An Essential: Involving Volunteers in CTCs

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An Essential Involving Volunteers in CTCs

• A presentation by UNITeS

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Why Are You Here?
Huh? (audience members tell why they are
attending this workshop)
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E-Volunteering Unit _at_ UNV

• A unit at UN Volunteers focused on
  two areas
• Volunteers applying Information Communication
  Technologies (ICTs) for Development (UNITeS)
• ICTs applied to volunteering for development
  (e.g. Online Volunteering at NetAid)

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UNITeS

• What makes UNITeS unique from other United
  Nations ICT4D initiatives is its emphasis on the
  importance of involving volunteers.
• No matter what the project or the community,
  UNITeS believes that volunteers are essential in
  making ICT community projects successful and
  sustainable.

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Why Involve Volunteers

• Successful Community Technology Centers (CTCs)
  attribute their achievements in communities not
  to the technologies they make available, but to
  the personal assistance they provide in using
  those technologies.
• For CTCs, there is only one sustainable way to
  provide substantial levels of personal
  assistance involving volunteers.

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Reasons to involve volunteers in CTCs

• Volunteers bring an attitude and spirit that is
  different (not necessarily better) than paid
  staff
• They can free up time for paid staff to address
  other critical needs
• They are motivated to get other family, friends
  and co-workers to volunteer and donate as well
• They bring a luxury of focus they can devote
  their time to just one topic or activity
• They may have skills, experiences or expertise
  that current staff don't have
• -- more --

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Reasons to involve volunteers in CTCs

• They can bring a diversity of culture, skills,
  and experience that might be lacking among paid
  staff
• Volunteers may not be among those served by the
  org and, therefore, can be more objective about
  issues
• They may, indeed, be among those served by the
  org and, therefore, can bring first-hand
  knowledge to their contributions
• Many funders rate volunteer involvement highly
  when choosing programs to support

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Reasons to involve volunteers in CTCs

• Some people (not everyone, just some) served by
  ICT projects are more inclined to work with
  volunteers than paid staff. (comments?)
• Other reasons?

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Don't Volunteers Save Money?

• Yes, volunteers save money, but there are dangers
  if you emphasize this over all of the other
  benefits of involving volunteers, because the
  perception is
• If you had more money, you would hire staff
  instead of involving volunteers.
• If you lay off your entire staff, you could save
  even more money.
• More?

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You Already Involve Volunteers

• Anyone providing any service to your organization
  and who are NOT paid are volunteers
• The members of your board of directors are
  volunteers.
• Those providing pro bono consulting are
  volunteers.
• Non-staff serving on committees, workgroups, etc.
  are volunteers.
• High school students or adults meeting a
  community service requirement are, officially,
  volunteers (they are not paid).

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Involving Volunteers Meets Your Mission
Make involving volunteers part of meeting the
mission of your CTC.
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Where To Start?

• Recruit a volunteer to manage other volunteers.
• A college student who could get class credit
• AmeriCorps/VISTA
• A retired person with management experience

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Volunteer Manager Overview

• This person needs to devote two to five hours a
  week, and many responsibilities can be completed
  from home.
• Needs to commit at least three months of service
  to the CTC, and document all activities for the
  next person
• Have a definite start and end date for this
  assignment extend the end date as necessary but
  always have one.

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Volunteer Manager Core Responsibilities

• Work with CTC staff to identify and fully define
  tasks that could be delegated to volunteers.
• Create an online and offline application that all
  potential volunteers must complete.
  (serviceleader.org)
• Create a basic volunteer handbook that will cover
  CTC policies, including grounds for dismissal and
  ensuring safety of children using the CTC.
  (serviceleader.org)
• -- more --

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Volunteer Manager Core Responsibilities

• Continued
• Promptly reply to all phone calls and email
  inquiries from potential volunteers, providing
  them with next steps
• Set up a regular once or twice-a-month new
  volunteer orientation
• Call volunteer candidate references after each
  orientation and report findings to CTC staff key
  contact
• -- more --

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Volunteer Manager Core Responsibilities

• Continued
• Notify candidates after acceptance with next
  steps.
• Set up an online discussion group or mailing list
  for all accepted volunteers to join.
• Report to the CTC manager regarding how many
  people are inquiring about volunteering each
  month, how many are rejected, how many drop out

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Define Volunteer Tasks Brainstorm

• Volunteers can assist CTCs in
• Help to schedule and manage other volunteers
• Supporting the CTC's own ICT needs networking
  computers, trouble-shooting, upgrading computers,
  inventory, etc.
• Outreaching to the communities served by the
  CTCs, in particular certain types of users
  (educators, medical professionals, social
  workers, small entrepreneurs, senior citizens,
  youth, etc.
• Teaching classes.
• -- more --

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Define Volunteer Tasks Brainstorm

• Volunteers can assist CTCs in
• Creating class materials for classes.
• Providing one-to-one assistance to CTC users in
  software and Internet use
• Building and maintaining the CTC web site
• Building and maintaining web sites for nonprofit
  orgs served by the CTC
• Building databases to manage info about CTC
  activities, class attendants, volunteers, etc.
• -- more --

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Define Volunteer Tasks Brainstorm

• Volunteers can assist CTCs in
• Researching potential funding resources
• Researching potential tech donation programs
• Writing funding proposals
• Serving on the board
• Don't forget online volunteers!
• -- more --

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Define Volunteer Tasks Nitty Gritty

• Detailed task descriptions are essential. They
  assure that roles and expectations are clear,
  They demonstrate how serious the tasks are.
• Volunteer roles are NOT open ended.
• -- more --

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Streamline the Screening Process

• Save time and your sanity by requiring all
  volunteer candidates to attend a volunteer
  orientation
• Make it monthly or bi-monthly
• Make it ONE hour -- no more
• Include a description of the CTC and its programs
• Review volunteer handbook
• Review current opportunities
• Review the kinds of scenarios a volunteer might
  face
• Direct attendees to the next step

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Results of All This Preparation

• Volunteers who wouldn't have been able to make
  the commitment drop out
• Volunteers who stay on are more committed because
  expectations are clear
• Volunteers don't need as much support as they
  would without orientations, task descriptions,
  etc.
• You will save time in the long run

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Start Small

• Don't get overwhelmed or it will turn everyone
  off
• Grow the program gradually and organically
• Commit to expansion, but do it slowly

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Recruitment

• It's the easy part
• Recruitment will not work unless you've done all
  of the aforementioned
• Go to serviceleader.org as a portal to
  recruitment info and resources

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Thank you!