Planning for a Volunteer Center
By Susan J. Ellis
From Volunteer Centers: Gearing Up for the 1990s
(Download the free electronic book)

[The following has a United Way slant, but the questions are relevant for any type of community organization considering the formation of a local Volunteer Center.]

Current Resource Assessment
The very first step in planning for a Volunteer Center is to identify current volunteerism resources in your community-who is doing what now? There may very well be groups who are providing leadership in volunteerism and who might be concerned if the United Way plunges into forming a Volunteer Center without recognizing what already exists. These are the very groups a United Way Volunteer Center would need as a supportive network on a daily basis. The goal, of course, is to fill a gap in community services, not to duplicate the efforts of others.

Here is a checklist you can use to assess your local volunteer resources:

1. How many agencies are you aware of that have some sort of formal volunteer program and/or a salaried Director of Volunteers? What kind of agencies are these? How many of them receive funds from United Way?

2. How far away is the nearest Volunteer Center? Does it currently handle any requests from your community?

3. Are there any specialized volunteer recruitment and placement programs operating in your community? Examples would be: Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP); Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) (for small business consultation); Accountants for the Public Interest; Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts or Business Volunteers for the Arts.

4. Does the United Way Information and Referral service presently collect any information related to volunteers or volunteer opportunities?

5. How has your United Way handled volunteer-related questions in the past?

6. Are any workshops or courses in volunteer management or leadership offered in your area? Are they offered by:

An area college?
A community college or junior college?
Large volunteer-using agencies such as Red Cross?
All-volunteer groups such as the junior League or Kiwanis?
State government?
Regional clusters of national groups such as the Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA)?
A community-leadership training group?
Private consultants?
United Way itself?
7. Is there a "State Office of Volunteerism" in your state?

A State Office is a coordinating body generally operating out of the Governor's Office or in a State Department. It serves as a support mechanism for the activities of volunteer projects in a state. Approximately 30 states have such an office (which may have a different name, such as the "Governor's Office for Volunteer Services" or some other variation on the theme). If you are in one of the states that has such an office, you will find this to be an important group with which to touch base early on.

8. Is there a "State Association" for Volunteerism or for Volunteer Administrators in your state?

This is a membership organization of individuals and groups who share a common concern for volunteer activities. Often, such state associations will sponsor training events and other types of self-help programs. There may be a state association, whether there is a State Office of Volunteerism or not. Again, such groups go by many different names.

9. Does your Mayor's Office have anyone who is responsible for volunteers on a citywide basis?

There may even be a Mayor's "Office for Voluntary Action." Such an office coordinates volunteers specifically for work on behalf of local government services but may also refer people to various community agencies.

10. Is there a "DOVIA" in your community?

A DOVIA is an organization of Directors of Volunteers in Agencies who meet regularly to share experiences and obtain training in volunteer management. (DOVIA is a generic name and the group in your area may use another title.) A DOVIA is an important resource to tap if one exists.

11. Does your community have a "Corporate Volunteer Council"(CVC)?

A CVC is a membership group made up of people from corporations who are responsible for running their companies' employee volunteer programs.

12. Is there an affiliate of the American Society of Directors of Volunteer Services (ASDVS) of the American Hospital Association in your state? Is there a chapter in your geographic area?

ASDVS is the professional association for Directors of Volunteers in hospitals.

13. Is there some sort of "President's Council" in your community?

This would be an umbrella association of the leaders of all-volunteer membership groups, particularly civic associations.

14. Is there a "Church Council" or some type of ecumenical church/synagogue leadership organization?

15. Given your responses to the preceding questions, is there any indication that any of the above collaborate on projects or are coordinated in any way?

After answering these questions, you can rate your community as to its existing volunteerism services: whether there is a lack of services, a moderate number of services, or a large number of services; and whether or not these are coordinated. Your assessment is a critical first step in defining the type of Volunteer Center you want.

Once you have identified existing resources, it is probably also helpful to consider which of these groups, if any, might oppose the United Way moving into a prominent position in the coordination of volunteer effort. By identifying any organization that might see a United Way Volunteer Center as threatening, you will be able to anticipate and alleviate possible concerns from the very beginning. You can expect many community agencies to be pleased to take part in the planning process if asked. They can provide valuable input based on their prior experience in handling some of the work that the Volunteer Center might now do.

(Download the free electronic book )

Permission is granted for organizations to download and reprint this article. Reprints must provide full acknowledgment of source, as provided:

Excerpted from Volunteer Centers: Gearing Up for the 1990s, by Susan J. Ellis, c 1989, United Way of America.

Found in the Energize website library at: http://www.energizeinc.com/art.html.

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