Many people would not look upon working with 'youth' as a gift, especially adults with teenagers still living at home. I know many who would like to ship them out until they have matured and bring them back as adults!...
Picture this scene: a new principal at the school, with the best of intentions, wants a big volunteer appreciation event to cap off the school year. Volunteers play a significant role in this elementary school, so instead of the understated...
This is the final in a series of articles on best practices for engaging youth. The first four covered questions to consider under the headings of 'Organizational Readiness' and 'Youth Opportunities and Relationships'. You are now ready to look at...
Are there ideas, objects, or even people weighing down your volunteer program? "Spring Cleaning" is a great excuse for dealing with some of these issues. Take a good look around you. You probably see at least one thing that needs...
Just as there are "introduction" processes volunteers and staff members go through, there should be processes for when individuals end or complete their volunteering. After an individual leaves, the agency should know why she or he left, and get some...
When it comes to recruiting new volunteers, it's no secret that your current volunteers can be your most effective salespeople. They have, after all, experienced the benefits of volunteering at your organization first-hand. And when they began, they had the...
Supporting, recognizing, and challenging volunteers are all separate tasks, but together they provide a strong volunteer program with satisfied volunteers. This article will address these three issues separately, but keep in mind how they work together. Maintaining volunteers is one...
Team-building exercises are simply tools used to create solidarity in a group - to allow group members to know each other better, and to have a fun experience as a team. These exercises can be used in a variety of...
Developing Policies and Procedures Policies are expectations, definitions, and courses of action agreed upon by an organization's governing members, such as the Board of Directors. Policies can be general (i.e. smoking is only allowed outside of the premises) or specific...
Volunteer placement Appropriate placement of individuals interested in volunteering benefits the agency and the volunteer. Volunteers placed in positions they are not interested in or not suited for may not enjoy their volunteer experience. If they have not been trained...
