Volunteer Management Series

Posted by on April 16, 2012

Volunteer Management Series

Volunteers have always been fundamental to the success of nonprofit organizations. But in challenging economic times, the value of volunteers as a resource is underscored. This series of workshops addressing volunteer management will help you to build, recruit, manage and retain “best fit” volunteers to support your programs. All sessions are presented by and will be held at The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University, 1900 West Olney Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa. 19141, from 9 – 11 am.

You may attend one or all of the series. The sessions will be closed at 20 participants.  The cost is underwritten by a grant from PHENND for capacity building allowing us to charge $20 per session or $55 for the series if paid before the first session.  Please contact Louise Giugliano, Director of Service-Learning at La Salle University for a brief application.  giuglian@lasalle.edu.  Applications are due by April 24.

Building an Effective Volunteer Program
May 8, 2012
Are volunteers right for your organization? The answer to this question can almost always be a “yes” – if you approach your volunteer program strategically. This session will share ideas about different volunteer program models and different approaches to integrating volunteers into your organization. You will leave with tools and the beginning of an action plan for enhancing your volunteer program in ways that will best support your organization’s work. By attending this session you will:
•    Understand the elements of a strong volunteer program
•    Learn how to prepare your organization to use volunteers effectively
•    Build commitment to your volunteer program at all levels of your organization
•    Determine how volunteers best fit in to your organization’s work

Recruiting Volunteers
May 29, 2012
Once you know your organization can benefit from volunteer assistance, how do you find the right volunteers? This session will offer strategies for finding potential volunteers, techniques for matching volunteers with the right job, and ideas for boosting volunteer retention. You’ll leave with new ideas for creating volunteer relationships that satisfy both your organization and your volunteer participants. By attending this session you will:
•    Understand why people volunteer and how to capitalize on these motivations to strengthen your volunteer program
•    Build a recruiting strategy that will help you attract volunteers with the kind of skills and experience you need to support your organization’s work.
•    Understand the importance of recognizing volunteers for their contributions, and start developing a recognition program for your organization’s volunteers.

Managing Volunteers
June 19, 2012
Once you have volunteers at your organization, how do you keep them productive and engaged? How do you ensure that the time they are spending with you contributes to your organization’s success? Volunteers need to be supervised, which often presents many of the same challenges as supervising paid employees. This session will offer techniques for managing volunteers for long term success, including effective supervision and ongoing feedback and evaluation. You will:
•    Understand various options for structuring your volunteer program, including different types of supervisory structures
•    Plan for successful volunteer training and orientation
•    Learn effective techniques for supervising volunteers and handling common challenges