Thank you for the information, Beth. I also received the information below,
which links a good resource on this subject, from a colleague on another
listserv:

>>>Here is info from Susan Ellis' Energize newsletter for May 2009. Click on the
"Hot Topic" and you will find links to many sites including, with just a bit
more clicking, the full text of the Serve America Act. Read up – it's a new
exciting age for all of us!  www.energizeinc.com


May Hot Topic: The Role of Volunteer Resources Managers in the Serve America
Act: Stay Up-to-Date and Lead

The lengthy and complex Serve America Act has been signed into law. As a
profession, we have a unique and strategic chance to influence effective
implementation of the Act, draw attention to the skills of volunteer resources
management, and assure that the volunteer community is truly strengthened by the
new initiatives. Learn how you can get involved with tips from Guest Writer
Paula Beugen (and some editorializing from Susan). <<<<


Julie Crosby
Volunteer Coordinator
Florida Museum of Natural History
www.flmnh.ufl.edu


KLS

Hi folks,

I'm wondering if any of you have advice on where to hold volunteer meetings and
how often to hold them.  I don't think having them at a person's home is
probably the best idea, but other than that I'm wondering if some of you have
had better luck with certain venues over others.  ie a restaurant over a library
conf. room, etc.  We have no facility and are just starting to try to get
volunteers engaged but not many people are consistently coming to meetings.

Any advice is appreciated.

Kristin Nelson

KLS

I work for a church and often I hold meetings in a Starbuck’s or similar
location – Panera’s has a community room where one can hold meetings.  I
find volunteers like to attend in different places.

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]

Kristin and all,

Here is a list of possible questions for a volunteer interview:

1. Tell us about yourself.
2. Why do you want to volunteer at this point in your life?
3. What attracted you do our program?
4. What do you know about our organization?
5. What would you like to gain from your volunteer experience?
6. What are you looking for in a volunteer position?
7. What are your greatest strengths/weaknesses?
8. Describe your work ethic.
9. Why do you think you would be a good volunteer?
10. Would you rather work alone, with a group, or with a partner?? Why?
11. How long would you stay with us?
12. How would people describe you?
13. How do you feel about previous volunteer positions/job?
14. What did you like most about your last volunteer position/job?
15. What did you like least about your last volunteer position/job?

-George

Georgean Johnson-Coffey, M. Ed
Consultant and Trainer in Volunteer Services Management
Fort Wayne IN

"When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands
in worship of the Creator." -Mahatma Gandhi

mk

Hi Kristin,
Have you ever thought of asking your local library? Many times they have
small meeting rooms that can be used. We use them all the time and they
are very accommodating and FREE!

Rebecca Maletto
Volunteer Field Coordinator - Allegheny County

Foster Grandparent Program
+ American Red Cross
412-263-3165



  mk

For office volunteers, I usually ask for their resume to get an idea of
their background/interests/volunteer experience. Then the conversation
can go from there and we can discuss particular/relevant experiences. I
make sure to find out 1) why they want to volunteer with our
organization 2) the types of skills they'd like to utilize (i.e. do they
want to help with mailings or would they rather use research or writing
skills, language skills, etc) 3) what kind of tasks they don't want to
do and 4) their availability and level of commitment they are able to
make (hrs/day, days/wk, # of months, etc, if applicable).


Hope that's helpful (and at least a start!).


Cheers,


Carrie Jones | Community Outreach Coordinator

AmeriCorps Member

Oregon Environmental Council

222 NW Davis Street, Suite 309

Portland, OR 97209-3900

503.222.1963 x115

volunteer@... | www.oeconline.org <http://www.oeconline.org>

~It's Your Oregon~

  mk

"I'm wondering if any of you have advice on where to hold volunteer meetings and
how often to hold them."

Per a couple people's questions, we provide low-income spay/neuter assistance. 
we are an all-volunteer group.  Our library does provide some meeting space, but
not on a monthly basis.  Once per quarter I believe.  I'm not sure if that is
the best place anyway as it isn't a "fun" atmosphere really and we are trying to
engage people and get them coming to the meetings and participating.

Kristin Nelson

ssw

Kirstin wrote:

"Wanted to see if anyone was willing to share the questions they use when
interviewing volunteers."

Hi Kirstin,

Each of the questions we ask are crafted to get at specific information and to
provide one level of screening. Since I can't attach a file here, I will send a
copy directly to you. I do think it is important to have standard questions that
are asked of every volunteer - whether it is 3 questions or 10. Putting everyone
applying for the same type of position through the same process is important -
for consistency, so another staff member can step in
if you are away, for appearance and for professionalism.

Jesse Bowen
Volunteer Resources and Grief Support Programs
Prince George Hospice Society
Phone: 563 - 2551
Fax: 563 - 2503

ssw


P  Please consider the Environment before deciding to print out this email.
Thank-you.


"motto to live by:  Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the
intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but
rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, drink in the other, body
thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

- source unknown







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

Hi Kristin:

As our agency covers 11 counties and our focus is assisting Seniors. Since we
training the volunteers at their location usually we go to the local senior
center or libary. I also let the training volunteer tell me where in the county
is a good place to go. I also ask them to give me suggestions as to where they
think would be a good place for us to meet. This is usually to different
restaurant or meeting areas that they wish to show me. One volunteer even
arranged for us to meet at the Chamber of Commerence public meeting room.
Hope this help,
Henri Eaton, CVA
Alamo Area Agency on Aging
San Antonio, TX

 

Hi, does anyone have a form for staff members to request volunteer help
that they'd be willing to share with me?  And can anyone recommend
whether using something like this is a good idea or not?  Thanks very
much!



Emily Schnipper

Developer of Volunteer Services / Americorps VISTA

Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties
(415) 575-2236
eschnipper@...


We create solutions to poverty through the businesses we operate.




BEM

Emily:

I do use such a form and find it useful in having staff members think
through the position a bit.
I have kept it very simple though, so it is not cumbersome for them.
The form has form fields that they can type the information into.

Lisa Lorenson
Coordinator, Volunteer Resources
Family Life Radio
1 800 776 1070 x7787

  she














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

I have a simple form that I created which has been very helpful.
I ask my  "regulars" to just notify me if their needs have changed, rather than
resend the form every time I am doing a recruitment push.

It appears that I can't add an attachment, so I'll send it to you directly.

Julie Crosby
Volunteer Coordinator
Florida Museum of Natural History

--- In cybervpm@yahoogroups.com, "Emily Schnipper" <eschnipper@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Hi, does anyone have a form for staff members to request volunteer help
> that they'd be willing to share with me?  And can anyone recommend
> whether using something like this is a good idea or not?  Thanks very
> much!
>
>
>
> Emily Schnipper
>
> Developer of Volunteer Services / Americorps VISTA
>
> Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties
> (415) 575-2236
> eschnipper@...
>
>
> We create solutions to poverty through the businesses we operate.
>
>
>
>
> BEM
>

Moderator Comment - Attachments are automatically removed to ensure this site is
not spreading a virus or trojan etc. You will need to send the file through to
the moderators for it to be uploaded in the file section or to send it directly
to the person requesting it.
Kerrie (Monday Moderator)

Not sure the form was attached on the original reply... here it is...

Lisa Lorenson
Coordinator, Volunteer Resources
Family Life Radio
1 800 776 1070 x7787



-----Original Message-----
From: cybervpm@yahoogroups.com [mailto:cybervpm@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
Lisa Lorenson
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 9:53 AM
To: cybervpm@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: CyberVPM: Volunteer request form





Emily:

I do use such a form and find it useful in having staff members think
through the position a bit.
I have kept it very simple though, so it is not cumbersome for them.
The form has form fields that they can type the information into.

Lisa Lorenson
Coordinator, Volunteer Resources
Family Life Radio
1 800 776 1070 x7787

she

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







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

Hi Everyone,
This is just a note of pre-emptive thanks.  In my career I have 3 areas of
expertise -- volunteer management, workforce development and youth
development (obviously all include facilitation and training).  Usually I
work in positions where these areas overlap but for the last couple of years
my full-time positions have not included volunteer management.  Last week I
accepted a new position directing a network of volunteer-run homeless
shelters.  By continuing to stay connected through Cyber VPM and other
networking I feel confident that I have stayed at least marginally in the
loop on the volunteer management front (for example I know that Volunteer
Works stopped working in the time I've been out!).  Thanks for everyone who
participates in this valuable resource.  I hope to become more active a
contributor myself as I re-immerse myself in the daily work of volunteer
management.

Elizabeth Stephens
(currently)
Director of Program Operations
Project READY
Mount Hope Housing Co.
Bronx, NY

(as of June 1)
Assistant Program Manager - Respite Bed Program
CAMBA
Brooklyn, NY


KLS

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

Here is a link to a book about interviewing volunteers.

_http://www.kmconsultingandtraining.com/index_files/Page504.htm_
(http://www.kmconsultingandtraining.com/index_files/Page504.htm)


Kathleen McCleskey
KM Consulting  and Training Connection
512-515-0580
512-779-6894  cell


mk

On 17/05/09 2:33 AM, "Elizabeth Stephens" <stephenseliz@...> wrote:

"Thanks for everyone who participates in this valuable resource.  I hope to
become more active a contributor myself as I re-immerse myself in the daily work
of volunteer management."

What a lovely message
We need to do more of this in our sector don't we.
Thank you Elizabeth

Martin J Cowling
CEO
People First -Total Solutions

Effective People, Better Organisations, Stronger Society

Telephone:
Australia: 1 300 781 357 (local call charge)
USA/Canada: 1 888 606 7387 (Toll free)
United Kingdom: 020 8133 7991
New Zealand:
Other International: +61 3 9016 3450

www.pfts.com.au

Everything about this email and its attachments, is only for the eyes and ears
of the person(s) to whom it has been addressed (i.e. the persons whose names
appear in the "To" section of the email; however, those listed in sections "CC"
and "BCC" may also consider themselves included in the addressee group!). In the
event that there is no physical, emotional or spiritual resemblance between you
and the intended recipient(s), you have been mistakenly or deliberately omitted
from the addressee group, someone has sent it to you, or you have pinched it. If
you're not supposed to have access to this email, please do not forward it to
others. Please delete the email and when done - please let us know of our error
at privacy@...
Oh, one more thing: views expressed in this message are those of the
individual sender, except where the sender specifically states them to be the
views of People First -Total Solutions. Thank you for reading and understanding
this - and have a good day!

ssw

Hello,

The new, small "volunteer center" for youth ages 12-24 called Ventura City Corps
very much needs to go from using multiple Word docs and Excel spreadsheets to
some sort of project/contact management software. Of course, they don't have a
budget right now to purchase anything. Does anyone have any suggestions on a
system they could use? They could probably find a donor for a couple hundred
dollars...

Thank you,

Tiffani Hill, CVA
Volunteer Manager
Community Programs & Services
Best Friends Animal Society
http://network.bestfriends.org

________________________________

Tiffani wrote: volunteer center needs some sort of project/contact
management software. Of course, they don't have a budget right now to
purchase anything. Does anyone have any suggestions on a system they could
use?

You may want to check out VolunteerSpot.com. This is a free service for
scheduling volunteers for events. I have looked at this software and am
still researching as I am not sure about how the management will use the
names of registered participants. Be sure to check out the privacy policy.


Lynn A. Doll, CAVNC

Morganton, NC
Lynn.Doll@...



BEM

Dear Colleague:

The Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA) invites you to Answering
the Call: A Community Forum on Healthy Aging and Civic Engagement to be held on
June 12th, from 9am-1pm at UJA-Federation of New York. This event will engage
older adults,  community organizers, volunteer managers and legislators in
discussions about healthy aging, civic engagement and volunteerism and feature
experts from city and state government, aging services, social services, and
policy, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations.  A poster session held
immediately following the panel presentation will allow professionals in the
field of aging, public service, and volunteer management to showcase their work
in one of three categories: Best Practices, Research and Policy, and Program
Models for Civic Engagement and Healthy Aging.

Speakers include:

Michael Burgess, Director, New York State Office for Aging (NYSOFA)

Stacey Easterling, Programme Executive, The Atlantic Philanthropies

Thomas Endres, Vice President of Civic Engagement, National Council on Aging

Aileen Gitelson, CEO, JASA

Hon. Liz Krueger, New York State Senator

Caryn Resnick, Deputy Commissioner, New York City Department for the Aging
(NYCDFTA)

Donna M. Smith, State Program Director, Corporation for National & Community
Service

Susan Stern, Chair, New York State Commission on National and Community Service

Julia Zeuner, LMSW, Chair, Task Force on Aging, UJA-Federation of New York


Please email volunteer@...<mailto:volunteer@...> for a registration
form and/or a poster session RFP form. I hope you will join us for this
important event and consider submitting a poster session proposal.

For more information on this event please contact Kerry Allison at (212)
273-5228 or via email at volunteer@...<mailto:volunteer@...>.

All the best,

Alex Collier


Alexandra Collier, MPA
Director of Volunteer Services and Special Projects

JASA
132 W. 31st Street, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Tel: (212) 273-5291
Fax: (212) 695-4206
acollier@...<mailto:acollier@...>
www.jasa.org<http://www.jasa.org>


BEM

Tiffani:

We too do not have a budget, or much of one, and even this purchase is on
hold because of it right now.
However, we are looking at ACT! 2009 Contact and Customer Management
software, which was originally designed for sales, but is highly
customizable.
I walked through an on-line demonstration and was highly impressed.  The
cost is $400.00.

You can register to view a live demo... go to
http://www.act.com/2009/democenter/ <http://www.act.com/2009/democenter/>

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




OVERQUOTING REMOVED BY MODERATOR BEM

Microsoft has good easy to understand project management software.   When I
teach project management it is the one I recommend because it really is
"user friendly".


Kathleen  McCleskey
KM Consulting And Training Connection
_www.KMConsultingAndTraining.com_ (http://www.KMConsultingAndTraining.com)


BEM

We just relaunched our online volunteer center http://www.helpindyonline.com and
are looking to license this product in other communites. I would be thrilled to
talk to anyone that thought this product would make a good tool for engaging
young people in service throughout their community.

Roger Williams
317 652 7167

KLS

(Please sign all posts - Moderator  (Kerrie) added name)

Sorry about that last message (iPhone ran a'muck). I've been using
Basecamp, another 37 signals product and that I love, and have been
evaluating Highrise as a means of contact management.  They have a
free, single user edition that allows you to keep up with 250 contacts
as a way to get a feel for the software.  They have some great video
demos of business cases too. Check out highrisehq.com.

Yours in service, - J

Jeremy Foreman

KLS

I am looking to develop a Shared Housing Matching Program. We would recruit,
match and follow clients who wish to share space with another. Has anyone dealt
with such a program in any way.  Thanks

Linda Zweig
Coordinator of Volunteer Services
Jewish Family Service
lzweig@...
760-325-4088

There is a Housing Resources Board that has done that in Bainbridge Island,
WA.   Here is a link to their webpage:
http://housingresourcesboard.org/index.aspx



Joan Marsden is the staff person who is in charge of their matching program.
Feel free to let them know that I referred you to them for information.  I'm
sure they'd be willing to share.



Terry Schroeder

Kitsap Continuum of Care Coalition

1201 Park Avenue

Bremerton, WA  98337

360-473-2028



From: cybervpm@yahoogroups.com [mailto:cybervpm@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
Of zweiglinda
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 5:01 PM
To: cybervpm@yahoogroups.com
Subject: CyberVPM: shared housing








I am looking to develop a Shared Housing Matching Program. We would recruit,
match and follow clients who wish to share space with another. Has anyone
dealt with such a program in any way. Thanks

Linda Zweig
Coordinator of Volunteer Services
Jewish Family Service
lzweig@... <mailto:lzweig%40jfsdesert.org>
760-325-4088





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

Hi Linda and all,

Here in Portland, Oregon there is a shared housing program run by Ecumenical
Ministries of Oregon.  I'm sure the manager of the program, Barbara Stone, would
be happy to talk with you about it.  Here's the link to their web page where
you'll find contact information:

http://www.emoregon.org/shared_housing.php

Good luck and best wishes,

Melinda Smith
Volunteer Coordinator
Providence Hospice
Portland, Oregon

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

Not enough volunteers? Too many volunteers? Want to sharpen your
volunteer recruitment and management skills and never leave home? Online
courses in recruiting and managing volunteers at Portland State
University--Volunteer Engagement and Leadership Program. Classes are
asynchronous (you don't need to be online at a specific time) and use
your program in assignments. Credit and Certificate are possible.
Classes start soon. To sign up visit the PSU Dept. of Extended Studies
Web site.

http://www.extended.pdx.edu/degrcomp/programs/v_engagement.php
--

Nancy Macduff

925 “E” St., Walla Walla, WA 99362

509-529-0244

mba@... <mailto:mba@...>

FAX 509-526-5595

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

For online and face-to-face training in volunteer management

The Institute for Nonprofit Management at Portland State University

http://www.extended.pdx.edu/degrcomp/programs/v_engagement.php

KLS

TechSoup.org has created a very user friendly and practical manual titled
Working with Technical Volunteers.
I have downloaded the manual for FREE and am finding it to be an excellent
resource!

As well, TechSoup.org has a collection of software donated from the
manufacturers themselves, available to qualified non-profits at highly
discounted prices.
There is much more that non-profits can benefit from on this site...  check
it out at TechSoup.org

Lisa Lorenson
Coordinator, Volunteer Resources
Family Life Radio
Tucson, Arizona
1 800 776 1070 x7787


KLS