging from Creating High Impact Episodic Volunteer Projects to Developing Volunteer Leaders to Evaluating Your Volunteer Program. - TACS (Technical & Community Support) is also a great resource for nonprofit trainings. Visit their website at http://www.tacs.org/training/calendar.asp Tool Lending Library Borrow shovels, paint brushes, etc. for your big service project. Access our library of tools for no fee! The current inventory is always available at www.handsonportland.org. Professional Development for Volunteer Managers: www.novaa.org Other Recruiting Tools in Portland: CNRG www.cnrg-portland.org Daily listserv for people interested in nonprofit job openings, volunteer opportunities, announcements. Craigslist www.craigslist.org Well-known website with bulletin board type capacity to list volunteer opportunities in the Portland area. Volunteer Match www.volunteermatch.com National volunteer search engine. Elements of Volunteer Resources Management This document is designed to help you evaluate your current volunteer program and bring your attention to strategies to improve your work with volunteers. Elements of Volunteer Resources Management Written statement of philosophy related to volunteer involvement Orientation for new paid staff about why and how volunteers are involved in the organization's work Designated manager/leader for overseeing management of volunteers agency-wide. Periodic needs assessment to determine how volunteers should be involved to address the mission. Written position descriptions for volunteer roles. Written policies and procedures for volunteer involvement. Organizational budget reflects expenses related to volunteer involvement. Periodic risk management assessment related to volunteer roles. Liability insurance coverage for volunteers. Specific strategies for ongoing volunteer recruitment. Currently in place to a large degree Currently in place to some degree Not currently being done Elements of Volunteer Resources Management Consistent general orientation for new volunteers. Consistent training for new volunteers regarding specific duties and responsibilities. Designated supervisors for all volunteer roles. Periodic assessment of volunteer performance. Periodic assessment of staff support for volunteers. Consistent activities for recognizing volunteer contributions. Consistent activities for recognizing staff support of volunteers. Regular collection of information (numerical and anecdotal) regarding volunteer involvement. Information related to volunteer involvement is shared with board members and other stakeholders at least twice annually. Volunteer resources manager and fund development manager work closely together. Volunteer resources manager is included in top-level planning. Volunteer involvement is linked to organizational or program outcomes. Currently in place to a large degree Currently in place to some degree Not currently being done (from A Guide to Investing in Volunteer Resources Management: Improve Your Philanthropic Portfolio by The UPS Foundation and Association for Volunteer Administration, in collaboration with the Points of Light Foundation).