Be Inspired: Volunteer Stories

As I write this entry (my first blog entry ever!) I appreciate the lull of activity between two rounds of new volunteer orientation.  Our orientation in April provided many strong volunteer candidates.  Our May orientation is focused on a summer only, junior volunteer program in our Food Service and Materials Management departments.  The first summer only program at Maple Grove Hospital.  I’m excited for this new opportunity to involve youth in our organization and accommodate their increasingly chaotic schedules. 

I’m not going to lie…as an introvert in an extroverted role, I can also be very worn out by orientations and interviews and follow ups.  I have a feeling that many volunteer coordinators are in my same shoes.  If you are an introvert like me you are very organized, like seeing open volunteer shifts filled, you enjoy checking tasks off your to do lists.  You enjoy empowering people in your community to give of their time and talents.  You go to bed at night feeling good about your profession and how you see yourself as a professional of service.  But, during the on boarding process you often come home exhausted by all of the talking.  You come in to work relieved when you only have one interview for the day, and dreading the days when you have 5 interviews back to back.  Not because of the time it takes from the hundreds of other tasks that you must do that day, but by the amount of talking, the repetitive nature of sharing the same messaging from applicant to applicant.  You throw you’re hands in the air after an applicant doesn’t stop playing solitaire on their phone during their interview, or blatantly says they ultimately want a job at your organization, and volunteering will help them “get their foot in the door”.  I’ve gotten really good at striking up conversation with complete strangers.  I have a list of questions to start up small talk with the junior volunteers, the college students, the working professionals, stay at home moms, the retirees.  But still, I am an introvert at heart.

So what is the point of all this babbling about being an introvert?  Well, whether you are introverted or extroverted by nature it’s beneficial to remember the good fortune we have in meeting all of the people who are drawn to serve our organization and through it, our community.  Through volunteer applicant interviews I’ve gotten the inside scoop on what it is really like to be a flight attendant.  I have learned about karate, lifeguarding, theater, swimming and pickle ball.  From my desk I have entered the worlds of finance, aerospace, photography, civil service, homeschooling, small business ownership, even the FBI.  I have been enlightened on various Christian denominations, Hindu temples and Muslim holidays.  I have sympathized with applicants whose personal experience with our hospital, or hospitals in general, have motivated them to give back in a medical setting. Applicants have taken me to Australia, Italy, India, Hawaii and many other destinations, all from the comforts of my office.  I understand the challenges and perks of being a Target Field volunteer.  Applicants have taught me about scrapbooking, card making, knitting and origami.  I know more about carpet sales than I ever thought possible.  Through the stories that applicants share in their interviews, I have been fascinated by languages, cultures, professions and hobbies that I would otherwise never know.

At the end of the day, the stories that are shared in the four walls of my office inspire me.  They keep me energized for the next round of interviews.  They remind me what a rich and diverse volunteer corps we have at Maple Grove Hospital. 

Jennifer Nelson, Volunteer Services Coordinator 

Maple Grove Hospital

Celebrating Volunteers!

The question of the month, what are you doing, or what did you do, for National Volunteer Appreciation Week?  Large events, small events, many words of appreciation or few words of appreciation, it’s hard to know, in my opinion, what is the “correct” thing to do.  How do we ensure that every volunteer knows how much we appreciate them?

A few years ago my boss had our volunteer services team read a book called “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman.   At first I was a little confused about why in the world she would ask us to read this book for work.  BUT it didn’t take me very long to figure out the benefit of this book in my work, and also in my home.

I didn’t realize that every person feels loved/appreciated in a different way.  Much to my surprise, not everyone is a quality time person.  Some people have the love language of affirmation or receiving gifts, huh, seems strange to me!  There are more love languages, five to be exact, that are identified by Chapman in his book.

As a volunteer coordinator I think that it is important to know a few things; first, not all people are like me, second all people are different from each other and third, it sometimes takes a long time and a lot of discussion to really know what the love language of a person is.

What, you may ask, is the point of talking about love languages and Volunteer Appreciation Week all in the same blog?  Well, I think that they go hand in hand, and teach us a very important lesson.  While Volunteer Appreciation week is one week out of our very busy volunteer year, it is just one week.  How are we to make every volunteer know how much they are appreciated in one week?  Is it possible?

Knowing about the five love languages and what makes people feel loved/appreciated helps me to know that no, as a volunteer coordinator I am not going to be able to make each volunteer know how much we appreciate them during Volunteer Appreciation week.  I will still plan events and work to let as many people know how much we appreciate the work that they do at Lyngblomsten, but the work of appreciating volunteers is something that needs to happen every month, each week and even every day.

Because I know that there is a large population of people that feel loved/appreciated through words of affirmation and through acts of service, this year for volunteer appreciation we had “thank you” cards printed with our theme (Celebrating the Magic) and an open space for each supervisor to write a personal thank you.  With the help of a great intern and Volgistics, we identified each volunteer and their supervisor(s).  I hosted two “card writing” sessions, furnishing bagels and coffee, for the supervisors and had them come and write on their volunteers cards.  The benefits of getting the supervisors together in this way were somewhat of a surprise to me.  They shared stories about volunteers with each other, they asked me questions about how to “deal” with different volunteer situations and they were able to get tips about how to show appreciation to their volunteers.

Shelli Beck, Lead Volunteer Coordinator, Lyngblomsten

What Is Service Learning and How Does Century College Utilize This Learning Tool?

Service learning is a type of experiential learning that engages students in service within the community as an integrated aspect of a course.  Service learning is designed to get students into the community for active learning related to what they are studying in the classroom.  Effective service learning courses involve students in course-relevant activities in partnership with a community organization, and structure opportunities for students to reflect on their service experience to gain a better understanding of course content and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.

Century College biology project

There are three main elements of every service learning experience.  Service learning:

• is reciprocal, meaning the student and the community organization both benefit from the assignment.
• provides real-life application of materials so that students retain more course curriculum and come away with an appreciation for the role we all play in civic engagement.
• always involves opportunities for reflection.  Reflection assignments are important, allowing students to think critically about the experience both during and after their service.

At Century College, if an instructor chooses to utilize service learning in a course, it is a required assignment of the course, often replacing a textbook with real-life experience.  Students who complete a service learning assignment should engage in meaningful, hands-on, real-world activities.

Century College elementary partnership

As just one example, the service learning assignment for an Introduction to Human Services course provides an opportunity for students to serve local nonprofits.  Students are learning about the history of human service; education and training; worker roles; agencies, programs and community resources; career and job opportunities; skills, knowledge and values of the human service worker.  Through the service learning assignment, they have a minimum of 25 hours of individual hands-on experience assisting agencies with projects such as tutoring youth, completing relevant administrative office work, helping with programming at transitional housing organizations, or leading recreational activities for seniors.  Students reflect in class discussion groups and through a final writing assignment.

The following are excerpts taken from hundreds of positive Century College student reflections about the service learning experience:

• “We learn these theories in school but until we really apply them or see them in action, they’re not real.”
• “I think it was a great experience and service learning makes me feel like I made the right choice to go to school to become a teacher.”
• “I wish more of my classes had service learning in them.”
• “Because of my service learning assignment, I am more open and appreciative of volunteer work. I’ve found that it’s a lot more enjoyable to give something than to receive something.”
• “I spoke to one of the nurses about applying to work there. She said since I have some experience with this location, my chances are high for possibly getting a job there. It was a wonderful feeling to know that I may already have some connections.”

The Service Learning Department at Century College closely collaborates with faculty members, community partners, and students by researching appropriate service learning sites, placing service learning students, and providing a clearinghouse for strong support, information, and problem solving.

Century College communication group

Each instructor and course at Century College has a designated service learning coordinator.  A presentation to the class is made early in the semester, information is distributed, and questions are answered.  Each semester, “Strategies for a Successful Service Learning Experience” materials are made available on Century’s Student Success Day.

At the same time that students are gaining academic, professional, and personal skills, local community partners receive valuable service and assistance.  We are encouraged by the frequent positive comments from our community partners.  The following are three great examples of how agencies and the overall community benefits from service learning:

Staff at one of the local nature centers has commented, “Over 100 hours were contributed by students over two seasons in planting and maintaining woodland wildflowers, ferns and grasses for a Federal Sustainable Trails Grant.  At the rate of $16 per hour as specified in the grant, the value of the student labor for just this project was $2,336.  However its long-term value is much greater in terms of re-establishing native vegetation along new trail corridors to restore habitat, stem erosion and protect water quality.”   

 

As one of our closest school partners has commented, “Elementary primary age students have shown incredible growth in the areas of reading and math given the extra one-to-one and small group help. In some classrooms, almost 100 percent of the students met their [Measures of Academic Progress] targets! That is simply amazing, and was not the case prior to the volunteer program consisting of the service learning students.  Attendance for some of the at-risk students went up as we provided these extra mentors.”

One social service nonprofit wrote, “As a result, [our] limited staff was able to raise more funds to be given to area health and human service agencies. These agencies have been dealing with major cuts in funding. Having more student volunteers was especially helpful last year, enabling us to raise over $4,000 in one evening to fight local hunger.”

Below are some statistics about Service Learning at Century College:

• Approximately 2,000 Century students participate in service learning each year.
• Over 15,000 Century students have participated in service learning since it began at Century College in 2000.
• Century College students have contributed over 200,000 hours of service to the community in the last decade.
• About 40 percent of the programs at Century require a service learning assignment.  Some Century programs require service learning to graduate.
• Service learning hours are recorded on the students’ official transcript if they satisfy the service learning requirement and complete at least one reflection assignment for the course.
• Students completing more than 40 hours of service learning while attending Century are recognized on the commencement program.

Considering the current economic and employment situation, service learning involvement is as important as ever in terms of contributing to our communities, as well as promoting student growth and increasing a student’s professional skills.

To learn more about how service learning can be incorporated into your work, please contact the Service Learning Department at Century College.

Kara Nakagaki, Service Learning Coordinator

Judy Lykins, Director of Service Learning

Email address – ServiceLearning@Century.edu

The Well-Educated Volunteer

It’s April and the volunteer program leader’s mind turns to volunteer recognition.  “How can WE give back to THEM?” some of us sob, ringing our hands with tear-stained cheeks and flipping through the latest catalogue of tchotchkes.  My answer – “educate them!”  Instead of relying on the old standby of a trinket or bauble, provide volunteers with something that lasts – and that’s education.

We conduct a survey of volunteers who attended our annual recognition luncheon (I know luncheons are no longer in vogue, but there’s been a 35-year tradition here, attendance continues to be fab, so we still do this.)  I’ll never forget one survey comment – “You can skip the leaf of lettuce and rubber chicken.  Just give me an hour of education and a cup of coffee and I’m happy!”  While this surprised me on many levels (our volunteers have to get 12 hours of education annually to remain certified) it totally made sense –older adults, including those pesky “Boomers,” indicate life long learning as a priority.  A 2000 AARP study of over 1000 older adults (that’s 50+) showed that 9 of 10 recipients said “they want to learn.”  http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/general/lifelong.pdf.  So why not educate them?

I admit I have it easy.  There are so many aspects of horticulture that the educational topics seem limitless and we struggle to just limit ourselves to 10 sessions annually.  However, I doubt we’re alone in this.  Most non-profits, congregations and other entities that utilize volunteers have a story, as do their clients, so why not educate others about those stories?  Food shelves can educate about the issues that lead their clientele to use their services; health care organizations can educate about the latest health trends or even diseases affecting their area; schools can educate about the latest trends affecting their students, or the latest trends in education.  If you stop to think about it, you could have endless ideas too.  And then take it a step further – why not offer a certificate?  Attend 5 sessions and get a certificate stating you’ve received so many hours of education and now have a “specialty.”  And then just think what those specialty volunteers could do!

Education can also be a motivator.  Tom McKee of Volunteer Power suggests sending volunteers to conferences as a way to motivate (http://www.volunteerpower.com/articles/motivate.asp.)  He even suggests that organizations budget to send their volunteers to over-night conferences.  I’d be motivated too for a paid over-night trip out of town, even if it was just toSt. Cloud. Kidding aside, I think Tom’s message is clear — invest in your volunteers and they’ll invest in you.  Studies also tell us that sharing how a volunteer’s work impacts your organization or organization’s clients, not only can motivate people to do more, but sharing a volunteer’s impact can also lead to longer retention.

So now’s your time to be creative!  What can you educate your volunteers about?  Here are some suggestions to help you get started:

• Make it meaningful:  people give to your organization for a reason – and hopefully that’s because they’re engaged in your mission.  How can you educate your volunteers more about your mission and the people you serve?
• Make it timely:  what’s new and different in your organization’s world?  The world is in a constant state of change – what’s new and different that you could share with your volunteers?
• Make it easy:  we all have lots of interesting things to share, but no one is going to come and listen, not matter how interesting, if we offer education at times that aren’t’ convenient to our volunteers.  Provide sessions in the evening or on the weekend.  Also – remember that “less is more.”  More people will come to a shorter session than a half or full-day session.
• Make it fun:  while talking heads can be fact-filled with interesting data and concepts, adult learner’s attention spans change about every 11 minutes or so.  Thus, things need to be lively.  Engage people in games, quizzes or conversation.  Make the room come alive!
• Make it delicious:  finally, if you’re going to educate people near an hour normally reserved for a meal, be sure to have something for folks to nibble on.  It doesn’t have to be much – but at the least offer water and coffee.  Even popcorn is cheap, delicious and a little can feed a lot of folks!

So put away that catalogue of tchotchkes and put on your thinking cap.  Recognize your volunteers with an educational forum to show your appreciation for their hard work.

Terry Straub, Program Coordinator; University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Program in Hennepin County

The Multi-Talented, Multi-Tasked Volunteer Manager

So I’m going to write a blog, I’ve never written for a blog before, but this sounds kind of fun.  I get to pick my topic, the only real requirement is that the topic should be something that volunteer managers are interested in.  This shouldn’t be hard, I’m a volunteer manager!  So, what am I interested in?

I suppose that really depends upon when I ask myself this question.  If I ask myself this question in the morning, I might want to talk a little bit about how to organize my e-mail and how to learn to say no to some of the people that ask me to meet with them.  You see, the first thing that I do when I get to my desk in the morning is look at my e-mail and check my calendar.  Often times there are multiple meetings and multiple requests from staff asking for a volunteer.  Occasionally an e-mail from a volunteer with a time stamp of 5:55 the previous evening saying that he/she has a bad cold and can’t make it for their 6:00 activity, sorry for the late notice!!

It’s about this time of the day that my interest will change, volunteers start arriving.  The majority of volunteers that come into the volunteer lounge at Lyngblomsten like to chat, and my desk is strategically placed so that they can make a bee line right to me and chat with me.  I might hear how the weather is from one, a funny quip fromanother and how many different kinds of cookies the grandkids ate last time they were over to visit all in the course of 15 minutes.  But I’m still working on getting through the e-mails and, I forgot, there are a few voice mails that need to be listened to.  Just how do I get through all of this and remember from week to week about the wonderful volunteers?

Again, my interests change, time for a meeting!  Thankfully I prepared yesterday for the meetings today, so I grab the appropriate folder and head down the hall. I need to read a blog about how to organize my folders so I can find what I’m looking for!  What is the key for keeping a meeting on task and on the proper topic?  Agendas of course!  Being a very organized person, I like agendas.  If only all meetings had agendas. . .

Back to the office to take the notes from the meeting I was just in, entering  the next meeting date and time on my calendar.  If I left the meeting with action items, get them on my task list.  I guess now my interest is in recruitment.  The beauty shop needs a few volunteer subs for transport next week, one of the apartment buildings is looking for a popcorn delivery person on the last Thursday of every month and the one of the volunteer 500 dealers is still out with a broken wrist.  Thank goodness we have Volgistics and I can check my sets of volunteers that like to play cards, transport residents and deliver popcorn.   Wait, we don’t have a set for popcorn delivery, who can I call for that?!  Oh, one of the volunteers in the lounge tells me that there is no Diet Pepsi in the refrigerator; I’ll get right on that!!

A few phone calls and an  e-mail blast later I’m switching interests and talking with a staff person about a few new internship positions she’s wondering if we can fill.  Well, OF COURSE we can get those filled!  Let s schedule a time to sit down and outline what it is the intern will do, who will supervise, the amount of time we want the intern to spend with us, etc.  Since this department has never had an intern, I offer to write up a preliminary position description and send it prior to our meeting.  If the supervisor can look it over before we meet, we can make revisions to it during the meeting and get it posted as quickly as possible.

Whew, I made it to lunch time!  I think that in an average morning there are a few things that interest me, and probably many of my fellow volunteer managers.  Hopefully through this blog we can have a little fun, learn a little and be a little inspired.  Each month I’ll pick an “interest item” from my brainstorm blog and blog about it.  If you’d like to throw a topic into my flurry of ideas, let me know and I’ll be sure to add it to the “interests.”  If you have any advice for me, and other volunteer managers, please comment, we are all in this together!

Shelli Beck

Volunteer Coordinator

Lyngblomsten

Healthcare, housing and community services for older adults

sbeck@lyngblomsten.org

How MAVA helped the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness start a volunteer program!

I had heard of MAVA a few years ago when I was working for a nature center and their volunteer coordinator was part of this group.  Then I went to work for the Friends, where working with volunteers was not a high priority for the organization. Even at that time we were getting calls and emails about people wanting to help.  We are a small shop, just five people, so the thought of someone having to take on and coordinate projects for multiple people seemed really daunting.  But as my role as Membership Director has evolved here at the Friends, I realized that volunteers are a huge part of a member base and  it is one of the best ways to bring people into the organization and hopefully turn them into either donors or lifelong advocates for our mission.

This led me to doing some more research on MAVA and figuring out what they were all about.  I became a member and started receiving their monthly e-newsletters which in turn led me to the Volunteer Resources Leadership series.  I took the course, got my certification, but then still did not know where to go from there.  It seemed like a really huge task and I did not know if I had the time to take this on.  Then at a couple of staff meetings we started making a wish list of all the things we would love to get done if we had more people in the office.  During this same time, I was introduced to a MAVA board member who was willing to take the time to have one on one planning sessions.  We layed-out a timeline with tasks to get a program off our to do list and turn it into a well oiled machine that now has ten volunteers doing everything from database entry to calling local organizations promoting our film on sulfide mining.  If it was not for MAVA and a board member willing to take a few hours here and there to coach me on what a volunteer program looks, which really is not as scary and big as I originally thought, the Friends would not be able to do all the work that we are now being able to accomplish before this program began.

I recommend to anyone who is trying or wants to start a volunteer program at their organization, to check out MAVA and reach out to someone in their office.  They have the resources, connections and the ability to help in a way no other organization can.  Again, thank you MAVA. You are a valuable resource that can not be replaced.

-Submitted by Sacha Casillas, Membership Director, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness

Students Seeking Experience from Internships

Students seek unpaid internships to gain experience. After all, internships do look good on resumes and college students are hoping to land that perfect job after graduation. There are laws that companies, as well as students, need to keep in mind when accepting unpaid interns however. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, students can participate in an ‘unpaid’ internship if they meet the following criteria:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;

2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;

3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;

4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the                       intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;

5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and

6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent   in the internship.

(U. S. Department of Labor website, April 2010). Currently, guidelines for unpaid internships are being reviewed.

 Students should factor in expenses that will occur during internship-paid or unpaid- including, but not limited to: transportation, clothing, meals and possibly a place to stay if you need to re-locate during your experience.  If a student can find an internship that does give them a great experience that they cannot gain elsewhere, it can be a win-win for the student and the organization. So, if that is case-go for it.

  Elizabeth Fluegel is a student at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter where she is a Sociology/Anthropology and Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies Major with a Studio Art Minor. Elizabeth started a month long internship with Hammer Residences Inc. Hammer is a non-profit organization that provides adults and children with developmental disabilities the opportunity to live life to its fullest. Hammer provides stable, secure home environments that deeply enrich the quality of life for the individuals we support. We were able to catch up with Elizabeth and ask her some questions regarding her internship:

What made you want to do an internship?

I really initially wanted to volunteer with Hammer. This transformed into an internship through my school by gaining more hours with Hammer. I was really interested in Hammer as an organization and had heard very good things about it and this blossomed into an internship that I adore.

Will this help you with your education or degree?

I will be getting a college credit for completing responses and papers. And, I will be obtaining a certain number of hours with Hammer. It directly relates to the concepts of my Sociology/Anthropology and Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies majors, however it is not a requirement for either degree, but rather something I found for myself that will help my general education.

Why were you willing to complete an unpaid internship?

The experience for me was more important than monetary compensation.  Now that I have an in depth look at Hammer, I am able to see the potential of a future with Hammer and that would not have been possible without this unpaid internship.

What were you hoping to gain from your experiences? What did you want   to gain from the internship?

My biggest goal from this experience was helping others and making a difference. I initially had wanted to volunteer with a program I had heard good things about and this transformed into an internship. As this change occurred I was able to pursue not only making a difference but broadening my flexibility, communication and leadership skills.  The most important thing in indicating my success will be my abilities to make differences.

What have you learned thus far? What do you hope to gain?

So far I have learned a great deal about my goals of leadership, flexibility patience and communication. I have also been able understand the different needs of individuals and how that plays into what they need from me,  along with simply being open-minded  to conversations I never would have expected before this experience. I have been able to positively affect the lives of the individuals I worked with.  

 Thank you, Elizabeth for coming to Hammer. We were happy to give you the experience you were looking for.  We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

-Submitted by Katie Bottiger and Elizabeth Fluegel, Hammer

Working + Volunteering?

Although my volunteering at the nature center is about to begin (!!), this month I’m taking a break from discussing my trials and triumphs and am instead sharing the challenges a friend of mine has experienced during her adventures in (not) volunteering.

Her biggest obstacle is finding an opportunity that works with her schedule.  An AmeriCorps volunteer, her schedule is somewhat unpredictable and she often has to work into the evening, making it extremely difficult to commit to a consistent volunteer opportunity.  After having difficulty finding evening options she began searching for one-time opportunities, and ran into similar scheduling problems.  On top of availability issues she also ran into application struggles in the form of confusing and illegible forms.

Despite these struggles she is still on the hunt for a satisfying volunteer opportunity, over and above her AmeriCorps service.  I know a number of National Service volunteers that are looking for additional service opportunities, and it’s extremely unfortunate that these dedicated volunteers have such difficulty finding options that work with their schedules.  Not only that, but these individuals are generally looking for something to contrast their already full-time service positions, and finding opportunities outside of a certain sector can provide additional challenges.  On top of THAT, a number of National Service members are volunteer managers themselves, and don’t want to commit to something they know won’t hold their interest or won’t agree with their schedules.  These struggles – busy schedules, the need for something different than their day jobs, and the desire to find something to which they can confidently commit – apply to many working adults.

Another of my fellow AmeriCorps volunteers is interested in orchestrating a volunteer fair for busy, working adults to attempt to help solve this problem, but I’m not sure what can be done if there are already limited opportunities.  Should organizations attempt to coordinate events so there are more options for working professionals?  Or perhaps there are plenty of organizations that are open at less conventional times but haven’t considered using volunteers during those times?  Expanding volunteer opportunities will result in a diversified volunteer force, which has numerous positive benefits, but creating and supporting those variegated opportunities requires change and commitment not all organizations are willing or able to make.

-Submitted by Kelsey Dambrovski, Neighborhood Resource Coordinator, Minnesota Children’s Museum

“Re-Vision”: Keeping Your Volunteer Handbook Fresh & Up-To-Date

As a former English major, I am the unique individual who actually enjoys the editing process.  Editing volunteer handbooks, however, can be a daunting experience.  Our department is currently making “beginning-of-the-year” revisions to our handbook, making sure that every policy is as up-to-date and clearly-stated as possible.  Here are several of the overarching themes in our volunteer handbook revision process:

1. Social Media/Internet Presence

Our department has drastically increased our online presence (Facebook, YouTube, etc.) over the past couple of years.   With the number of volunteers that we have, we’ve also found it much easier to communicate with volunteers through e-mail, Facebook, and blogging (rather than previously-used methods such as phone calls or newsletters).  As such, we wanted to be upfront with volunteers about these changes by adding a paragraph to our handbook, as follows:

Volunteer Communications:  Our primary mode of communication with volunteers is via e-mail.  All volunteers are invited to visit our blog, the “Red Vest Review” (www.childrensmn.org/blog/redvestreview),  for ongoing updates from our department.  We frequently feature volunteer profiles, advertise special events, and keep volunteers informed of helpful tips or policy reminders.  You can also become our “fan” on Facebook by searching for Children’s of Minnesota Volunteer Services.

In the words of the infamous Spider-Man, we also wanted to recognize that with great power comes great responsibility.  While we hope that volunteers will follow our departmental Facebook page and other tools, we wanted to be clear on what the guidelines were for engaging with patients and/or families in this way.  As such, we added the following policy:

Social Media:   Tools such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Caring Bridge and LinkedIn, among others, may not be used to maintain contact with patients and families outside of your volunteer shifts.  As a volunteer, your relationship with a patient or family should remain limited to your volunteer work:  this means no e-mailing, “friending” on Facebook, or following on Caring Bridge.  If you are invited to do any of these things by a patient or family member, please state that the hospital’s confidentiality policies do not allow you to do so.  If a patient or family wants to share something with you (i.e., photos of your time with their child), please ask them to e-mail volunteerservices@childrensmn.org so that no personal contact information is exchanged. 

2.      Acknowledging the Rise of “Skill-Based” Volunteerism

We are fortunate at Children’s to have a wide variety of talented individuals seeking to donate their time.  Our handbook previously contained a brief rundown of the areas in which volunteers can serve, but we wanted new applicants to know that we welcome inquiries from those with a variety of professional careers, experiences, and special skills.  The following statement is new:

We are proud to offer a variety of opportunities to learn and gain skills, as well as share your own expertise. 

3.       Tightening Up Our Policies Regarding Job/School References

We have many student and adult learners in our volunteer program, and one of my job’s greatest rewards is watching them go on to exciting careers or graduate studies.  However, our department wants to feel confident in the references and recommendations that we submit.  As such, we added the following statement:

We ask that you complete 40 hours of volunteer service, in good standing, before asking for a reference.

These are just a few of the revisions that we made to our handbook to start the new year off right!  I hope that these are helpful to those of you undergoing similar revision processes.

-Submitted by Jenna Barke, Volunteer Coordinator, Children’s Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota

The Millennials

Generation Y. Millennials. Echo Boomers.  The Boomerang Generation.

These names are used to describe the generation of young adults born between 1982 to the mid-1990s. They range in ages from about 18-29. They face high unemployment rates (37 percent are unemployed or out of the workforce) and because many graduated college during a recession, they will face the poor economic consequences of this on their salaries and careers for up to 15 years. Yet Millennials are extremely optimistic and are volunteering in record numbers.

As a millennial myself, I was curious to take a more in-depth look at this generation and how it impacts the field of volunteerism.

A Few Fun ( Possibly Superfluous) Facts

• 2010 Pew Research describes millennials as “confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat, and open to change.”
• 3/4 of millennials have profiles on a social network, while 1/5 have uploaded a video of themselves to the internet
• Almost 4/10 have a tattoo and 1/4 have something other than their ears pierced
• 37% of 18-29 year olds are unemployed or out of the workforce (This takes into account those going to school who are not employed; the December unemployment rate for 20-24 year olds was 14.4%, compared to the national average of 8.5%)
• 2/3 claim that “you can’t be too careful” when dealing with people, but are less skeptical of government than previous generations
• 6/10 millennials were raised by both parents, the lowest rate of any generation so far
• 1/5 are married (Boomers’ marriage rates were twice that)
• 1/3 are parents
• Millennials are gearing up to be the most educated generation; 39.6% of those 18-24 were enrolled in college
• 1/8 of those over 22 are living with their parents again (hence the term “boomerang generation”)
• Only 2% are military veterans
• They are the most likely generation to identify as liberal, are not as supportive of a strong national security policy, and back more progressive social policies
• As a generation truly defined by their use of technology, 83% sleep with their cellphones

Delaying Adulthood

Sociologically speaking, millennials are delaying the traditional markers of adulthood, like completing school (more return to graduate studies), leaving home (we are the ‘boomerang generation’), becoming financially independent (more are taking national service positions), marrying (the average age for marriage is 26 for women and 28 for men, five years later than the Boomers), or having children. The name “Failure to Launch” generation came from this postponement of adulthood. If you somehow missed the intriguing article, “What is it about 20-somethings” written by Robin Marantz Henig in the New York Times in August of 2010, I would suggest a read. It debates the merits of putting off adulthood and whether this prolonged adolescence should be categorized as a new life state, “emerging adulthood.” But the reality is, that many 20-somethings are prolonging the journey to adulthood (by traditional markers).  And it has real consequences for their participation in volunteerism.

Volunteerism

Millennials are volunteering in record-breaking numbers. According to the National Conference on Citizenship, “Millennials are showing strong interest in civic participation and reversing some of the declines observed among youth since the 1970s.” We are more civically engaged than both Gen X and the Boomers were at our age, at least when it comes to volunteering. Millennials are less likely to vote and participate in groups, church, or meetings.

Millennials may be more involved in service because of the proliferation of opportunities available to them. Many high schools and colleges require service hours and offer many opportunities to get involved. This is one of the reasons 18-23 year olds are more involved than the older half of their generation: they have access to more civic engagement opportunities.

There has been an increase in recruitment numbers for the PeaceCorps, AmeriCorps, and, recently, military service (though overall numbers for military service are down from previous generations). In fact, AmeriCorps applicants have tripled in the past two years, according to Gayle Baker of ourvalues.org. Due to financial times, and a desire to prolong adulthood, many choose national or international service as a way to purposefully spend a year or two while waiting for more job opportunities to become available.

Millennials volunteering numbers have been rising steadily, according to volunteeringinamerica.gov. The majority of Millennials gave their time to educational and youth service institutions in 2010.

Optimism

Millennials are characterized by their optimism, or as others may call it naivete. Millennials are optimistic about their economic futures, despite the fact that most of them are unhappy with our current salaries. 90% believe that they will eventually live a good (financially secure) life.

Millennials are continuing to follow their parents’ upbeat advice, “Follow your dreams.” Right now, that just means volunteering to find a job and remaining obstinately optimistic that our economic prospects will change.

Are you a millennial? Why do you volunteer? 

How do you engage millennial volunteers in your organization? What are the unique challenges or benefits that you see when trying to engage this generation? How can you capitalize on their optimism?

All facts, data, and information used in the article came from:

Pew Research Center (http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/02/24/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change/)

National Conference on Citizenship

(http://ncoc.net/226)

“Generation Y or Millenials” by Gayle Baker, Marketing Director at ourvalues.org

volunteeringinamerica.org

Kat Southard (ksouthard@mavanetwork.org; 651.255.00556)

Member Outreach Coordinator

AmeriCorps*VISTA (trying to put off adulthood!)

Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration