An Essential: Involving Volunteers in CTCs

An Essential: Involving Volunteers in CTCs A presentation by UNITeS

Why Are You Here? Huh? (audience members tell why they are attending this workshop)

E-Volunteering Unit @ 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)

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.

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.

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 --

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

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?

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?

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).

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

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

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.

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 --

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 --

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

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 --

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 --

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 --

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 --

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

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

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

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

Thank you!

An Essential: Involving Volunteers in CTCs