Developing eight core competencies for successful volunteer programs
Abstract
During the 2005 National Conference on Volunteering and Service, state commissioners and volunteers from national service organizations met to discuss best practices in the eight core competencies of successful national service programs as identified by their funder, the Corporation for National and Community Service. This effective practice offers highlights of the most important concepts taken from the "Eight Core Competencies: Best Training Practices" session.Issue
Creating a national service program that is effective in the eight core competencies areas of: participant recruitment and development, volunteer leveraging, community engagement and strengthening, resource development, performance measurement, financial management, disability inclusion, and eGrants.Action
According to participants gathered for the session, "Eight Core Competencies: Best Training Practices," at the 2005 National Conference on Volunteering and Service, the following steps will help programs achieve competency:
Competency #1 Participant Recruitment and Development
Have a Plan/Model an Action Planning Tool
- Engaging members in developing a plan creates buy-in and commitment
- Leverage other support
- Consider performance goals
Engage the Community
- Recruitment is most effective when a program has a strong relationship with the community
- Get buy-in from site supervisors and community partners
- Know the community so that programs can connect with the community
- You must be able to show/tell why the community or organization must work with your program and why it will make a difference
Collaborate
- People working together are more effective than those working in isolation
- Good volunteer experiences will get repeat volunteers
- Share stories
Be Logical
- Choose the right avenues for recruitment
- Recognize the law of supply and demand concerning AmeriCorps programs
Be Creative
- Keep thinking about new recruitment strategies
Strategies shared by Bridget Lee, One Star Foundation, bridget@onestarfoundation.org; M. Sabrina Nelson, New Jersey Commission, Sabrina.nelson@sos.state.nj.us; Bob Shogren, Arizona Commission, bshogren@az.gov; Megan Sargent, Michigan Commission; sargentm1@michigan.gov; Jamie Balock, Serve Wyoming, jamiebalock@yahoo.com; and Janice Kim, Access, jkim@accesscommunity.org
Competency #2 Volunteer Leveraging
Know the Basics of Volunteer Program Design and Management
- Effective volunteer management requires planning and a solid infrastructure
- Make sure you have planned for the time and resources it takes to keep a volunteer program running efficiently
- Remember that volunteers need job descriptions and training
- Recruiting requires a plan and making enough asks
Know the Motivation of Your Volunteers
- Consider that motivation underlies all elements of volunteer management
- Program staff must understand volunteers' motivation in order to effectively recruit and train them
- Make service interesting and the volunteer will want to come back
Reach out to diverse groups
- Strong volunteer programs engage diverse participants
Strategies shared by Melissa Newton, Kentucky Commission, melissac.Newton@ky.gov; Barbara Reynolds, Volunteer Maryland, breynolds@gov.state.md.us; Wendy Elliott, Youth Volunteer Corps of America, welliott@yvca.org; Moya Doneghy, West Virginia Commission, mdoneghy@mail.state.wv.us; Khary Bridgewater, Tech Mission, khary@techmission.org
Competency #3 Community Engagement and Strengthening: We are all change agents
Utilize John Kotter's eight-step transformation process to achieve change in the organization and the community:
- Increase urgency: provide evidence that change is necessary
- Build the guiding team
- Assemble a team with enough power to lead the change effort
- Attract key change leaders by showing enthusiasm and commitment
- Encourage the group to work together as a team
- Get the vision right
- Create a vision to help direct the change effort
- Develop strategies for achieving that vision
- Communicate for buy-in
- Use every vehicle possible to communicate the new vision and strategies
- Keep communication simple and heartfelt
- Empowering action
- Get rid of obstacles to the change
- Change systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision
- Encourage risk-taking and non-traditional ideas, activities and actions
- Create short-term wins
- Plan for visible performance improvements
- Create those improvements
- Celebrate success
- Do not let up: consolidate improvements and make more change
- Make change stick
- Strive for sustainability
- Recognize that change is a dynamic process that can be managed
Strategy shared by Ericka Zdenek, Volunteer Florida, Ericka@volunteerflorida.org
John Kotter's Transformation Management Model adapted from John P. Kotter in the Harvard Business Review, March-April 1995, Why Transformation Efforts Fail, pp. 56-67, and from The Heart of Change, by John Kotter and Dan Cohen.
Competency #4 Resource and Fund Development
Make research of potential funding sources less daunting by:
- Seeking a wide variety of funding sources
- Being aware of the potential sources for grants/funding for your program by priority area
- Looking for potential resources beyond the AmeriCorps match
Cultivate and Nurture Community Partnerships
- Have a "ready-made" program description to share with potential funders
Strategies shared by Dee Wilder, Volunteer Flordia, dee@volunteerflorida.org and William Hall, Ohio Community Service Council, william.hall@ocsc.state-oh.us
Competency #5 Performance Measurement and Evaluation
Re-think the reasons you measure your program in the first place
- Evaluation helps you run a more efficient and effective program
- Statewide reporting on performance measurement can leading to increased funding from the state
Look to Training and Technical Assistance Providers
- Project STAR is available to help programs in this area
Program Measurement is not as daunting as you might think if you:
- Learn about the Logic Model
- Begin with the end in mind
- Consider the differences between individual and program evaluation
Strategies shared by Christine Luong, National Assocation of Community Health Centers, cluong@nachc.com; Paula Vaughn, Paradise Valley Community College, paula.vaughn@pvmail.maricopa.edu; Julie Struck, Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service, Julie.struck@iowalifechanging.com
Competency #6 Financial and Grants Management
Adhere to guidelines, provisions and rules
- Know how and when to submit reports
- Know what the Corporation looks for when reviewing financial reports
- Keep accurate records so that in the event of an audit you will be prepared
Strategies shared by Carl Krenning, Kansas Volunteer Commission, ckrenning@ksde.org; and Kim Springer, State of Indiana, Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, kspringer@ofbci.in.gov
Competency #7 Disability Inclusion
Attitudes
- Be aware of your own conceptions about people with disabilities
- Remember that people with disabilities are not all that different from people without disabilities
- Look for the strength of the individual based on his/her abilities
- People with disabilities often reach the same goals by alternate means
Inclusion takes strategy and effort
- Recruiting persons with disabilities is a Corporation priority
- Only small changes are often needed to create an inclusive national service program
- The best information/support often comes from people with disabilities themselves
Community development takes place by reaching people with disabilities and organizations that serve them
Strategies shared by Bryan Guiot, Nevada Commission, bryan@americorpsnevada.org; Linda Adam, Delaware Commission on Community and Volunteer Service, linda.adam@state.de.us; Paul Martell, Volunteer Florida, The Governor's Commission on Volunteer and Service, paul@volunteerflorida.org
Competency #8 eGrants
- Learn how to create an account
- Memorize the number of the help desk!
Strategies shared by Lynette Murphy, Colorado Governor's Commission on Community Service, lynette.Murphy@cccs.edu
Context
AmeriCorps*State programs operate through governor-appointed state service commissions in each state. The state service commissions accept applications from: state and local nonprofit organizations, community and faith-based organizations, state and local education institutions, Indian tribes and state and local governments to engage AmeriCorps members in direct service and capacity-building to address unmet community needs. Local programs design service activities for a team of members serving full- or part-time for one year or during the summer. Sample activities include tutoring and mentoring youth, assisting crime victims, building homes, and restoring parks. AmeriCorps members also mobilize community volunteers and strengthen the capacity of the organizations where they serve. Additionally, state service commissions often administer special volunteer initiatives.
Each year the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network, and the Corporation for National and Community Service sponsor a national conference for leaders, practitioners, professionals and experts representing volunteer centers, national service programs, state service commissions, businesses and workplace volunteer programs, local and national nonprofits, government programs, unaffiliated volunteer managers, and experts and resource providers. The event offers sessions on all aspects of volunteer management, practical skill building, and the opportunity to engage in interactive forums with colleagues and peers.