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Introducing
Volunteens:
A New LPM
Project
by Susanne Magyar-Chapiel
smagyar@mb.sympatico.ca (204)
334-8700
Most of us have long known that there aren’t enough hours
in the day or days in a month to get our literacy work done. We also know that
volunteers could make our work lives easier, if only:
- we knew how to effectively recruit and screen them,
- we had formal policies and procedures to follow and
volunteer job descriptions that clearly defined their roles and
responsibilities,
- we could tap into a specific group in our communities that
was willing and able to give us their time and energy.
Good
News
There’s good news on the way! As LPM’s first
Volunteer Coordinator, I’ve been thinking about these questions, and soon
I’ll be able to share all that I’ve learned.
Since early
October, I’ve been researching the way more than a dozen local agencies
operate their volunteer programs. I’ve met with their Volunteer
Coordinators, reviewed their policies and procedures manuals, reviewed
volunteer job descriptions (and skills/talent inventories), and read stacks of
volunteer management books and articles. I also attended the Volunteer Centre
of Winnipeg’s highly-regarded Volunteer Screening and Interviewing
workshops to get the latest information and advice on how to select or reject
people who come forward to help us.
Volunteer
Management Guide
Once this research is done, I’ll be
developing an LPM-specific Volunteer Management guide, providing you with
several sample volunteer job descriptions (non-tutoring jobs you may want to
recruit for) and providing you with step-by-step information on how to
effectively incorporate volunteers into your programs.
As for a target
audience for this project, we’ve selected teens – young people who
have the time and energy after school, on weekends, and on holidays, to give to
a good cause – and what better cause than ours? Hundreds of high school
students around the province have skills and talents that they want to put to
good use in their communities, while other teens are looking for opportunities
to develop their skills and find their talents – by working on real-life
projects and learning from professionals.
Services to the Field
Over the next few
months, I’ll be providing you with the results of our research as one of
the services we offer to the field:
- The latest tools (forms) and information (procedures) for
recruiting and screening these potential volunteers.
- A “volunteen” application form, and a Volunteen
Recruiting poster.
- Information on how to interview potential volunteers, how
to check their references, and how to make them feel welcome when they first
start.
- Information on how to track their progress, help them to
improve their work, and how to deal with any problems that may come up.
- Ways to appreciate volunteens in your community —
throughout the year, not just during Volunteer Week.
What you can do:
- Tell me what volunteer job desciptions you’d like to
see developed: receptionists during registration time? community outreach
workers to recruit learners? special events organizers? fundraisers? internet
researchers? grant writers? etc.? etc.?
- What work could you delegate so that you could focus on
helping your learners?
- How have you said “thank you” to your volunteers
in the past? If you give gifts, what is your budget per person? What kinds of
gifts would you be interested in seeing offered this spring?
- Would you be interested in purchasing volunteer/board
appreciation gifts through LPM, if we could order large quantities at wholesale
prices?
Please send me your comments by January 15th. Thank
you. Susanne.
Judith Hayes Report
The Manitoba Learn Line
Update
The Learn Line has become very busy during the first three
months of the program year. That’s really good news for the literacy
programs in Manitoba! You may have noticed Learn Line advertisements in the
Winnipeg Free Press of late. We are very pleased that they have donated
advertising space for the promotion of literacy programs. We have seen a 15%
increase in Learn Line calls resulting in many more referrals to literacy
programs throughout the province.
Our callers include potential
learners, as well as counsellors from social service, community, and government
agencies. These callers and/or their clients are referred to appropriate
programs in their areas. Since September, the Learn Line has received over 100
calls and has referred those callers to your programs.
A fax form was
sent to programs asking about available space. In order to meet our
clients’ needs, it’s important to notify Literacy Partners of your
available program seats immediately. You can fax the office at 956-9315 or
call Judith Hayes, Learn Line Coordinator, at 697-3133.
The Learner Speakers’ Bureau
Learner
Speakers have been busy this year making presentations at literacy programs for
university students and at events for Literacy Partners of Manitoba. We have
two learner mentors, Ken Gesell and Dan Deurbrouck, available to provide
support for new speakers. The Learner Speakers’ Bureau is always looking
for new members.
The Learner Speakers’ Bureau would like to visit
your program. Learner speakers would like to encourage other learners to take
the Speakers’ Training. The training has been rescheduled for February
2000. If your program would like to have a presentation by one of the speakers,
or if you have students interested in taking the February Speakers’
Training, please call Judith Hayes at 697-3133 or leave a message at Literacy
Partners (947-5757) |
