Volunteering is in!
For many nonprofit organizations, lack of funding and overworked staff are the two main challenges to success. That is why HandsOn Suburban Chicago (HOSC) offers our community partners a Strategic Volunteer Management Training Series (SVMTS) to leverage to power of volunteers. When budgets are small and staff is limited, volunteers can take an organization from floundering to flourishing.
The most recent training occurred last week, led by HandsOn Suburban Chicago’s COO Chris Smith. 20 attendees from a variety of community organizations and corporations gained valuable knowledge over the two-day training on a variety of Volunteer Management topics.
Some of the highlights from the training include:
Planning
Strategic volunteer management is about planning. In our SVMTS course, we cover the best practices in volunteer management. For example, the 5-part volunteer project circle:
- Planning the program
- Recruiting and placing
- Orientation and training
- Supervision and recognition
- Evaluation and improvement
Risk management
What measures do you take in ensuring volunteer safety? How do you determine the responsible party in the event of an accident? How do you attain legal help when writing safety waivers? SVMTS heard from a panel of legal experts from Zurich in North America to discuss risk management practices.
Technology
Effective use of technology is essential for volunteers and group projects. Using the freely available cloud-based online software from google, organizations can streamline projects and increase access by volunteers. Our own HandsOn Tech consultants provide tutorials on how to leverage google for your nonprofit.
In the most recent SVMTS session, participants enjoyed hearing panelists and consultants who could share on their area of expertise, from engaging youth to using skill-based volunteers. For many it was their first training exclusively on volunteer management!
The resources provided at the training “forces you to really think about how the information impacts where I am and how to move forward!” said one volunteer coordinator.
Recruiting and effectively engaging volunteers can make all the difference. Thank you to all our participants and good luck recruiting and managing more volunteers!
The next SVMTS at HandsOn Suburban Chicago will be held on February 26-27th. Please click here to register!
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