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Adding Techie Volunteers to Your Team

Whether you work for a large nonprofit, a small scrappy one, or a community group, chances are you've been faced with challenges (or possibly even stress) adopting new technology to engage your volunteers.  Maybe it's customizing your website, adding a new blog, or jumping into Twitter - and maybe you don't even know what Twitter is (it's okay, really, most people don't!).  Wouldn't you like a little help from experts who have been there, done that? 

Today's guest blogger sharing strategies for recruiting techie volunteers is Wendy Biro-Pollard a nonprofit management consultant and founder of Training and Consulting Solutions.  It's our goal at VolunteerSpot to offer volunteer scheduling software that is so simple and easy that ANYONE can use us, no techies needed (even though we do LOVE techies!). We're one small piece in a very large puzzle.  Wendy shares ideas to help volunteer leaders get needed help and support in deploying the best technical solutions and engaging in social media. 

 

 

Finding Techie Volunteers

by Wendy Biro-Pollard

It’s almost impossible to effectively recruit and manage volunteers today without fully engaging technology and social media.  In any given day, successful volunteer leaders and managers increasingly…

• Use volunteer management software to communicate with volunteers and streamline operations
• Contribute to their organization’s website by posting volunteer applications, newsletters, position descriptions, photos, videos, and more
• Leverage social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Idealist
• Post and update volunteer positions on online recruitment sites
• Access free online software and collaboration tools like Wikis and Google docs
• Post to a Blog and Twitter to build their brand and keep folks informed
• Employ multiple methods to communicate with volunteers including text messaging, Skype, and list-serves.

Whew - what a list, and I'm sure I've missed something (or many things)! 

If you don’t have the staff or skills to deploy these tools effectively, you can improve your chances of success by adding tech volunteers to your team.  Tech volunteers can range from formally trained computer programmers, to naturally tech-savvy high school and college students. And the best part is, these individuals don’t have to live in your community to be helpful!

Before you go in search of help, be sure to download TechSoup’s free manual,  Working with Technical Volunteers: A Manual for NPOs. It will help you figure out what kind of help you need, and the recently updated guide includes the latest tech specs to help you screen applicants. The manual also includes comprehensive worksheets, sample applications, volunteer contracts, and questionnaires.

Once you’ve developed your plan and know what kind of support you need, it's time to begin your search. Here are a few strategies for building your team and recruiting volunteers with the right skills:

1. Contact your local volunteer resource center or national volunteer matching programs such as All for Good or Tech Soup.
2. Get permission to put a notice on an electronic bulletin board at local universities, on Craigslist, or on YouTube's Video Volunteers list. Also consider intranet bulletin boards and newsletters at local corporations and high-tech companies.
3. Check with instructors at area high schools, colleges or technical schools for qualified students who may want some real-world experience to add to their resumes. Students are masters at social media (facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) and are often eager to support local causes.
4. Ask colleagues at other nonprofits in your community where they go to find technical volunteers.  If you're already on facebook or Twitter, ask your virtual network too.
5. Ask board members and volunteers to tap their personal and professional networks on behalf of your nonprofit.  They may have a resource at work to share, or a teenager at home who can be pressed into service.
6. Seek out user groups and clubs that meet either in-person or online to discuss different types of tech issues. Look for them on MeetUp or in your local newspaper. Yahoo! and Google user groups, and Craigslist are also good places to start.

One of the appeals to the tech volunteers themselves, is that in many instances, folks can participate from home or from their workplace in just a few hours a week. Being open to flexible scheduling and focusing assignments on results and clear deadlines will go a long way to creating a positive experience for your organization and your volunteers.

Related articles:

“Engaging Techie Volunteers,”  Judicious Web, April 23, 2009

“Technology Acceleration: Grab Hold and Hang On,”  Susan Ellis, Energizeinc.com, June 2007

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For similar articles, training and support in managing your volunteers, please visit Wendy at her website: http://www.WendyBiro-Pollard.com.

VolunteerSpotlight: Jason Joven, Inside Out Community Arts in Los Angeles, CA

We love to highlight the great work of VolunteerSpot users.  Today our spotlight shines on Jason Joven of Inside Out Community Arts in Los Angeles, California.

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Please tell us a little about yourself and about Inside Out.

I'm the online initiative manager and volunteer coordinator at Inside Out, an after school arts program for sixth through eighth graders in Venice, California.  We currently serve seven schools in the Los Angeles area.  We aim to teach the kids self-empowerment and to broaden their horizons for the future so they can pursue college and other goals and become full-fledged adults.

Our flagship program, The School Project, involves after school workshops led by alumni artists— students who have participated in Inside Out.  The students go on three field trips during the semester.  They go to a play, they go on a nature field trip and we take them to a camp near Malibu.  They write plays about real life issues, such as teen pregnancy and drug use. It gives them an outlet for anything they’re dealing with in their lives.

We also have a program called Kid-Vid, which is for kids who are interested in film.  We have all the equipment donated from Sony, and the kids get to learn the craft of film making.

What are your volunteer needs at Inside Out?

We use volunteers mostly in administrative ways, but we also have an annual event called the Youth and Family Courtyard at the Abbott-Kinney Festival.  This is a one-day street fair in September, geared toward families and children with games and activities.  We have about 100-150 volunteers to help us manage rides, food/drink, and checking in and out.  This year's festival is Sunday, September 27th - if you're in the area, please stop by and see us!

How did you get interested in volunteering/nonprofit work?

Late last year, I got involved as a teaching artist at the schools.  I was an actor in Los Angeles and I’ve always considered myself socially conscious.  It was the perfect way to combine my love of entertainment and my socially conscious mindset.

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?

Keep them all informed and always have their best interest in mind.  When you organize an event, it’s easy to think of volunteers as your crutch, but the most important thing is to make sure that they have a good time.  It’s not just a nice thing to do, but you want them to have a genuinely good time, too.  If they’re having a good time, the guests at the events will have a more enjoyable time as well.. 

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot? How are we working for you?

We looked at a few different scheduling websites, but VolunteerSpot was the easiest to use and it didn’t look corporate like many of the others. We like it because it helps us keep our volunteers informed; it has big buttons and is easy to navigate, as well as being straight forward.  Also, VolunteerSpot is free, and that’s definitely a good thing for a non-profit.

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about Inside Out?

We’re working on some new programming and a teen media initiative.  We’re teaching participants in the program to become internet consultants for social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter.  We’ve also got our festival coming up in September.  If you like what we're doing, call or check us out!

Readers interested in volunteering can contact Jason at [email protected].  Those interested in learning more about Inside Out or making a donation, please do so here: www.insideoutca.org.

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We salute Jason and all the volunteer heroes out there working for our kids and our communities! If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing, and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at [email protected].

7 Ways to Increase Parent Participation at Back to School Time

"It's always the SAME parents that do ALL the work!"  This is the complaint I hear time and time again from PTA leaders across the country. This is the complaint I heard from MY PTA during my first board meeting three years ago. What frustrates me about this statement is that it's mostly true - and it doesn't need to be! 

It's my firm belief that most parents want to be involved in supporting our childrens' schools, but sometimes we make it too difficult or too burdensome for them participate.  When my daughter entered kindergarten, for example,  I wanted to volunteer in the school cafeteria but was told I couldn't because my work schedule didn't allow me to commit to a weekly shift. You see, it was simply too much of a hassle for the volunteer coordinator to juggle schedules of parents needing monthly or bi-weekly shifts. (of course, that was before VolunteerSpot).  Other parents simply dropped out because of over-communication. Rosa R., a 2nd grade parent volunteer, sums it up, "Reply-all email messages about scheduling math-station helpers were flooding my inbox - I finally had to ask the teacher to take me off the list!  I'm happy to help - just tell me my shift and I'll be there."

Overcoming these frustrating obstacles and getting more parents involved in our schools, even in modest ways, builds commitment to our children, our teachers, and our community. Here are 7 ways to  increase parent participation as your PTA leaders and teachers prepare for the new school year:

Get Flexible.  Offering a variety of ways to get involved at school opens the door for more parents to find a volunteer job that fits their interests and schedules. Don't get hung up on how frequently a parent is volunteering, instead, focus on getting the greatest number of parents participating across your campus. Parents who are sincerely welcomed, valued and thanked for their initial or seemingly simple contributions (e.g. reading to the class, or manning a booth at the carnival) may grow into parents that volunteer regularly or join your fundraising committees and booster clubs.

Be Visible.  Creating an environment where campus leaders are visible and approachable makes an inviting atmosphere for parents needing that extra nudge to get involved. Setting up welcome tables with bright signs during the first day of school and Back to School night lets parents see the variety of volunteer opportunities available. Even if parents don't sign up on the spot, they are getting information about where they are needed.  At our school, all committee chairs and room parents serve as ambassadors and wear ribbons at Back to School Night that say "PTO Leader, ASK ME". Parents that may want to get involved and don't know how to initiate now have an open invitation. 

Go Portable.  Challenging your committees and teachers to think of small jobs that can be completed outside of the classroom or meeting room makes more openings for working parents to participate. Most parents want to be involved at school - creating small, meaningful 'take home' jobs gives them a way to do so that also builds their commitment.  Examples of portable volunteer assignments include grading worksheets, preparing supplies for art or science projects, and making signs for the concessions stand. A variety of virtual tasks can also be completed from work or home - e.g. posting updates to the school website, emailing event sponsors, and uploading photos.

In-Kind is Fine.  Giving time on campus is nice, but giving in other ways is also essential.  Some parents choose not to give their time, and instead donate money to the school. Others gift materials and supplies such as landscaping materials, printing, or food for special events. Parents with creative or professional skills can be tapped to participate in their field of expertise, such as an artist parent designing the Carnival fliers or an accountant parent reconciling the books for the Fall fundraisier.

Just ASK.  Coaching PTA leaders and teachers to ask one simple question can cultivate new volunteers and volunteer leaders. I've had a lot of luck in one-on-one conversations causally asking parents, "Have you thought about how you would like to get involved this year?"  More often than not, parents have an answer. Once you know their interests, you can help them get plugged into the right committee or job. Once they are in, ask them to bring a friend!

No Extras.  Being realistic about how many volunteers you need sets you up for success. Too often committee chairs and teachers expect that volunteers will miss their shifts so they schedule 'extra' volunteers.  Unfortunately, this sets up a vicious circle - a parent takes time off to come help (at recess, the book fair, or classroom) and finds that her efforts aren't really needed because the shift is over-staffed.  Next time she's asked to sign up to help, she doesn't, assuming the teacher already has plenty of helpers and she won't be needed. So the next time the teacher sets the schedule, she adds additional spots to compensate for no-shows.

Make it Easy.  Streamlining communication, asking for specific help, and using simple online tools can go a long way to making it easy for parents to volunteer. Posting clear wish-lists on your school website, or immediate requests on Twitter,  and, when possible, sending weekly messages using the school listerve will reduce redundancy. Using VolunteerSpot's free and simple calendar sign up tool is another way that makes it easy for leaders to ask for help, and easy for parents to commit to volunteering. With VolunteerSpot, the cafeteria volunteer coordinator can accommodate both weekly-shifts and one-timers, without any extra work. VolunteerSpot makes it easy for her to reach out to more parents with an email link or button on the school's private webpage. Parents can quickly see what spots are available and claim a shift with a few clicks. Automated email confirmation and reminder messages help parents keep their commitments and also make the practice of scheduling 'extras' unnecessary.

Best of luck at Back to School time everyone!  I hope this post will spark your thinking about how you can make it easier for more parents to get involved than ever before. 

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Interested in learning more about VolunteerSpot so you can save time and make volunteering easier?  Please take a live or video tour here: VolunteerSpot.com - DEMO

Related Posts:

Back to School Planning

Welcome Volunteers of ALL Kinds

Unique Ideas to Recognize and Reward your Volunteers - Low Cost Too!

Teens + Volunteering = AWESOME. A Case for Youth Involvement

Over 8 million young adults 16-24 volunteered in the U.S. last year and streams of younger teens are participating in service with their families and through their schools, youth groups, and congregations. VolunteerSpot has facilitated service learning projects and youth volunteering since we launched last year. Today, we're pleased to present our guest blogger, Aldene Fredenburg, as she discusses the importance of teen involvement in service.  Thanks, Aldene!

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Volunteerism among high school and college students is at an all-time high; many school systems actually build volunteer work into their curriculum. Young people are building homes for Habitat for Humanity, working in National Parks for the Conservation Corps, and involving themselves in political, environmental, and social causes.

It's certainly admirable for young people to take an active part in these causes; but it may be even more important than routinely recognized.

Unfortunately, the United States is a materialistic society. Teenagers - many of them the same teenagers lining up to volunteer their time - have access to more discretionary funds than any previous generation, and they're spending it. CDs, DVDs, iPods, cell phones (and the accompanying bills), designer clothes, shoes, and bags - all of these material goods are in easy reach of many of our teenagers. Beyond the danger that these kids will grow up with unrealistic expectations when it comes time for them to move out, get a job, and support themselves, there's a real question as to whether these young folks, used to having anything and everything they want, will be able to relate to those less fortunate than they are.

This is not a frivolous issue. The high school and college students of today are the voting citizens of tomorrow; some of them will become the leaders of tomorrow, charged with making decisions about people from all walks of life, from the most privileged among us to the desperately poor. How are these often privileged middle class kids to develop empathy for those less fortunate than they are, if they never interact with them?

Volunteerism is a way for kids to cut across social and financial boundaries and connect with people different from them. Upper middle class kids from the suburbs of Malibu can work side by side with poor kids from rural West Virginia and urban Brooklyn, clearing trails in a national forest and in the process experiencing an environment beyond the screaming product ads on TV and in magazines billboards. Young people who sign on with Habitat for Humanity can develop an understanding of the difficulties involved for a low-income family when faced with finding decent affordable housing. Locally, kids who volunteer as companions in nursing homes can get a sense of the loneliness and isolation many elderly people experience when cut off from family and friends.

Teenagers who involve themselves in volunteer work can develop valuable skills and a sense of responsibility that will stand them in good stead when it comes time for them to enter the work world. But perhaps more important than job-related skills is the opportunity for these young people to develop empathy and a sense of compassion for those who have been wounded by life. Perhaps for these future leaders and citizens, developing compassion is the paramount and most essential benefit of the volunteer experience.

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About the author: Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She may be reached at [email protected]. 

For those inspired to serve and looking for ideas to launch their own projects, please check out our free ebook: Family-Friendly Volunteering: Ideas from A-Z.  The National Learn and Serve Challenge offers a full online toolkit for teachers, community leaders, and students launching Service Learning programs and projects. Check out their site and register your project today.

Pesky Problems (a.k.a. known bugs)

last updated 7/12/13

It's our goal to make volunteering easy - and our volunteers love us because we're doing just that!  Occasionally, however, we learn about problems -- we're technology, after-all  -- so we'll keep this page updated to let you know about 'em and how to fix 'em.

If you ever encounter a problem, please hit the help button (at the top of the website) and tell us about it. Be sure to tell us what browser you are using and how you connect to the internet.  We'll do our best to get it fixed for you and all our volunteers out there doing good!

Here are our most common pesky problems:

• Extra large activity, Organizer gets Scripting error  (rare)

If you've got a very large sign up with hundreds of volunteers and many days, you may be seeing a Scripting error message on PCs.  This indicates limitations in the browser memory. To overcome this problem, please try these memory-optimizing strategies: use Firefox or Chrome as your browser, use a 'fresh' browser (close and re-open browser, work with only one tab open), and delete activity days in the past (click the Delete icon next to the activity status calendar).  That should do the trick. If you have access to a newer, faster workstation - please try that too. 

• Volunteer sees a white screen on sign up and can't access the activity (rare)
  

When this problem occurs, the volunteer sees a white screen framed by the VolunteerSpot logo and header information.  Here's what it could be and what to do about it:

1) A very small number of volunteers appear to have a specific conflict with the unique security and virus configurations in their internet browser blocking our site. The conflict is rare, typically occurs in IE, and we've had trouble reproducing it so we can fix it.

The quickest solution is to use an alternate browser or computer to access VolunteerSpot.  You may download a free Safari browser for PC or Mac here - http://www.apple.com/safari/download/. Reported fixes also include lowering the security settings in your browser, allowing VolunteerSpot as a 'Trusted Site', enabling 'Java Script or Active Scripting' in advanced browser settings, or temporarily disabling the firewall. 

2) Volunteers accessing from a high security corporate environment (e.g. a bank) may not be able to access VolunteerSpot from work because corporate security blocks the JavaScript that runs our system. 

If these options aren't acceptable, the organizer may schedule the volunteer manually.  Volunteers will still receive confirmation and reminder messages from VolunteerSpot. 

• 'Change my password' button in (Firefox) appears to be unresponsive (frequent)  

If you're in Firefox and click the "change password" button in the MyInfo tab, it will appear as if the system did not respond - however, the pop-up screen to change your password did fire and is hovering at the very bottom of your browser window....scroll down to see it, enter your new password, and then scroll right to save your new password.

• VolunteerSpot takes too long on dial-up connections (frequent)

'Nuf said - sorry, we're way tooo slow on dial-ups! The workaround is to give the volunteer an assignment manually. They will still receive automated confirmation and reminder messages, even if they can't access VolunteerSpot themselves.

Still have questions or concerns? Please click here to access our Help system.  You may search for answers to commonly asked questions or report a problem by clicking "Contact" at the top of the Help page.  

How 2 Make Assignments from a Full Clipboard Sign Up Sheet

Free Online Sign Up Sheets - Clipboard Compatible!

Whether it's at school, church, soccer, or at the office, we've all experienced the dreaded clipboard sign up sheet!  Sometimes it just seems easy to pass around a clipboard and get everyone signed up, on the spot.  

That may be easy for the volunteers, but it's a mess for the volunteer leader who now needs to convert the clipboard sign up sheet into some kind of meaningful schedule.  Have no fear - VolunteerSpot is THE tool for converting your paper sign up sheets into online scheduling power.  Using our easy calendar-based planning wizard, set up your activity listing things you need volunteers to do and to bring.  These can be anything from volunteer shifts, specific jobs, to lists of needed materials and supplies.

You may give a volunteer an assignment for any item by clicking the Assignments button and entering his or her contact information. Even volunteers without email addresses can be captured in our online sign up sheet. 

Once you save your work and complete the planning wizard, automated confirmation email messages will be sent to volunteers listing their assignments including a link back to your activity signup calendar.  Two days before each assignment, volunteers will receive automated email reminder messages. If some volunteers don't have email addresses, you will be alerted so you may contact the volunteer and remind them via phone.

It's also easy to make assignments once your activity is underway. Open your activity in the My Activities tab, choose the day, click Make Changes, and then click the Assignments button (the same as in the screen shot above).  It's that easy!

So take your clipboard sign up sheet and convert it to VolunteerSpot today! We'll do all the busy work of reminding volunteers and save you time for more meaningful activities!

HOW 2 Get Started: 5 Tips for Planning your Volunteer Sign Up

Free Online Sign Up Sheets & Templates for Easy Volunteer Management

We know, for many of us, using a new online tool can bring a moment of pause.  Breathe easy, we've designed our 'Planning' wizard with this goal: If you can shop online, you can use VolunteerSpot! Here are a few tips in getting started.
 

1.    Thinking ahead, what kind of help do you need for your activity? Do you need volunteers TO DO something or TO BRING something, or just to show up? (please see HOW To Structure your Sign up: To Do and To Bring Examples)
 

2.  You may stop at any time; your work will be saved. Click My Activities to start again.

3.  Send yourself an invitation FIRST so you can see how your signup looks from a volunteer perspective. Come back later and invite more volunteers by opening your activity in the My Activities tab.

4.  Invite volunteers in batches of 50 or fewer email addresses via VolunteerSpot. For larger groups, grab an activity link to invite volunteers through a group email list (e.g. Yahoo!Group or listserve), Facebook, or a button on your website.This help article explains your options for inviting volunteers.

5.  Already have a list of volunteers signed up (e.g. on a clipboard sheet)? Enter volunteer emails next to their assignment in the details screen and we’ll send them confirmation & reminder notices automatically.

 

Online Sign Up Sheet Organizer Screen (Day View):  Click gold Assignments button by ToDo/ToBring to add volunteers to online volunteer calendar

Have fun and enjoy the fact that once your activity is set up, VolunteerSpot will keep your schedule updated in real-time.  We'll also send folks a reminder message two days before each commitment. We do your busy work so you can focus on more meaningful work! 

Have a question? Search for answers to our most commonly asked questions by pressing "Help" in the green navigation bar. (Click Here to launch Help)

Have something to say? We're listening! Please click Help and Contact to share your feedback and suggestions.

How 2 Increase your Sign Up Response Rate

Solutions and Ideas for Volunteer Recruitment and Coordination

VolunteerSpot is a free signup tool that lets ANYONE coordinate others simply and easily online. Our customers include community nonprofits, corporate volunteer captains, teachers and informal leaders at PTA, scouts and sports leagues.

Although we make signing up point-and-click simple, some people may be slow to try a new tool - even one as easy as VolunteerSpot. Below are a few helpful tips for increasing your Sign Up Response Rate.

Let volunteers know ahead of time that a request for help is coming via VolunteerSpot and why their help is important.

Whether you do this in person, or via email, alerting volunteers you will be using a new service to help streamline volunteer communication and signups for your activity will help them know what to expect. Share simple background information about why their help is important. (Please see sample message below)

Clearly identify yourself and your title when planning your activity.

Although email is sent from VolunteerSpot, email subject lines identify the Organizer and Organizer Title so volunteers know who the invitation is from. Even if you don't have a formal title, adding information that lets volunteers know what group you represent is helpful.  Some examples: 
        Mary Jonas, 3rd Grade Parent
        Chris Linn, Food Drive Leader
        Alex Meyers, Sharks Swim Team

 

 Remind Volunteers to check their spam/junk mail folders.

Although VolunteerSpot follows best practices for email deliverability, occasionally, individual emails are captured by spam/junk filters.

Use a welcoming tone in your Activity Description.

The Activity Description is the first thing a volunteer sees when they click the link to sign up to volunteer.  Be sure to formally ASK for help and thank volunteers for their commitments.  E.g.  Our Fall Carnival Fundraiser is next week - PLEASE HELP us make it a HUGE success by volunteering now. Click below to choose a shift --THANKS!!

 

Tell Volunteers what to expect when signing up from a URL link or a button on your webpage. e.g.:

Please click this link to signup. You will not need to register at any time, but your email address is necessary so VolunteerSpot can properly identify you.

 

If all else fails, call or email the volunteer and agree on an assignment.  We'll send automated confirmation and reminder messages for you!

Once the volunteer agrees to help, enter their email address to make an assignment of a job, shift, or item to bring.  This can be done either in the Planning Wizard, or by opening your activity in the My Activities tab, choosing the assigned day and clicking Make Changes, then Assignment next to the desired shift.

Sample leader email message - Pre-VolunteerSpot Invitation:

Thank you in advance for your willingness to help Central Elementary by volunteering at the Book Fair! Funds raised from the Book Fair go directly to purchase materials for our library.

So, you are no doubt wondering, "How do I sign up to be part of the fun?"  Thanks to VolunteerSpot.com, it's easy! Soon, I'll be sending you an email with a link to our online VolunteerSpot signup page.  Please click the link and volunteer for the day and shift that's best for you. Thanks for giving generously of your time so our kids can keep on reading!

How 2 Invite People: VolunteerSpot Email, URL link, Facebook or Website Button

Fast, Easy Solutions for Recruiting Volunteers Online

Free online sign up sheets make organizing volunteers both faster and simpler - but how do you get your volunteers to access their online volunteer calendar and actually sign up?  We've got the answer!

At VolunteerSpot, we offer three easy ways for you to recruit volunteers and invite people to sign up for your activity. 

1. Enter email addresses directly into our simple planning wizard

 2. Paste a general URL link on your facebook page or in your own email message or email group (listserve) 

3. Publish a sign up button on your website  that looks like this:

 

1. Enter email addresses in our simple planning wizard

If you have a manageable list 50 people or fewer, you may enter their email addresses individually or quickly copy/paste them from another source, like a spreadsheet. Since VolunteerSpot identifies each individual by their unique email address, DO NOT enter group email addresses here such as Yahoo!Groups or listserve group addresses.
 
With this option, VolunteerSpot sends an invitation message with an activity sign up link directly to your volunteers.  If you have more than 50 people, you may paste additional batches of 50 email addresses by accessing your activity in the My Activities tab and clicking Invite.
 

2. Paste a URL link in your own facebook page, email message or email group (listserve)

If you are inviting people with a link on your facebook page, click here to see how - it's easy!

If you are inviting people using your email program or a group email list like a Yahoo!Group or listserve, you MUST use a URL link.  Simply copy and paste the unique URL link into your own email message and send it out to your group. (Scroll down for instruction on how to grab a link.) 
 
TIP: Using an optional online service like TinyURL shortens a long VolunteerSpot URL into a much shorter one - and you may give it a custom alias. Try it at www.TinyURL.com

So this:  http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/8-60861881

Becomes this: http://tinyurl.com/CentralVolunteers

3. Publish a sign up button on your website

If you want to invite the general community to sign up for your activity, embed a sign up button on your website by copying and publishing the HTML code string.  It will look like this:

 

Anyone clicking the button may enter their email address and sign up to volunteer. HTML buttons may be embedded in both Yahoo!Groups and ETeamz pages.  Creative VolunteerSpot users have also posted public sign ups on Craigslist by copying/pasting the HTML code string.  Please note, ANYONE may signup through your link -- it's YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to screen and approve volunteers.

 

How do I get a link or button ?

You have two choices for generating a URL link or HTML Button: 

While planning your signup, click the box shown below in the 4th screen of the Plan Now Wizard.  The URL and HTML links will appear on the next screen.  Copy/paste the link or code where you want it. 

 

If you have already planned your signup, open your activity in the My Activities tab.  To the left you will see the option to Invite by Link.

 

 Here's the window you'll get with the URL link and HTML code:

Copy the URL link (the top line) and paste it in your facebook page or own email message. 

Or, embed the HTML code on your site (or even Craigslist) to generate a button that looks like this - and links to your activity.

 

What happens next?

When a volunteer clicks the email URL link or a button on your website, they are directed to a page like this on VolunteerSpot:

 

On this page, a volunteer enters his or her email address and directed to your signup sheet.  Volunteers don't need to register accounts with VolunteerSpot, the system recognizes each individual's email address. 

For volunteers without email addresses, please see this help article on making manual assignments.

May I mix it up?

You bet!  Please use any or all of the signup and recruiting methods that work best for your group.

 

My volunteers are tech-timid, how do I explain the URL link signup process?

VolunteerSpot was built with tech-timid volunteers in mind - our colors and buttons are welcoming and easy to follow. Here is sample text you may copy and customize to explain the process to your volunteers:

We’re using VolunteerSpot (a time-saving online sign up and reminder tool) to schedule our upcoming activity.  Please click this link and enter your email to access our signup page. You will NOT need to register an accout with VolunteerSpot:

    <ADD LINK OR BUTTON HERE>
 
If you have any trouble at all accessing the site or prefer not to enter your email address – please email me and I can sign you up manually.

Happy Volunteering!

New Ideas for Fundraising with Kids

 

Fundraising Made Fun!

When your fundraising team is scratching their collective heads trying to come up with new ideas, point them to VolunteerSpot's brand new free eBook Kid Friendly Fundraising Ideas From A To Z. Many of the ideas came from our VolunteerSpot users and blog followers --THANK YOU!

This post proudly sponsored by Carnival Savers

10% discount on carnival supplies & prizes: Promo Code=VOLUNTEER

Kid Friendly Fundraising Ideas From A To Z

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This quick-to-read 15 page eBook is full of fresh ideas for groups as small as individual Little League teams and dance troops to larger Band Booster Clubs and School PTAs.  No cookie dough or wrapping paper sales here -- just fun ideas for raising money with kids at Scouts, schools, clubs, congregations and community youth groups. A few examples:        

Bollywood Dance Party
Hula Hoop Sales
Movies on the Lawn
Skateboard Fun Day

 

We hope our eBook is a catalyst for your group's next great money maker!  Please also check out our VolunteerSpot eBook Gallery for more fundraising resources and suggestions:

        Fabulously Fun School Carnival Ideas

        Talent Shows for Fun and Fundraising

        Bake Sale Ideas: Best Practices for Turning Cupcakes into Cash

 

 

 

You may also enjoy our recent blog posts about fundraising:

Move over Wrapping Paper: Artwork for Education is our New Favorite Fundraiser

New Carnival Guide: Money-Making Games and Strategies

Silent Auction Addition: Try SOCIALS to Raise More Money and Build Community

Fundraising Ideas for Volunteers: A Nonprofit Strategy for Fundraising

Time For Some Fresh Fundraising Ideas - Check out Top School Fundraisers

 

What are your fun fundraising ideas and traditions? Please share them by scrolling down and clicking COMMENTS below. 

Charity Walks: Easy Ways to Thank your Volunteers...and Schedule Them Too!

Leaders and committee chairs across the country use VolunteerSpot to coordinate volunteers for all types of charity walks, fun runs, triathlons and marathons.  Whether you are a Corporate Captain organizing the water table volunteers for a national charity walk, or you're in charge of  your school's Fun Run,  VolunteerSpot saves leaders time and makes it point-an-click-simple for volunteers to sign up to help. 

Thanking volunteers is an important part of keeping them coming back year after year.  Our guest blogger today is Roger Carr of Charity Walks Blog, bringing us Charity Walks: 7 Easy Ways to Thank your Volunteers. Thanks Roger!!

 

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Successful charity walks depend on the unselfish contributions of many volunteers. That should be enough of a reason for a nonprofit organization to identify as many ways as possible to thank their volunteers. Expressing appreciation to volunteers does not have to be difficult.

There are many easy ways you can show your volunteers that you care about them and are grateful for their hard work. This list should get you started:

1. Present each volunteer with a certificate of appreciation. These certificates can be designed, personalized and printed from your computer. To make the task easy, use a template. Search online for “certificate of appreciation template” for many to choose from. Consider displaying the certificate in an inexpensive frame prior to presenting it to your volunteer.

2. Send each volunteer a note or letter recognizing their contributions. A surprise thank you note arriving in the mail can be a real treat for your volunteers. To make the note extra special, be sure the note is handwritten.

3. Thank volunteers publicly for their service at the charity walk and other related events. Make sure your volunteers are recognized at the charity walk. You can provide them special shirts to wear. You should also recognize them when you are making announcements to the walkers.

4. List your volunteers in an email and/or newsletter and express your thanks. Use your organization’s e-mail list and newsletters to thank your volunteers. You could even write features on individual volunteers who have made significant contributions.

5. Privately tell each volunteer you appreciate him or her every chance you get. Some volunteers will not feel as comfortable as others with public expressed gratitude. However, a reminder in private about how important they are to you and to the cause may be just what they need.

6. Express your gratitude with an inexpensive gift. Care should be used if using a tangible gift to thank some or all of your volunteers. The gift needs to be inexpensive. An expensive gift will signal that time provided at no cost is not valued.

7. Provide opportunities for new and expanded responsibilities. Some of your volunteers may be seeking new ways to contribute to your organization and a larger way. For these individuals, a request for them to participate in your organization with additional responsibilities can be a great way to demonstrate your appreciation for their volunteering efforts.

Demonstrating your thanks will not only motivate your volunteers to continually improve. It will also ensure these volunteers will be excited about supporting your future charity walks. Get started today.

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Please visit Charity Walks Blog for more information about organizing your upcoming Charity Walk.  When it comes to volunteers, please remember VolunteerSpot, our simple and free volunteer scheduling software that makes volunteer coordination a snap! 

VolunteerSpotlight: Carolyn, McDonald School Playground Rebuilding Project - Seattle, WA

VolunteerSpot's free and easy volunteer scheduling software saves leaders time and makes it easy to engage friends and neighbors in community service projects. 

Today's VolutneerSpotlight shines on neighborhood hero Carolyn Cunningham, Volunteer Leader for the McDonald School Playground Rebuilding Project in Seattle, WA.

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Please tell us a little about yourself and your about the McDonald School Playground project.

My husband and I have spent the past two years working with neighbors to improve our local school playground that had become pretty run down. The playground is used by up to 500 neighborhood children and families, but McDonald school is an occasionally-used interim school, and hadn’t been occupied in several years. Several of us joined together to see what we could do to make it a more enjoyable place for kids and parents to gather. In November, 2008 Friends of McDonald School received a $15,000 grant from the City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods. We used this grant money to purchase a new play structure and pay for improvement supplies.


What were your volunteer needs on the project?

After months of planning, we finally came to the point of being able to install the new equipment and then to hold a neighborhood celebration. Both the installation and the celebration required mobilizing volunteers in order to accomplish the work; assembling equipment and seating, painting stencils on the blacktop, etc.  About 80 volunteers helped with the installation over two weekends and more than 200 neighbors attended our celebration!

How did you get interested in becoming a volunteer leader? 

I work for United Way of King County’s Volunteer Center so I have a lot of background in volunteerism. Because my job is to promote volunteerism, it seemed only natural for me to step up to handle the volunteer mobilization for our playground effort. I’ve volunteered for many many years – I enjoy community /neighborhood-based volunteering the most as building relationships with neighbors is important to me. One of my favorite volunteer roles was being a Big Sister for many years and building the 1:1 relationship in a useful way.

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteer leaders out there?  

The biggest challenge is recruitment, and coming up with meaningful ways for people to become involved that fits into their busy lives.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

While I’m aware of many web-based tools to promote and manage volunteerism, I was happy to find VolunteerSpot - a simple tool to do just what we needed - organize the volunteers according to the jobs we needed.  It’s one helpful tool to address the challenge of recruiting and organizing volunteers. With VolunteerSpot, we were able to get 30 confirmed volunteers on each weekend of our project. Because they were confirmed, we could communicate with them and let them know what to expect ahead of time. In the end, however,  more neighbors than that showed up to help - what a nice surprise!

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We salute Carolyn and all the volunteer heroes out there everyday making our neighborhoods better places to live! If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing, and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at [email protected].

Back to School Night - Getting Even More Parents to Volunteer

As a PTA leader, I know that Back to School Night might be the one opportunity to connect with ALL our parents. We welcome them, want them to LOVE our school, and most importantly, invite them to participate as volunteers supporting our teachers, our children, and our many fundraisers.

At our school, as you enter the building, there are tables and tables full of clipboards asking for parents to sign up to volunteer as library volunteers, science volunteers, recess and cafeteria helpers, book fair and carnival volunteers, field trip chaperons, silent auction chairs, and more. Our hope is that every parent finds something they can fit into their busy schedules -- whether it's a weekly commitment in the copy room, a one-time volunteer spot at the football concessions stand,  providing cupcakes for the bake sale, or extra classroom supplies for the teachers.

My school has been using the clipboard table forever but now that computers are more common than transistor radios, we've decided to embrace technology and make the sign up process easier than ever by using VolunteerSpot's free and easy volunteer sign up tool. This also lets parents sign up even when they are not physically in the school building, by simply visiting the school website and clicking the 'volunteer' link. 

Starting this Fall, all the sign ups for our different activities at  school will use VolunteerSpot, which has a neat functionality that allows users to create a URL link to the signup sheet, so users on email or visiting the school website or booster club website can simply click on say the 'Fall Carnival Volunteers' or 'Recess Helpers' link and the entire schedule is sitting there awaiting their sign up. Also, by doing sign ups this way (instead of a clipboard), VolunteerSpot also automates confirmation messages and reminders to the volunteers (especially helpful for people who sign up in the Fall for an event in the Spring)!

For schools with good computer access, connected computers can be set up with a committee chair manning the sign up.  Parents can choose their volunteer spots 'on the spot', sign up, and a confirmation message with their assignments will be waiting in their email inbox when they get home. Another option is to have parents request the URL on the spot, and go home to choose their actual assignments (where they can consult their calendars). 

For schools still embracing clipboards, VolunteerSpot makes it easy for committee chairs to turn those parent signatures into online assignments. Once entered into the online calendar, VolunteerSpot takes over with automated confirmation and reminder messages. Donna, the Career Day chair at an elementary school in Pataskala, Ohio sums it up, "Thanks for saving me so much time and making my job so easy!  Because of VolunteerSpot, I'll be the chair next year too!"

Lori, a working-mom and elementary school parent from Augusta, Ga says this, "WOW - that was easy!  Even a computer-challenged mom like me could sign up to help - and I'm liberated from all the reply-all messages our room mom used to send!"

The easier we make it for parents to volunteer and sign up, the greater the participation level we will achieve - and isn't that what every school wants and needs?! So enjoy your Back to School Night and don't forget to volunteer!

Move over wrapping paper: Artwork for Education is our New Favorite School Fundraiser

For the past several years, I've been supporting our preschool and elementary school wrapping paper fundraisers.  I've pretty much had my fill of wrapping paper and have bought enough stuff to wrap presents not just for my kids, but my future grandchildren! I Our other school fundraiser, Cookie Dough Sales, has never tempted me; I wait for the Girl Scouts to bake them and buy them “ready to eat.”

PTAs know that burnout can happen with any school fund raising program; with sales-based fundraisers especially, it becomes easy to say NO when you just don’t need the item. It’s hard to give up or try something new when the school payout is so high – 50% in the case of wrapping paper items – and often represents a significant portion of the school’s budget. 

Finding new ideas to replace and supplement our old standards can be tough, but it’s an important function of the fundraising committee to keep trying new things.

Here at VolunteerSpot, we try to keep an eye out for new ideas – and one of our favorite new ones is a program from Worldwise Education called Artwork for Education. This program is a turnkey school fundraiser where each child creates greeting cards.  Here's how it works --  kids make artwork at school and the artwork is then submitted to Artwork for Education where they produce it into a beautiful fundraising brochure.  Brochures are returned to the school to start the order process and Artwork for Education also posts each design on an online order site, to make it easy for out of town friends and family to participate. The finished cards are sold in boxes of 12 for $20.50 and are shipped back to the school within 3 weeks of order.

This fundraiser offers the chance to get high quality, kid-customized greeting cards for an affordable price -- and returns 40% of proceeds to the school!  It also satisfies two of my primary personal concerns about fundraisers – they are selling something I actually need, and something that’s not packed with sugar! I also love the fact that every child has the chance to see their design in the catalog – whether anyone orders cards or not.

Another part of Worldwise Education's business is selling individual greeting cards through retail outlets – currently Whole Foods Market locations in Southern California.  These proceeds are  returned to schools, many of them low-income schools.  Worldwise Education is also launching an online exchange this year where teachers can get free donated school supplies.

While your school fundraising committee is meeting this summer to find fresh ideas that your parents and community will support - please check out Artwork for Education! Your kids will love seeing their work in print and your school will enjoy the proceeds!

Kids Camp - Extreme Budget (Neighborhood) Edition!

School has been out for several weeks and summer is in full swing -- to keep it interesting, you've seen the local sites, scheduled play dates, and visited relatives.  Wouldn't it be great to send the kids to camp for a while? But what if kids camp just isn't in the budget?

We'd all love a quality camp experience for our kids and not just because we'd like a break or need child care. For our kids, staying social in summer creates special bonds that supersede the day-to-day stress of school life. Kids camp opens up important new possibilities and encourages our kids to be more independent.

So how do you create a quality camp experience for your kids without breaking the bank? Some planning, some cooperation and some kids can equal a fantastic neighborhood camp experience. To make it easy to get started, VolunteerSpot has created a brand new eBook: Do-It-Yourself Neighborhood Camp.  Please view it below, and read on for more information about setting up your own DIY Camp. To see the eBook full-screen, click on the icon in the lower right corner that looks like a little projector screen (it's just to the right of the page numbers). When you're done, pres ESC to come back to this post.

One of the keys to a successful DIY Neighborhood Summer Camp is clearly laying out the responsibilities of all parents, very similar to what you might do with a babysitting coop. Some important points:

Agree on safety rules all will abide by (for example: one-third of American families own guns; there needs to be a safety rule that if guns are in the home, all weapons are locked and secured). How many days will each parent work?  For elementary age kids 1 adult per five kids is probably a good rule of thumb, plus it works out to 1 day worked equals four days off! Parents with 2 kids work one shift for each of them. Younger kids need a higher ratio.

What is the age range of kids? Toddlers are harder to watch than 12 year olds, think this through and get agreement.

Are there pools at any of the camp homes? Will the camp pay for a lifeguard? Is there a fence? What about sunscreen and sun safety?

Will the host camp home provide snacks or will parents send them. If the camp provides snacks are there guidelines about what's appropriate or is a junk food free-for-all completely fine since it's summer?

Is video entertainment allowed? Under what circumstances? For me personally, I don't want my kid supposedly going to camp and then watching SpongeBob all morning (or something less savory).

Discipline: What are the discipline guidelines, conflict resolution plans, and ultimate penalties available? This is a critical point for every to agree to.

Agreeing to ground rules ahead of time is important because it will prevent conflict later. It also prevents any one parent from feeling overly scrutinized -- these rules apply to everyone, and once they are in place, every one can feel comfortable knowing that supervision and programming will meet their expectations. Then comes the fun part -- planning the activities and setting the schedule.

If camp is batched in 2 week increments, it can rotate through all 10 houses so each family gets an equal dose of chaos. If some families just can't host, there has to be a trade-off to make up to whoever hosts twice. (e.g. A working parent may pay a stay-at-home parent in exchange for hosting an extra day.) And finally, set up the activity plan and so everyone knows what happening and figure out the supplies needed to run the activities. A budget should be set up for supplies (agreed on by the members -- there's nothing worse than one person thinking that a hundred dollars is a reasonable budget when most feel like $10 is more than enough. We're in a recession here folks, be sensitive!!)

Before camp begins, have an orientation meeting with all campers and parents present. This gives everyone a chance for introductions and reassures the kids that all the parents know the other parents and kids. You can let them know all the fun they'll be having, and a little bit about the discipline plan and camp rules. (Kids knowing that there are agreed on rules and consequences while all the parents are standing there can prevent a lot of "rule testing" misbehavior during camp itself).

Finally, the genius part is you can easily set up the entire calendar of workdays, locations, supplies in VolunteerSpot, providing easy reminders to each worker and a good place for all participants to keep track of everything that's happening. 

So get ready to get out there and have some real fun this summer -- for you and your kids - start your own camp and let everyone - adults and kids -- make some great new memories this summer.