Just wondering how members of the group have provided gestures on
behalf of their organization when there is a death of a volunteer?
We have had a couple of volunteers pass away recently and I am looking
for ideas on how to honor their memory.
Thank you,

Mary Miller
Volunteer/Internship and Programs Associate
Oregon Historical Society

[Signature added by moderator mkh.  Please sign all posts]

I am in the process of writing new goals for next fiscal year and am
looking for retention goals.  I am finding it difficult to locate any
best practice information.  What are others using as their retention
goals for both regular year long volunteers as well as one time special
event volunteers?

Lisa Schuenemann
Wellness House

No.  When we enroll new volunteers our enrollment application asks for an
email address.  We verbally explain that we will from time to time send out
information and suggest they only give us an email address if they would
like to be contacted.   So far nobody has had an issue with it.  We blind
copy the volunteers.



Susan Reehl, Program Director
WestArk RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program)
401 North 13th Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901
(479) 783-4155   Fax (479) 782-2269
www.WestArkRSVP.org

[Overquoting removed by moderator mkh]

Mary Miller asks:  "provided gestures on
behalf of their organization when there is a death of a volunteer"

I think plaques are always nice.  If you have the means, maybe plant a
tree or place a small plaque in an already established garden.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amy Raub, Program Coordinator
Seminole County Natural Lands Program
3485 N CR 426
Geneva, Florida 32732
office - 407-349-0959
cell - 321-363-7978
fax - 407-349-9551
www.seminolecountyfl.gov/natland
<http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/natland>

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."  ~William Shakespeare

[Overquoting removed by moderator mkh]

We provide t-shirts, this is an outdoor volunteer activity.  I think
requesting white or light color shirt and dark pants is fine and you
would not have to provide that.  Most people have those clothes.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amy Raub, Program Coordinator
Seminole County Natural Lands Program
3485 N CR 426
Geneva, Florida 32732
office - 407-349-0959
cell - 321-363-7978
fax - 407-349-9551
www.seminolecountyfl.gov/natland
<http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/natland>

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."  ~William Shakespeare

Do you need help to pay for travel and registration to attend the
conference?  Then go for a scholarship!
New!  For Tribal Museum Professional
       For Volunteer at a Historic Site

The scholarship  application deadline is July 31. Click here to
download the application.

The 2008 MPMA conference is a joint conference with AMM (Association
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the conference is a great way to get "in the network," an important
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anyone wanting to know more about the museum community.
Scholarships for New and Seasoned Professionals
Many scholarships are available for new and seasoned professionals.
Scholarship for a Volunteer at a Historic Site
The Claudia and Bob Brown Scholarship is available to an applicant
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The Art Wolf Scholarship is available to an applicant who works at a
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All Recipients Get this….   a free conference registration and a one-
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Questions
Contact MPMA at 303-979-9358 or Scholarship Chair Brian Whisenhunt
at  blw71@... for more information.

MPMA's Annual Conference - Meeting in the Middle - in 2008  is in
Kansas City, MO.  Mark your calendars now since this is a LATE
OCTOBER Date.
The conference is scheduled for October 21-25, 2008, at the Hotel
Phillips in Kansas City, Missouri. MPMA will collaborate with the
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MPMA is the professional service provider to museums in ten states:
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For more information Click here: Mountain-Plains Museums Association
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7110 West David Drive
Littleton, Colorado 80128-5404
303-979-9358 / fax 303-979-3553 http://www.mpma.net/

Monta Lee
Monta Lee Dakin
Executive Director

Meghan wrote: Does anyone else include this at the bottom of emails if
you are emailing large groups?


Hi Meghan and all:
I do include an unsubscribe "disclaimer" at the TOP of my email
newsletters. I try to educate volunteers that if they opt out of the
newsletters, then they will be very ill informed. Most people only
unsubscribe when they decide to leave volunteer service (I will
unsubscribe them automatically if they resign or retire).

I cannot speak to the legalities of the issue--perhaps some other
members can.

Babette McKay
Manager of Volunteer Resources
Montalvo Arts Center
Saratoga, California
volunteer @ montalvoarts.org




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Greetings, all

Are there conferences for Volunteer Management in the southwest that offer
scholarships?
I am in AZ and have very limited funds for Professional Development
I would GREATLY appreciate the opportunity to attend a conference!

Lisa Lorenson
Coordinator, Volunteer Resources
Family Life Radio
Tucson, AZ

I know that volunteer retention is always something we think is important
but I think in today’s world, you can’t count on retaining volunteers the
way they counted on it 30 years ago or even 20 years ago.  Most people want
short-term activities and lots of flexibility.

What is the purpose or goal of retention?

If the goal is to retain volunteers so they become friends of the
organization financially, then that’s another story and one about which you
should probably consult your development colleagues.

I think the best practices about retention are the same as best practices
for managing a reasonably responsible volunteer program.

My experience has been that retaining between 50 – 75% of the volunteers I
started with, each year, then I’m doing well- but that also allows for good,
fresh blood to come in and juice it up.

My hunch is that most people retain more-


Best wishes,
Sam

Sarah (Sam) Elliston,
Certified Volunteer Administrator
Reality Therapy Certified
Nonprofit Empowerment Consultant
3653 Herschel Ave, Cincinnati, OH
45208-1936   (ph)  513-533-0427
( cell)  513-706-9130
ellistonsh@...
www.sarahellistonconsulting.com




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Hallie,



Our volunteers wear a long sleeve, button down shirt with our logo on it
with dark slacks or skirt and dark shoes. This is the "year-round" uniform
and I provide the shirt to them and they keep and care for it as long as
they are a volunteer. If they leave, they return it to the Volunteer office.
We pay approximately $20 per shirt.



As an alternate in the summer time, when it's HOT here, the Volunteers have
the option of purchasing short-sleeve navy blue polo shirts with the logo
and "Volunteer" on it from our gift store at cost plus tax. They wear this
shirt with khaki slacks or skirt and dark shoes. Because they purchase the
shirt, they keep it if they leave the program, although I've had a couple
donate those back to the program.



A local western museum has their volunteers dress in "western" wear - jeans,
bolo ties, denim vests, skirts, etc. Some of the volunteers also wear cowboy
hats. As we're a "western" town, this kind of dressing isn't uncommon around
here and is even kind of expected. To differentiate the volunteers from
guests, the volunteers have easily identifiable name tags. I think the
uniform is a white shirt and then jeans, blue or black, and accessories as
desired. I'm always amazed at how easily identifiable they are.



Our local civic center has their volunteer ushers wear white shirts and
black bottoms - skirt or slacks.



I'm a big supporter of uniforms for Volunteers in public places. Uniforms
make them easily identifiable by both guests and staff. Guests know who to
turn to if they need something. Also, by utilizing uniforms, I can easily
encourage professional dress and presence. I can't always say that for the
staff.



Kindest regards,

Robbin
Robbin D. Davis
Volunteer & Marketing Manager
Oklahoma Museum of History
Oklahoma History Center
2401 N Laird Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-7914
405.522.0754
405.522.5402, fax
rdavis@...
www.okhistorycenter.org

Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish
for yourself. It's what you do for others. - Danny Thomas

[Overquoting removed by moderator mkh]

Hi Mary,

Our parent agency, the Oklahoma Historical Society, has a donor program
where patrons can purchase a red brick and have it engraved to memorialize
family members, organizations, etc. Our Volunteer program is relatively new
but we've had 2 volunteers pass away since we began it three years ago. We
have purchased a brick for each volunteer and had their name and dates of
service engraved on the bricks. When they are installed in our museum's
courtyard later this year, I will notify the families of the volunteers.

Another local museum has a nice wooden plaque in their volunteer lounge with
brass plates that are engraved with the names and dates of service of
volunteers who have passed on.

Hope this is helpful info.

~robbin
Robbin D. Davis
Volunteer & Marketing Manager
Oklahoma Museum of History
Oklahoma History Center
2401 N Laird Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-7914
405.522.0754
405.522.5402, fax
rdavis@...
www.okhistorycenter.org

Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish
for yourself. It's what you do for others. - Danny Thomas

Regarding Meghan's question about including "unsubscribe" at the
bottom of a large group e-mai:

We use "Exact Target" for our large group e-mails, and at the bottom
of the page, there are the following options:
-Forward to a Friend
-Remove from List
-Update Profile
and
-Manage Subscriptions (in case they want to add their name to
another list, or publication).

Meghan, I can forward to you our latest e-update so that you can see
what it looks like.

Angie Smorey
Director, Volunteer Services
Cincinnati Museum Center
(513) 287-7025
asmorey@...
www.cincymuseum.org

mk

As part of our application requirements, volunteers are to have an email
address and access to the Internet. We require this for two reasons; we use
an online volunteer management program and because I communicate with them
mostly through email. They know upfront that they will be getting emails
from me. I do not provide their info to anyone else and I assure them of
that.



Also, I am fanatical about blind copying so that emails are not distributed
and pirated. I've had several volunteers who have expressed that they
appreciate that we do that and I also had one call me on it early in the
program. I accidentally sent an email but did not blind copy and the
volunteer told me quickly of my mistake. I remember that now every time I
send out an email to the volunteers. I'm also very careful to ask permission
before I share contact information between volunteers.



I agree too, with Susan, that because we send so much valuable information
to the volunteers through email, opting out puts them "out of the loop" and
their whole point is to be "in the loop" so they can help the agency.



~robbin

Robbin D. Davis

Volunteer & Marketing Manager

Oklahoma Museum of History

Oklahoma History Center

2401 N Laird Avenue

Oklahoma City, OK 73105-7914

405.522.0754

405.522.5402, fax

rdavis@...

www.okhistorycenter.org

Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish
for yourself. It's what you do for others. - Danny Thomas

  mk

thats amazing that you retain 50-75% i just started at Trinity Services in
Joliet Ill and when I came in the retention rate was less than 5%. It may be the
lack of policies or lack of supervision that causes this very low rention. Maybe
one day I can develop the program here that has even half of that.

I also, retention is based on the jobs the volunteers can do and here the
development department restricts volunteers from most things except hard labor
like weeding and cleaning. How do you get people that want to take out garbage?


Beth Biss
Volunteer Administrator
Trinty service inc
100 north Gougar
Joliet il 60432
bbiss@...
gscampstar@...


Helping people with disabilities live full and abundant lives.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I'd like some help on group emails.  At the moment, I'm just doing them
via outlook.  I'd like to have people (not just volunteers but anybody
who's interested)sign up for our mailing list.  At the moment I have a
link on our website to email me (but if you don't have outlook it won't
work).  I tried Google Groups, but it seems that every recipient would
have to get his or her own Google account.  I love the idea of Google
Groups, since it manages the emails (with subscribe/unsubscribe
options, dealing with bounced emails, etc).  Any suggestions for
software or site?  Of course, we'd prefer free!

Thanks!
Tori

Tori Adams
Communications Coordinator
Alzheimer's Family Day Center
Fairfax, VA
www.AlzheimersFDC.org


she

Hi all,

After doing a little research, I found this website and summary helpful:
http://www.spamlaws.com/spam-laws.html
"The law covers email that's primary purpose is to advertise or promote a
product, service, or website. Personal emails and email updates and
advertisements that have been consented to are not covered under this law. Also
not covered are "transactional or relationship messages," which are emails that
pertain to agreed-upon transactions or emails that update a customers in an
existing business relationship. That is because these types of emails are not
technically spam - they are a result of previous consent or a business
relationship. However, if these types of emails contain false or misleading
information they are in offense of the CAN-SPAM Act."

My emails were not coming from a mass email service, which is why I was
wondering if I needed to include an option to opt-out.  Thanks for everyone's
input & advice.

Sincerely,

Meghan Kaskoun, CVA, M.A.
Volunteer Manager
Aronoff Center for the Arts
513.977.4113
mkaskoun@...<mailto:mkaskoun@...>

If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.
- Seneca
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

www.goodsearch.com<http://www.goodsearch.com>

Be sure to enter Cincinnati Arts Association as the charity you want to support.
Just 500 people searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year
without anyone spending a dime! spread the word!



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi, everyone, I'm new to this list.  I've recently assumed a role to
redevelop a national volunteer strategy for a large community organizing
group, and I'm curious if anyone on this list has specific experience in
identifying, engaging, and mobilizing political volunteers, specifically.
I'm hitting a wall in my attempts to go beyond e-mail organizing and how
best to approach methods like phone organizing, or any other forms of
potential volunteer contact.

Also, if anyone has experience using the Salsa database to manage
volunteers, I would really appreciate advice on how effective that system
is.

Thanks,
Farid
fbenamor@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

she

A lot of people use constant contact (www.constantcontact.com
<http://www.constantcontact.com/> ) to manage their mass e-mailings.  I
just sent my first one through our account on constant contacts the
other day, although our communications department has been using their
platform for a long time.  Check with your communications/marketing
people as they might have something already that you can tap into.
Another similar product that I found out about this morning is EMMA
(myemma.com)-they advertise a 20% discount for non-profits.  These
programs also have compliance with the anti-spamming legislation already
built into them and guidance about how to stay within the guidelines.



Thanks!

Kristin Menson
BREC Volunteer Coordinator
225.272.9200 x581
kmenson@... <mailto:kmenson@...>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
she

The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited
Pornography and Marketing Act) establishes requirements for those who
send commercial email.  You can read about the CAN-SPAM Act at
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/canspam.shtm. If you have
questions about whether the Act applies to your organization, you
should consult with an attorney.

Cheryl Zalenski
ABA Center for Pro Bono

she

We use Volunteer Reporter software to maintain our volunteer and partner
database.  We bought the software to keep up with our volunteer activities
(hours, placement, etc.) but the software allows us to send group emails in
two clicks.  However it configure email,  it never gets kicked out as spam.
Our volunteer email is usually to about 400 members.  Web site is
http://www.volsoft.com/products/reporter.htm.  We consider it worth every
penny.



Susan Reehl, Program Director

WestArk RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program)

401 North 13th Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901

(479) 783-4155   Fax (479) 782-2269

www.WestArkRSVP.org



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

she

I don't know the specifics of the spam legislation but if you are
sending the e-mail out to a large list of people then you really should
state the purpose of the e-mail and a way to unsubscribe.  I was in
charge of a newsletter list at a Girl Scout Council and used Outlook to
send my messages.  At the bottom I wrote something to the effect of:



"You are receiving this message as a member of the Girl Scout Council.
If you wish to be removed from these updates please reply with
unsubscribe in the subject line of your e-mail."



If nothing else it helps build good will and serves as a reminder of why
they are getting your messages.







Nick Cross



Volunteer Coordinator
she

Sanford Middle School

3524 42nd Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55406

nicholas.cross@...



Cell (612) 366-8653

Main Office (612) 668-4900

Fax  (612) 668-4910



This is an AmericorpsVISTA position.

________________________________






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Retention should be a secondary issue.  I suggest you track why people leave
volunteering with you.  If they've died, become ill, moved away or accepted
employment - those aren't circumstances you can control.  If on the other
hand they leave because they don't feel appreciated or hate the staff they
interact with you know where to focus your energies.



Susan Reehl, Program Director

WestArk RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program)

401 North 13th Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901

(479) 783-4155   Fax (479) 782-2269

www.WestArkRSVP.org

  she







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I am working on a informal position inventory and salary survey to help
in the strategic planning for our department.  If you are willing to
share information regarding your title, salary, and job
responsibilities, please send me an email kmenson(at)brec(dot)org.


(please sign your posts)

k menson at the Recreation and Park Commission of East Baton Rouge
added by moderator

SHE

Hello Susan,
 
There is a spam checker that can be initiated by your webmaster or designer.  It
should show you all the ! and words that kick your mail out of general and into
outer space.
 
Dawn Brown
Director of Development



she

a lot of people can be logged or invited to sites like Facebook and myspace. 
Myspace is a great display area if you have the knack for graphics arts and
music.  You can also post polls, ask for opinions and subscription information
on constant contact.  Great resource but its not free after the first 60 days or
100 emails.  But the layouts and extras are wonderful. 
 
Good luck,
 
Dawn Brown
Director of Development



she

Sorry moderator, that was me.  I tend to forget to add my contact
information when I use the yahoo groups site to post a message.



Thanks!

Kristin Menson
BREC Volunteer Coordinator
225.272.9200 x581
kmenson@... <mailto:kmenson@...>

she

Retaining volunteers can be very valuable as it allows you to spend less
time recruiting and have very skilled knowledgeable people to work with
over time. However, by the nature of the relationship some volunteers
(such as interns or community service) are not sustainable. This
presents a challenge if you lump all volunteers together and just look
at the numbers. Last year I started a new process to track retention. I created
a
"project an end date" for each volunteer and then calculate retention
based on that end-date established. For example, if an intern is here
for the semester I put the end date as the semester end. If I keep them
the whole semester I consider them as 100% retained for the year. If I
sign up a community service volunteer that plans to do 10 hours a week
in the office and needs 100 hours, I project their date as 10 weeks out.
If I keep them that whole time it's 100%. Over time I hope to have some
good numbers to compare and the ability to possibly set goals for
increasing each year. When a volunteer leaves I also track why. Did they
moved away or have a significant life change, or did I just loose them?
I would love anyone else's ideas on how to have numbers that make sense
with the effort you put forth.

Marie

Marie Tucker, CVA
Director of Volunteer Services
Universal Health - Hospice
817-451-1404
  <mailto:volunteer@...> volunteer@...
"The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention"
Duguet

she

I should have asked the question sooner!  Thanks for all your tips.  I
would ask our webmaster, but by default that's me (we are a really
small organization).

We did just convert to Sage Fundraising 50 and also use it for our
volunteers.  I can probably do mass email that way, but I'm finding it
a hard program to learn (and there's not much support out there).  If
anybody uses Sage, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks everybody!

Tori Adams
Communications Coordinator
Alzheimer's Family Day Center
Fairfax, VA
www.AlzheimersFDC.org


BEM

How to maneuver through and locate files on CyberVPM

Go to:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cybervpm/
Once you are signed in, you will see a list of links (in a different colored
box) in the
upper left of the page.

Left Side of Screen

1. "Message" will give you a list of the messages that have been sent since
April 2000.
2. "Files" will give you some files with a variety of forms and other
information regarding volunteer management.  If you are looking for a specific
type of form, this would be the place to look first.
3. "Photos" area is currently empty, but we plan to post photos from conferences
or other activities.
4. "Links" will take you to a listing of web addresses for members who have
uploaded their website to cybervpm.
5. "Members" will give you a list of all of the members in cybervpm, listed by
email address.  You can search for a member if you know at least a part of their
email address (or can make a good guess).

Right Side of Screen

1. "Edit Your Membership" on the upper right side of the screen, allows you to
edit how to receive emails (individual, daily digest, special notices or no
email), add a new profile, add a new email address (if yours has changed since
you joined or last updated), and how you want your messages formatted.
2. "Leave Group" you will be unsubscribed from the group.
3. "My Groups" you can also see any other yahoo groups that you belong to.

To POST A FILE to CyberVPM’s shared directory:
1. Send an email to the discussion forum with a description of the file you
would like to post.
2. The moderator will reply with a request for you to send them the file.
3. The moderator will then review and, if approved, post the file.

The Home Page also shows the most recent messages and has a variety of
statistical information for you to peruse.  Thanks for being a part of this
group.

YAHOO'S INSTRUCTIONS for being able to see everything
A user asks:
"I'm receiving email from a group, but when I try to visit the group's web
pages, it says that I "need to enable web access"."

In some instances, it is possible for you to join a Yahoo! Group's email list
without having access to the group's web features. When this happens, you will
not be recognized upon visiting the group home page. To get full access to the
group, otherwise known as "web access," please follow the instructions below:

    1. Go to the Yahoo! Groups Membership Wizard. You will be asked to sign in
with your Yahoo! ID. (If you are not a registered Yahoo! member, you may sign up
for a free account on this page. Once you complete your registration, you will
be returned to the Membership Wizard.)
    2. Make sure the email address where you are receiving messages from the
group appears in the Membership Wizard. If it does not appear, add it via the
link provided. (If you add an address, you will be sent a verification email to
that address to assure that you own it. Please check your email and follow the
instructions in the message sent to you. Then, return to the Membership Wizard.)
    3. Once your email address appears in the Memberhip Wizard as verified,
continue with the the steps in the wizard to get "web access" to all your
groups.

Upon completing the Membership Wizard, you should be recognized upon returning
to the group and will be able to:

     * Access your group web features, such as Photos, Files, Calendar, and more.
     * Easily control the email delivery settings for all of your groups, via the
Groups web site. Just visit the My Groups page.

If you have questions, send an email to cybervpm-leaders@yahoogroups.com

We are in the midst of creating a special volunteer program for high school
students.  Does any one know if there are any special considerations that I
should be aware of?  For instance, age limits, background checks, parent
permission.
 
Thanks for your collective wisdom.
 
Hallie Rosen
Director of Volunteer and Visitor Services
IL Holocaust Museum & Education Center
9641 Woods Drive
Skokie, IL 60077
847-491-0905, ext.113
(847) 491-6601 (Fax)
hrosen@...
www.hmfi.org
 
 




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]