Hints from leading volunteer organization New York Cares
New York Cares is New York City's leading volunteer organization. It was the model for the national network of volunteer organizations called the Hands On Network, which now has affiliates in most major cities around the United States.
Each year, New York Cares brings vital volunteer support to over 1,200 diverse nonprofit agencies, public schools and other deserving organizations throughout New York City. New York Cares works with each organization to identify their most pressing needs, create projects where volunteers can make meaningful contributions, and then recruits and deploys teams of volunteers to help meet their needs.
MLB.com interviewed Director of Volunteer Relations Jeanette Gisbert about how New York Cares works with thousands of volunteers each year, and explored how the organization manages numberous volunteer projects every month.
Much like youth baseball and softball programs, New York Cares depends on volunteers to be successful. What advice can you give for small programs trying to recruit volunteers?
1. Think Creatively – We all know about the traditional roles volunteers can play, like stuffing envelopes, handling registration at an event and other simple tasks. But what we'd suggest is to push yourself and your group to think outside the box. What tasks can volunteers do that will have a meaningful impact on the clients a nonprofit serves? Ask yourselves, are there different ways we could be using volunteers to better support the people we serve?
2. Know the Jobs – Many new programs do not spend enough time on solidifying the role of the volunteer. Volunteer management best practice states that the first step in any recruitment effort is to develop job descriptions for volunteers. Job descriptions give volunteers a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and what they can expect to get out of the experience.
3. Say Thank You – New programs often get caught up in the logistical to-do's, and forget to say thank you! Recognizing volunteers is critical to the success of a new program. If resources are an issue, organizations can send e-mails describing the accomplishments of volunteer projects with photos to show the results of volunteers' time and efforts.
What are your top five "tricks of the trade" for recruiting volunteers?
1. Focus on Customer Service – We recently surveyed our volunteers during orientation. Many said the reason they decided to volunteer with New York Cares is because we called them back and talked to them about volunteering. Showing you need them is a simple way to engage volunteers.
2. Focus on building early success – Early successes build momentum that will generate positive word of mouth. Many new New York Cares volunteers come to us via word of mouth.
3. Don't let volunteers leave without committing to a follow-up activity – Our most successful orientations (in terms of volunteers signing up for projects) are specialized orientations called "Orientations and Project Sign Ups." The description specifically sets expectations that they will sign up for projects before they leave the training. In addition, our volunteer project leaders (who we call "Team Leaders") are encouraged to ask volunteers to sign up for the next project before leaving the one they are on.
4. Describe how their work will have an impact in the community.
5. Offer food – Many of our Team Leaders meet their teams afterwards for pizza, coffee or drinks.
Do you have many long-term volunteers that help with projects on a regular basis? How do you keep them involved?
Many people volunteer with us for many years. I would say there are two main reasons for this phenomenon:
1. A Gratifying Volunteer Experience – Volunteers who have had a positive volunteer experience by seeing the fruits of their efforts tend to volunteer more and stay with a project over time. The rapport between the Team Leader and the groups of volunteers and clients on a project also has a huge impact on volunteer retention.
2. Strong Volunteer Leadership – New York Cares works hard to keep volunteers engaged by offering them different leadership opportunities. For example, volunteers can become Team Leaders, development committee members who plan special events, or join our Speakers Bureau (a group of super enthusiastic volunteers who love telling people about our good work). Leadership opportunities give people a chance to build new skills and work with New York Cares in a different way.
New York Cares often gets large corporate groups to volunteer. How should youth baseball and softball programs go about making this sort of outreach to their local businesses?
Youth organizations should always find out what businesses are in their community – long standing businesses, as well as new companies. They should take stock of relationships that may already exist between these businesses, through their Board of Directors or other similar committees. Where possible, try to establish introductions through personal or business contacts.
It's very important to research the business before going in – how long they've been in business, what they do, if they have a volunteer initiative and if so where do they volunteer, who and/or what causes they support, etc. Be prepared to paint a picture of how a mutually beneficial partnership could be developed. Be knowledgeable about what your organization does and has to offer. And remember that you do have something valuable to offer – a positive association, visibility in new/diverse markets, morale building and team building volunteer activities for employees and more.
Do you have any techniques for ensuring that your volunteers have an enjoyable, fulfilling experience?
1. Identify the right non-profit partner – Consider the size of the organization and the resources that they may or may not have to support you in your efforts. You may also want to consider if the organization's mission is in line with employee interests, which may affect volunteer recruitment.
2. Establish and implement a timeline.
3. Manage project logistics and volunteers – Providing volunteers with as much information about the day as possible is crucial. This may include a timeline for the day, goals, etc.
What activities are the least popular among volunteers? How do you attract volunteers for the less-than-desirable tasks?
Often, the projects we are challenged to fill require a longer commitment, i.e. a school year, or are projects which volunteers perceive to be skills-based, i.e. computer tutorials. One strategy we use for filling these projects is to specifically target potential volunteers who have expressed interest in specific service areas. We use a detailed volunteer application form that captures information about volunteers' interests, information which then becomes the basis for targeted outreach for specific projects.
What are some of your biggest obstacles when recruiting volunteers? How do you overcome them?
Our greatest challenge is recruiting volunteers for long-term committed projects, skills-based projects, and for projects in the outer boroughs in New York City (the majority of our volunteers come from Manhattan). Currently, we are working on a grassroots outreach and marketing campaign to build awareness of New York Cares and recruit new local volunteers from outer boroughs, particularly Queens.
Once you have committed volunteers in place, how do you keep them organized and efficient?
Our Team Leaders ensure that projects run smoothly and that goals for a project are met. We ask them to be stewards of their program and our ambassadors on a project (since our 47 employees could never manage 500-plus projects each month by ourselves). They are truly the linchpins that keep our volunteer machine humming.
After first-time volunteers sign up, you require that they attend an orientation. What do your volunteers learn by attending one of these sessions? Do you recommend that smaller programs also hold an orientation for new volunteers?
Orientations are essential for any volunteer program. Of course, orientations can vary depending on the type of work the volunteer will be doing. During the New York Cares orientation, volunteers learn about the types of opportunities New York Cares offers, how they can sign up to volunteer, gain an understanding of New York Cares' policies and procedures, and ultimately, become a registered New York Cares volunteer.
Our orientation is very broad. As a result, we encourage our Team Leaders to conduct project-specific orientations on-site for new volunteers. These mini orientations include more project specific details like the schedule for the day and what they are hoping will get accomplished through their work.
This article recently appeared in Charity Channel regarding innovative ways to hold orientations:
Where do you suggest small organizations look for volunteers? Is there a particular demographic that tends to volunteer more than others (i.e. college students)?
The Internet is currently the broadest and most cost-effective volunteer recruitment tool we use. Organizations such as New York Cares, VolunteerMatch and the NYC Mayor's Volunteer Center have revolutionized how volunteers search for opportunities in New York City by offering rich online resources, and, as a result, how smaller and larger organizations recruit them.
According to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics about 65.4 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2004 and September 2005. According to this report, women volunteered at a higher rate than men across age groups, educational levels and other major characteristics.
By age, persons ages 35 to 44 were the most likely to volunteer (34.5 percent), closely followed by 45- to 54-year olds (32.7 percent). Teenagers also had a relatively high volunteer rate, 30.4 percent, perhaps reflecting an emphasis on volunteer activities in schools. Volunteer rates were lowest among persons in their early twenties (19.5 percent) and among those age 65 and over (24.8 percent). Within the latter group, volunteer rates decreased as age increased.
Whites volunteered at a higher rate (30.4 percent) than did blacks (22.1 percent) and Asians (20.7 percent). Among Hispanics or Latinos, 15.4 percent volunteered.
Married persons volunteered at a higher rate (34.1 percent) than never-married persons (23.0 percent) and persons of other marital statuses (23.1 percent). Parents with children under age 18 were more likely to volunteer than persons without children of that age, 37.0 percent compared with 25.5 percent.
Does New York Cares use volunteers for any sports field revitalization projects? Do you have any tips for an easy field "make-over"? What tasks are easiest for inexperienced volunteers?
Yes. New York Cares has utilized volunteers for a number of sports field revitalization projects at both city parks and public schools. If a field needs extensive work, it may require significant funds for supplies and some assistance from an expert. But inexperienced volunteers can also do much to give a sports field a "make over." Tasks such as painting bleachers and fencing, raking and weeding the grounds and laying down grass seed are all relatively easy and can make a big difference in both the appearance and the functionality of a sports field.
=======New York Cares is New York City's leading volunteer organization. It was the model for the national network of volunteer organizations called the Hands On Network, which now has affiliates in most major cities around the United States.
Each year, New York Cares brings vital volunteer support to over 850 diverse nonprofit agencies, public schools and other deserving organizations throughout New York City. New York Cares works with each organization to identify their most pressing needs, create projects where volunteers can make meaningful contributions, and then recruits and deploys teams of volunteers to help meet their needs. Last year, 27,000 New Yorkers volunteered with New York Cares.
MLB.com recently interviewed Director of Volunteer Relations Jeanette Gisbert about how New York Cares works with thousands of volunteers each year, and explored how the organization manages an amazing 500-plus volunteer projects every month.
Much like youth baseball and softball programs, New York Cares depends on volunteers to be successful. What advice can you give for small programs trying to recruit volunteers?
1. Think Creatively – We all know about the traditional roles volunteers can play, like stuffing envelopes, handling registration at an event and other simple tasks. But what we'd suggest is to push yourself and your group to think outside the box. What tasks can volunteers do that will have a meaningful impact on the clients a nonprofit serves? Ask yourselves, are there different ways we could be using volunteers to better support the people we serve?
2. Know the Jobs – Many new programs do not spend enough time on solidifying the role of the volunteer. Volunteer management best practice states that the first step in any recruitment effort is to develop job descriptions for volunteers. Job descriptions give volunteers a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and what they can expect to get out of the experience.
3. Say Thank You – New programs often get caught up in the logistical to-do's, and forget to say thank you! Recognizing volunteers is critical to the success of a new program. If resources are an issue, organizations can send e-mails describing the accomplishments of volunteer projects with photos to show the results of volunteers' time and efforts.
What are your top five "tricks of the trade" for recruiting volunteers?
1. Focus on Customer Service – We recently surveyed our volunteers during orientation. Many said the reason they decided to volunteer with New York Cares is because we called them back and talked to them about volunteering. Showing you need them is a simple way to engage volunteers.
2. Focus on building early success – Early successes build momentum that will generate positive word of mouth. Many new New York Cares volunteers come to us via word of mouth.
3. Don't let volunteers leave without committing to a follow-up activity – Our most successful orientations (in terms of volunteers signing up for projects) are specialized orientations called "Orientations and Project Sign Ups." The description specifically sets expectations that they will sign up for projects before they leave the training. In addition, our volunteer project leaders (who we call "Team Leaders") are encouraged to ask volunteers to sign up for the next project before leaving the one they are on.
4. Describe how their work will have an impact in the community.
5. Offer food – Many of our Team Leaders meet their teams afterwards for pizza, coffee or drinks.
Do you have many long-term volunteers that help with projects on a regular basis? How do you keep them involved?
Many people volunteer with us for many years. I would say there are two main reasons for this phenomenon:
1. A Gratifying Volunteer Experience – Volunteers who have had a positive volunteer experience by seeing the fruits of their efforts tend to volunteer more and stay with a project over time. The rapport between the Team Leader and the groups of volunteers and clients on a project also has a huge impact on volunteer retention.
2. Strong Volunteer Leadership – New York Cares works hard to keep volunteers engaged by offering them different leadership opportunities. For example, volunteers can become Team Leaders, development committee members who plan special events, or join our Speakers Bureau (a group of super enthusiastic volunteers who love telling people about our good work). Leadership opportunities give people a chance to build new skills and work with New York Cares in a different way.
New York Cares often gets large corporate groups to volunteer. How should youth baseball and softball programs go about making this sort of outreach to their local businesses?
Youth organizations should always find out what businesses are in their community – long standing businesses, as well as new companies. They should take stock of relationships that may already exist between these businesses, through their Board of Directors or other similar committees. Where possible, try to establish introductions through personal or business contacts.
It's very important to research the business before going in – how long they've been in business, what they do, if they have a volunteer initiative and if so where do they volunteer, who and/or what causes they support, etc. Be prepared to paint a picture of how a mutually beneficial partnership could be developed. Be knowledgeable about what your organization does and has to offer. And remember that you do have something valuable to offer – a positive association, visibility in new/diverse markets, morale building and team building volunteer activities for employees and more.
Do you have any techniques for ensuring that your volunteers have an enjoyable, fulfilling experience?
1. Identify the right non-profit partner – Consider the size of the organization and the resources that they may or may not have to support you in your efforts. You may also want to consider if the organization's mission is in line with employee interests, which may affect volunteer recruitment.
2. Establish and implement a timeline.
3. Manage project logistics and volunteers – Providing volunteers with as much information about the day as possible is crucial. This may include a timeline for the day, goals, etc.
What activities are the least popular among volunteers? How do you attract volunteers for the less-than-desirable tasks?
Often, the projects we are challenged to fill require a longer commitment, i.e. a school year, or are projects which volunteers perceive to be skills-based, i.e. computer tutorials. One strategy we use for filling these projects is to specifically target potential volunteers who have expressed interest in specific service areas. We use a detailed volunteer application form that captures information about volunteers' interests, information which then becomes the basis for targeted outreach for specific projects.
What are some of your biggest obstacles when recruiting volunteers? How do you overcome them?
Our greatest challenge is recruiting volunteers for long-term committed projects, skills-based projects, and for projects in the outer boroughs in New York City (the majority of our volunteers come from Manhattan). Currently, we are working on a grassroots outreach and marketing campaign to build awareness of New York Cares and recruit new local volunteers from outer boroughs, particularly Queens.
Once you have committed volunteers in place, how do you keep them organized and efficient?
Our Team Leaders ensure that projects run smoothly and that goals for a project are met. We ask them to be stewards of their program and our ambassadors on a project (since our 47 employees could never manage 500-plus projects each month by ourselves). They are truly the linchpins that keep our volunteer machine humming.
After first-time volunteers sign up, you require that they attend an orientation. What do your volunteers learn by attending one of these sessions? Do you recommend that smaller programs also hold an orientation for new volunteers?
Orientations are essential for any volunteer program. Of course, orientations can vary depending on the type of work the volunteer will be doing. During the New York Cares orientation, volunteers learn about the types of opportunities New York Cares offers, how they can sign up to volunteer, gain an understanding of New York Cares' policies and procedures, and ultimately, become a registered New York Cares volunteer.
Our orientation is very broad. As a result, we encourage our Team Leaders to conduct project-specific orientations on-site for new volunteers. These mini orientations include more project specific details like the schedule for the day and what they are hoping will get accomplished through their work.
This article recently appeared in Charity Channel regarding innovative ways to hold orientations:
Where do you suggest small organizations look for volunteers? Is there a particular demographic that tends to volunteer more than others (i.e. college students)?
The Internet is currently the broadest and most cost-effective volunteer recruitment tool we use. Organizations such as New York Cares, VolunteerMatch and the NYC Mayor's Volunteer Center have revolutionized how volunteers search for opportunities in New York City by offering rich online resources, and, as a result, how smaller and larger organizations recruit them.
According to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics about 65.4 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2004 and September 2005. According to this report, women volunteered at a higher rate than men across age groups, educational levels and other major characteristics.
By age, persons ages 35 to 44 were the most likely to volunteer (34.5 percent), closely followed by 45- to 54-year olds (32.7 percent). Teenagers also had a relatively high volunteer rate, 30.4 percent, perhaps reflecting an emphasis on volunteer activities in schools. Volunteer rates were lowest among persons in their early twenties (19.5 percent) and among those age 65 and over (24.8 percent). Within the latter group, volunteer rates decreased as age increased.
Whites volunteered at a higher rate (30.4 percent) than did blacks (22.1 percent) and Asians (20.7 percent). Among Hispanics or Latinos, 15.4 percent volunteered.
Married persons volunteered at a higher rate (34.1 percent) than never-married persons (23.0 percent) and persons of other marital statuses (23.1 percent). Parents with children under age 18 were more likely to volunteer than persons without children of that age, 37.0 percent compared with 25.5 percent.
Does New York Cares use volunteers for any sports field revitalization projects? Do you have any tips for an easy field "make-over"? What tasks are easiest for inexperienced volunteers?
Yes. New York Cares has utilized volunteers for a number of sports field revitalization projects at both city parks and public schools. If a field needs extensive work, it may require significant funds for supplies and some assistance from an expert. But inexperienced volunteers can also do much to give a sports field a "make over." Tasks such as painting bleachers and fencing, raking and weeding the grounds and laying down grass seed are all relatively easy and can make a big difference in both the appearance and the functionality of a sports field.
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