Volunteer Screening Blog

Showing your volunteers that you appreciate their service shouldn’t be reserved for the holiday season. But the holidays are the perfect time to kick back a little bit and enjoy each other’s company. Why not treat your volunteers to a party—even if you have a very small budget? After all, with the tough times you’ve all been through in the past few years, you deserve a celebration.

Five Best Small Budget Volunteer Party Ideas

1. Recruit friends and family to help. Do you know a DJ who’d be willing to play some music for the party? Have a catering contact who might want to give you some food for the cause? How about the owners of your local bowling alley—would they give you a few lanes for an afternoon of fun for your volunteers? Keep in mind that certain business owners might be donation-weary by this time of year, so try asking a few who haven’t donated to your non-profit for awhile.
2. Host a potluck at your house. Having your volunteers in your home is personal and special. The best parties are often those where everyone provides their favorite dish. Sure, it’s a little more work for you, but you won’t have to prepare all the food; and it’s a very inexpensive option.
3. Remember to say thank you. Would a local business owner provide small thank you gifts or gift cards for your volunteers? Even a $5 coffee card or movie passes can mean a lot—especially when accompanied by a thoughtful, hand-written note.
4. If you have a budget for your party, you can save money by having a daytime event. Think lunch instead of dinner. Do your volunteers like Mexican food? Asian? These options are often inexpensive. The challenge could be in finding a cuisine that everyone likes and that caters to a variety of food allergies and preferences.
5. Don’t spend money on decorations. Stop by any Christmas tree lot and ask for cuttings. They’ll have plenty you can use to deck the halls with fragrance and natural beauty.

It’s not difficult to host a great volunteer party on a small budget. Try these tips to make it special and an event your volunteers will long remember.

You have a great group of volunteers whom you depend on to help you efficiently run your non profit organization. They’re productive and happy, and all seems to be going well with all of your volunteers—right?

Maybe not. Volunteer dissatisfaction is not uncommon. But it can be a temporary condition and it is definitely a fixable one. The trouble is, before you have a chance to fix it, the affected person or persons have often moved on to better opportunities.

Here are three causes of volunteer dissatisfaction that can be easily remedied, with a little effort.

Problem 1:
Feeling anonymous: Everyone wants to feel valued, whether they are paid employees, volunteers, friends or partners. New relationships tend to be bright, shiny and happy—until the shine wears off and they become routine. When volunteers start to feel anonymous or you show little interest in them as people, they begin to feel dissatisfied.

Solution:
With long-term volunteers, showing interest in them, asking about their families and careers, their hobbies and goals, should continue long after they join you. Get in the habit of asking a personal (but not too personal!) question of one volunteer each day.

Problem 2:
Feeling useless: Volunteers don’t have to show up for work. When they do, they need to feel useful. It’s a great feeling to know that you’re making a difference—and that’s why most people volunteer. When volunteers feel their efforts are wasted, or that they’re having no impact at all, dissatisfaction sets in.

Solution: Find ways to illustrate to volunteers how they are making a difference. This could include sharing data and statistics, or simply telling success stories of how their efforts are helping others in the community.

Problem 3:
Feeling confused: Volunteers need feedback, just as paid employees do. They don’t always know for sure if they are contributing or performing their duties successfully.

Solution:
That’s why volunteer evaluations are just as important as employee evaluations. And should be performed regularly.

Keeping your eyes and ears open to volunteer dissatisfaction can prevent unhappy volunteers and help you retain them longer!

Every nonprofit organization needs a board of directors. While specific responsibilities may vary due to the organization’s mission and its stage of existence, the roles and purposes of every board are similar.

Nonprofit volunteer boards must create their own structure, policies and procedures for governing the organization. Far beyond just meeting once a month, the board is responsible for developing its policies and terms of service.

Here are some tips for effective boards and committees:

1. Make sure that all board members receive a written job description.
2. Develop the year’s schedule of meetings a year in advance.
3. Provide board members with meeting materials and agendas well in advance. Two to three weeks is optimal.
4. Keep meetings focused, stick to the agenda and don’t linger on any one item longer than necessary. Briefer meetings are better meetings.
5. Encourage all board members to participate in discussions.
6. Take accurate minutes of all meetings and distribute to board members promptly afterwards.
7. Require board members to serve on committees.
8. Show appreciation of all volunteer board members by acknowledging contributions publicly, in newsletters, at meetings and in minutes.

Additional considerations for boards include the size of the board, the length of a board member’s term, and what committees are needed. Typical committees are Executive, Audit and Finance.

Congratulations! You’ve done a good job of getting the word out that your organization needs volunteers, and you’ve had 20 people submit applications. Now you need to choose one or two for specialized jobs, while the rest will be moved into more general work categories.

But how do you choose the best-fit volunteer for the work you need to do? After all, you don’t know if they’ll fit in or handle the job until they begin. Here are a few ideas to help increase the odds in your favor of picking the volunteer of your dreams!

• When conducting the volunteer interview, remember to keep emotions and feelings out of the process. You’re not interviewing for a new friend. Try to avoid allowing the chemistry between you and the potential volunteer—even if it’s great—be your sole decision-maker. It’s wonderful to get along well with volunteers, but even more important to determine if they have the skills to do a good job.
• Speaking of skills, try to remain open to different sets of skills and new ideas—even if they weren’t what you had in mind for a particular position. You may find you need skills you haven’t identified.
• Consider administering personality quizzes designed to help you place volunteers in the types of positions they’re best suited to. An introvert might not want to approach potential donors during fundraising time, for example. Going through these exercises can help you determine which potential volunteer you should bring in, as well.
• Finally, a thorough background and credit check can help you make a final decision. A volunteer who looks fantastic on paper, but has been convicted of theft, may not be a great fit for your organization—especially if there is money handling involved. And if your organization serves vulnerable populations, you’ll want to be sure to keep them safe by completely screening each potential volunteer. Call references, as well. Ask the potential volunteer to explain any discrepancies between their application and what references say.

Finding the right volunteer is worth the effort—especially when they get right to work for your nonprofit organization!

The National Council on Aging is embarking on a multi-sector partnership initiative to increase the numbers of senior volunteers, with the goal of engaging generations to help each other.

With help from the U.S. Administration on Aging, Atlantic Philanthropies, MetLife Foundation, and Corporation for National and Community Service, the NCOA is working with local organizations to create model older adult volunteer programs to share with other organizations in their communities.

Included are model programs for grandparents raising grandchildren; parents raising children with special needs; and caregivers of frail older adults.

As non profit budgets continue to take a hit even as demand for their services increase in this economy, the need for volunteers is higher than ever. To encourage non profits to tap into the talents and extra time of older volunteers, the NCOA began the Multi-Generational and Civic Engagement Initiative. It identified four key elements for success for other community organizations to aspire to:

1. Effectiveness
2. Impact
3. Sustainability
4. Replicability

Identifying these four common characteristics of exceptional older adult volunteer programs makes it easier to create standards that other non profits can mimic for better chances of success. Six organizations from New Jersey to Oregon were awarded grants to help them replicate their programs in their communities.

Yesterday, in Washington, DC the MGCE summit took place, where the organizations shared their successes and plans for the future. Innovative, cooperative programs like this are just what non profits need to help them deliver services to meet expanding needs.

Thousands of volunteers are helping the people who were unfortunate victims of last week’s devastating Alabama tornadoes. And plenty of volunteers are also stepping up to help the estimated 7,000 dogs, cats and horses injured or displaced from their homes by the storm.

Like humans, animals have suffered much throughout the South, and especially in Alabama. Exacerbating the problem is the great number of veterinary practices that have been destroyed, along with tens of thousands of homes and other businesses. Animals have been separated from their people, who may be in emergency shelters—or worse, may not have survived the incredibly destructive tornadoes.

For survivors separated from their pets, the worry can add tremendous insult to injury. Anyone who loves an animal can imagine how awful it would be to survive a storm or other disaster, only to discover a beloved pet is missing.

Luckily, dedicated volunteers who understand the human/pet connection are stepping in to reunite pets with their people, as well as to make sure that any injured pets needing care are getting it. Veterinarians are volunteering to care for animals, no matter whom they belong to, or who will or will not pay for their treatment.

Relieving human suffering is most important after a disaster like this. But helping the animals that belong to those humans is important, too. For people who have just been through incredible trauma, it’s extremely difficult to not know whether their pets are okay or even alive. Helping these pets helps their people. Besides, preventing hundreds of cats and dogs from roaming the streets, looking for their owners and becoming more frantic each day is a worthy effort in itself.

PetSmart’s Emergency Relief Waggin’ program sends pre-loaded semi-trailers to help pet victims of natural and manmade disasters. Filled with $60,000 worth of crates, bowls, leashes, food, cat litter and more, the trucks are quickly deployed to help in areas where they are needed.
For information on how to help, visit www.PetSmartcharities.org/emergency-relief.

As the demand for nonprofit services skyrockets, the need for volunteers increases, too. Here are three easy ways to reach out to your community for more support and recruit quality volunteers.

1. Hire a volunteer coordinator if your organization hasn’t already. When quality volunteers are needed, a volunteer coordinator is one of the most valuable positions in a nonprofit organization. It’s a full-time job, involving everything from setting goals, making plans, and defining roles, to recruiting, screening volunteer applicants, and placing them in the right position.
2. Start asking for help. Over the last couple of years, the economy spurred many unemployed folks to spend their time volunteering, so recruiting might not have been part of your daily job duties. After all, volunteers were knocking on nonprofits’ doors, anxious to help. But as the economy improves and more people land jobs, they may have to give up their volunteer duties. It might be time to start asking for help. When communicating with supporters, let them know you need more volunteers. And it’s okay to say that giving time is an excellent substitute for giving money.
3. Hold a volunteer recruitment event for interested supporters to learn more about your organization and how they can get involved. You might want to have two events: one during the day for retired folks and others who want daytime opportunities, and one in the evening for people who work during the day. Ask your current volunteers to help you organize it, and to be on hand to answer questions and share their experiences. And of course, ask them to bring their friends.

Keeping a steady supply of volunteers is vital for every nonprofit to serve clients in their time of need. As demand for services grows, do you have enough volunteers ready to help? If not, follow these tips to add some new volunteers to replace those who are moving on.

Twitter, the 140-character-limit social networking and messaging service, has been in the news quite a bit lately, especially with the political events in Egypt. When in our history have so many people been connected so quickly and easily in support of a common goal?

That’s the beauty of Twitter—nonprofit groups can use this popular tool to not only communicate quickly with their supporters, they can also raise visibility for their cause, for an event or to raise funds.

Here are 5 tips for nonprofits to use Twitter effectively:

1. Connecting through online social media tools is a great first step to creating a long-term supporter. Don’t neglect the follow up, by inviting the person to visit your website or sign up for newsletters. They might not donate right away, but you can lay the foundation for future support.
2. Be real. People want to know that there is a person behind the tweets, so don’t be afraid to engage in a real conversation or reveal your personality. And use your name or the name of your organization so people feel a connection.
3. Make it easy for donors to donate! If you don’t already have one, add a “donate now” button to your website. When you send out a tweet asking for money, be sure to link to the page that includes this link. Don’t make your supporters click through more than one page to give you money—or you risk losing them.
4. Tell people what the money is for. Share a quick story—in as few characters as possible—of how donations will make a real difference in someone’s life, in the community or for the environment. Make that emotional connection.
5. Make it a two-way conversation: Don’t forget to listen as much as you talk. If you have people asking questions, that’s a sign of success—be sure to respond to what people are saying about your organization. Address concerns and nip in the bud any misconceptions that are floating around.

Nonprofit organizations don’t have it easy these days. From cuts in state funding to lower donations from supporters, many charitable organizations must battle every day just to keep the doors open. And not all have succeeded. With all the difficulties facing NPO directors, they have their hands full. Added regulations and time-intensive requirements can seem unnecessary.

But there is one that is not: conducting background checks on volunteers. “Why should we be required to run background checks?” said one NPO director. “I don’t have the time or budget, and all of our volunteers are model citizens.”

This must be one lucky NPO manager! Others have not been so lucky. Volunteers come from all backgrounds, and just like the general public, there are a certain percentage of honest volunteers, dishonest volunteers, and volunteers with criminal histories—or worse, sex offender status.

Despite a lack of time or budget, nonprofit organizations depending on federal and state funding to serve their clients could be mandated by state and federal governments to conduct background screening. Specifically, those providing day care or child care services, or that bring employees or volunteers into contact with minors or vulnerable adults, are typically required to perform background checks on all employees and volunteers.

In addition, federal programs or those with federal contracts are required to conduct criminal background checks on both employees and volunteers. The same is often true in some states, if any state funds are used by the organization.

Any NPO that plans to conduct background checks must notify the potential volunteer and obtain written consent by way of a signature on a notification page. It’s easy enough to add this document to a volunteer application.

Whether it’s mandated or not, it’s just good practice to conduct background checks on potential volunteers. Why not take this easy step to protect your staff, clients and other volunteers from potential danger of an unknown volunteer’s unknown problems?

It pays to plan before you send a group of volunteers out to accomplish a task. Project planning can make a volunteer’s job more efficient and successful. How do some professional volunteer managers seem to plan their projects with such ease? The answer can be as simple as . Keeping good records helps you establish good procedures for how to accomplish a task the next time.

1. Write it all down

First assess the areas you need help in. This will help you recruit volunteers with appropriate skills. For example, if you need to plan a fundraiser, you might need an auctioneer, an event planner, and a designer. For meal delivery to shut-ins, you’d look for empathetic people who are adept at making connections with others.

Next, look at the project itself. Ask why it needs to be done—that’s the goal that will direct every activity. Is it to raise money for operations, or to buy a needed piece of equipment? Is it to raise awareness of a cause? Or is the project something that falls under your organization’s direct work?

Then figure out the steps it will take to finish the project. Start at the beginning, at the end, or in the middle—you’ll fill in the rest of the steps from there.

Decide how many volunteers  each step will take. What skills are needed during each phase? For a fundraiser, you’d need a designer at the beginning, the middle and the end; you’d need the auctioneer just on the day of the event.

Time is the next issue—how much do you have overall and how much do you anticipate each step will take? If it’s a short-term project, like planting trees along a stream, then figure out how long it will take to gather enough volunteers, obtain the trees, get permission for planting, and pick a day from there.

Is the project going to involve volunteers working with children, handling funds or interacting with at-risk populations? Then be sure to figure in time for background screening for those volunteers.

Finally, what transportation will be needed for volunteers? Whether they can walk to the site, or you’ll need a bus to get them there, don’t make the mistake of deciding you need transportation after all the volunteers have arrived. You’ll be wasting valuable work time—and valuable volunteer time.

2. Fill out a project sheet.

With the answers to the above questions clearly established, you’ll be able to fill out a simple project worksheet:

PROJECT WORKSHEET

Title:       Goal:

Start date:      End date:

Number of volunteers:      Hours per week per volunteer:

Project description:

Volunteer job title:
Volunteer job description:
Number of volunteers we need for this job description:
Background check:      yes      no

Volunteer job title:
Volunteer job description:
Number of volunteers we need for this job description:
Background check:      yes      no

Volunteer job title:
Volunteer job description:
Number of volunteers we need for this job description:
Background check:      yes      no

Total number of volunteers for this project:

Transportation needs:

Other needs (permits, event space, etc.):