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What software do YOU use? Please fill out this week's sector study on the software programs you use to track your donors and grants. Click here (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=47507967964) to access the survey. We'll share results of the survey in a future Rich Tips. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This week's tips: Designing and Developing a Successful Volunteer Program The majority of nonprofit organizations rely heavily on volunteers — the nonprofit sector itself is sometimes referred to as the volunteer sector. Without volunteers many organizations wouldn't accomplish a fraction of the good work they do. There simply isn't enough money to take care of all the needs in our society, which is why volunteers are so important. During the early Clinton years, there was a big meeting in Philadelphia hosted by Colin Powell and others to try to encourage volunteerism in America. Thousands of people attended to push a nationwide effort to get Americans to donate time and talent to serve their communities. In response, hundreds of thousands of our citizens began to volunteer their time at various nonprofits; however, many of the organizations weren't ready or organized to effectively use these people and therefore turned off many of the potential volunteers. It might have been more valuable to first assist the nonprofits in developing infrastructures to support the volunteers before asking people en masse to descend upon their local nonprofits to volunteer. It takes a great deal of strategic energy, time, money, and effort to develop a successful volunteer program. Volunteers can become not only the deliverers of services, but future board members, donors and key stakeholders in your organization. The following are the elements that we believe are necessary for a successful volunteer program. 1. Designing a plan for the volunteer effort. This first step should be carried out with the paid staff, board members and a committee of volunteers. Make sure you look clearly at your volunteer needs in relation to your mission, your values, and your vision; look at the overall goals, objectives, and your budget. This initial planning is critical to the success of the program. 2. Nuts and bolts of the volunteer program. Look at the types of policies and rules you'll need in order to shape the volunteer program. Ask the following questions to help begin the process: do we need an insurance policy? what are the rules and regulations required of the volunteers? do we need personnel or supervision policies? do we pay for transportation and food? The policies and rules you generate after answering these questions will essentially govern the volunteer activities and behavior. 3. Recruitment strategies. After you define the policies and rules, you then have to decide how you'll recruit the appropriate volunteers. What are the strategies, timelines and costs associated with attracting volunteers to your organization? Are you looking for generalists or individuals with specific skills such as doctors, lawyers, accountants — and what is the strategic approach for finding them? 4. Interviewing and screening. What process will you use to screen and interview potential volunteers? Will you conduct background checks? What are the questions and the processes for interviewing volunteers? Be very careful when recruiting volunteers — remember that these people will represent the organization and work with your clients and constituents. 5. Orientation, support, and training. It's critical that you develop an orientation program to both familiarize the volunteer with the specific job or task they'll be doing, and to introduce them to the organization. What kind of support will they need on a daily or weekly basis? Will you have a weekly meeting with them? What kind of training will they require? 6. Oversight and supervision. It's not okay to just let the volunteers run loose with your constituencies and assume they'll do well. Like staff members, the volunteers need to be managed and supervised carefully by experienced individuals within your organization who know the agency and the specific tasks the volunteers have been asked to accomplish. In many cases, organizations that use large number of volunteers hire a volunteer coordinator. 7. Evaluation and monitoring. It's important for the organization to establish performance criteria, a process of regular evaluation of the volunteers, and a process for frequent monitoring of their work. When a new volunteer comes on board, it's a good idea to have daily feedback meetings with them for the first few weeks. Once you have confidence in their abilities, you can pull back a little bit. 8. Reward and recognition. If the volunteer is working out well you'll want to retain them and keep them motivated. It's important to set up a regular reward and recognition program where you thank the volunteer. You should also have an annual dinner or special event in which you pubicly thank your volunteers for their work and dedication. 9. Measuring the effectiveness of the program. As part of the evaluation you should look at statistically measuring the impact of the volunteer program in relation to the costs, mission, and the goals and objectives of the nonprofit. Sometimes it may be more costly recruiting and supervising the volunteers than it's actually worth. Ask yourself: what is the real cost-benefit analysis of the volunteer program? 10. Should we hire a professional volunteer coordinator? Depending upon how extensive and complicated your volunteer program and numbers are, you very likely would need to hire a professional to be responsible for each of the nine elements we just outlined above. ------------------------------------------------------------- New Grant Opportunities Fox Family Foundation The Fox Family Foundation, which supports nonprofit organizations with programs and projects that maximize the potential of children and youth, is accepting applications and letters of inquiry from highly successful, results-oriented programs that improve and expand the learning environments of children. Special emphasis is placed on target populations from economically and socially disadvantaged families, and programs that actively promote positive interactions between children, youth, and adults through multi-faceted parent/mentor/staff involvement and embrace professional development and training for those who deal directly with children or create their learning environments. For detailed information go to: http://www.fcfox.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------- Federal Grant Opportunities (if any of the following grants sound appealing, please contact Mourene Tesler to learn more about the application procedure - mourene@richardmale.com) Public Awareness in Underserved Communities Closing Date: April 14, 2005 Amount: Up to 10 awards will be given ranging from $25,000-75,000. Larger awards will go to urban areas demonstrating high levels of need. Eligible Applicants: non-profit organizations, including faith- and community-based organizations, and public agencies Agency/Department: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs SUMMARY: The purpose of the cooperative agreement is to support the planning and development of victimization-focused public awareness campaigns designed to reach populations in the local community who are typically underserved due to recent immigrant status or limited English proficiency. Victim service organizations will work in partnership with ethnic media (radio, print, television) as well as faith- and/or community-based organizations to produce linguistically and culturally appropriate public awareness campaigns on one or more victimization issues. OVC invites applications from non-profit organizations, including faith- and community-based organizations, and public agencies that can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the victimization issue or issues to be highlighted in the public awareness campaign as well as experience in the provision of victim services and advocacy. A private non-profit organization does not need to have 501(c)3 status to apply for grant funding under this solicitation. The project should focus on disseminating information on victims' rights and services, not on crime prevention efforts. Listed in: For detailed information go to: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/guidelinesinfo.htm Workforce Investment Act--Small Grassroots Organizations Connecting With the One-Stop Delivery System Closing Date: April 28, 2005 Amount: $1,000,000 Eligible Applicants: For purposes of this announcement, eligible grassroots organizations must be non-profit organizations which: Have social services as a major part of their mission; Are headquartered in the local community to which they provide these services; (a) Have a social services budget of $350,000 or less, or (b) Have 6 or fewer full-time equivalent employees. Agency/Department: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announces the availability of $1,000,000 to award grants to eligible ``grassroots'' organizations with the ability to connect to the local One-Stop delivery system. Listed in: Federal Register: March 25, 2005 Volume 70, Number 57 Page 15353-15367 For detailed information go to: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-5907.htm ------------------------------------------------------------ Other Announcements The Art of Asking: How to Clinch the Major Gift ``````````````````````````````````` Secondary Trauma Resiliency Training for those working in poverty and homelessness, presented by the HealthBridge Alliance. This innovative and interactive experience trains caregivers in skills to cope with the personal stresses of their work to reduce burnout and turnover. April 19-21 at the Foss Conference Center in the foothills of Jefferson County. The normal cost of the training is $340, but we are offering this training for the special low-rate of only $35 per person. Please contact Dace West at (720) 934-1066 or daceschlue@aol.com for more information. ``````````````````````````````````` Mobilizing Resources for Your Organization: Strategies to Succeed in the Current Economic Climate, May 24-26 in beautiful Missoula, Montana. IF YOU THINK your organization is forever doomed to dependency on public dollars, join us for this one-day seminar to separate the myth from the reality of fund-raising. There IS money your organization is eligible for and there are 'smart' ways to find, secure, and administer it. Richard Male will be joined by a panel of diverse funders who will tell you what gets their attention and what puts them off when approached for money. MOVING TOWARD LONG-TERM FINANCIAL SUCCESS is a challenge for any nonprofit organization in today's economic climate. Small, relatively unknown organizations such as many CILs and SILCs, face even greater hurdles. Fortunately, there are tremendous opportunities to leverage public and private resources, including funding for advocacy, if you know where to look and how to proceed. This seminar will give you the tools to do just that through a step-by-step approach to planning, implementing, and succeeding in resource development. LEARN HOW TO • Capitalize on current funding trends among private foundations, corporations, government, religious funders, philanthropic trusts, and individuals • Identify fundraising approaches compatible with your organization and local situation • Establish relationships with funders before asking for money • Ask for money in ways that make it clear who you are and what you would use the funding for • Stay true to the mission and philosophy while fostering growth ```````````````````````````````````` Free Internet Services to Nonprofits! Grassroots.org is a nonprofit organization working to change the world ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Feel free to forward this email to a friend. **To unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send an email with the words "Unsubscribe Rich Tips" in the subject line to nicolle@richardmale.com . ***To subscribe, please send an email with the words "Subscribe Rich Tips" in the subject line to nicolle@richardmale.com .
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