The Other Half of the Equation We Often Take for Granted
A brief description of the presentation including goals, length and any handouts.
Please note this presentation is geared toward an audience ranging from individuals with zero to 20+ years experience in bereavement camps.
Goals:
- Explain the reasons why volunteers are so vital to a successful camp
- Describe the differences in volunteers and explain how these elements influence their performance demographics (personal interests and background)
- Develop a plan to recruit the ideal volunteer to fit your camp
- Cater training to educate and engage your volunteers’ scheduling (presentation)
- Manage the performance of the volunteers during camp
- Recognize valuable volunteer contributions
- Retain the best volunteers
- Ensure a sustainable and flourishing volunteer corps for years to come
Details
Length: 60 minutes consisting of 3 core sections (prepare, engage, sustain)
Handouts: [click here for PDF]
Description of target audience, including anyone who might be excluded from content:
The target audience consists of everyone involved in camp coordination. It will be stressed that all who collaborate play a vital role in the satisfaction and performance of the volunteers and that it is not only the Manager of Volunteer Services who should be concerned with this material.
Description of AV needs and room set up:
This presentation is adaptable to any venue. Ideally, multimedia would include video on a projector capable of connecting to a Mac iBook Wireless internet would be helpful. However, the presentation could be catered if those things were not available and would then occur in forms of lecture, discussion, and group work using paper hand-outs.
Professional References – regarding speaking and teaching ability
- Dr. Steve Gold, current instructor of PhD course focusing on teaching at a collegiate level; contact [here]
- Keith Morris, JD, former director who mentored me when I was managing volunteers at a non-profit legal services organization; Phone# (866) 400-9164
Literature References (Required for CEU credits)
- Allahyari, R. A. (2000). Visions of charity. University of California Press.
- Fisher, R. J., & Ackerman, D. (1998). The Effects of Recognition and Group Need on Volunteerism: A Social Norm Perspective. Journal of Consumer Research, 25(3), 262-275. doi:10.1086/209538
- Putnam, R. D. (2001). Bowling alone. Simon and Schuster.
Learning Objectives (Required for CEU credits)
- Develop a plan to recruit volunteers
- Create a training course to educate and engage volunteers
- Draft a strategic plan for volunteer retention
Biography and description of published including qualifications and speaking experience:
John Girdwood has been enthusiastic about volunteering his entire life and was fortunate enough to realize his passion professionally in 2005 when he landed his first job managing a highly skilled set of pro bono attorneys for a non-profit legal aide organization. At the same time he was recruiting and retaining volunteer attorneys and legal interns, John began volunteering himself as a legislative assistant in the State of Michigan House of Representatives. Volunteering was such an important social issue to John that he decided to withdraw from law school to pursue and obtain a master’s degree of public administration in 2008 and then went even further to begin his doctoral studies in sociology and group formation beginning in the fall semester of 2009 at Michigan State University.
Currently, as Coordinator of Volunteer Services for a hospice in Michigan, John oversees a vibrant program of hundreds of volunteers. On one hand, his role includes managing a highly regulated hospice volunteer program that undergoes audits from JCAHO, Medicare, and the State of Michigan Department of Community Health. Additionally, John cultivates new initiatives that bring in community partners in the form of special events and fund development projects. From the patient companion volunteer to the hot dog vendor at NFL and PGA tour events, John ensures a mutually beneficial experience for every volunteer that walks through the doors of hospice.
Moving forward, John Girdwood aims to continue his support of volunteering through research and further publications. He has written about “Taking A Non-Profit From Incorporation To Sustainability” and is now focusing on sociological issues as a PhD student at MSU. Researching trends on group formation and identity development of individuals, John continues to provide relevant and crucial volunteer management material to the non-profit community.
