Designing the Ultimate Volunteer Program Betsy Maher, Director, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Designing the Ultimate Volunteer Program

Betsy Maher, Director, Volunteer Services, Lincoln Park Zoo Jason Theuman, Docent Program Coordinator, Chicago Zoological Society – Brookfield Zoo Bridget Thornton, Manager of Volunteer Services, Shedd Aquarium

• Quick overview of CCVP
• Formerly known as Volunteer Coordinators of

Cultural Institutions (VCCI)

• Peer-to-peer sharing group
• 4 meetings per year, each time at a different
• rganization
• Has anyone here attended a meeting?

Chicagoland Cultural Volunteer Programs (CCVP)

Where did this topic and idea come from for today's presentation?

• We wanted to celebrate what we do well and

what we’re proud of!

• We all tend to focus on what’s going wrong
• We learn from successes as much as mistakes

Who was there?

• Chicago History Museum
• Chicago Botanic Garden
• The Anti-Cruelty Society
• Shedd Aquarium
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Brookfield Zoo
• Adler Planetarium
• Lincoln Park Conservancy
• Chicago Architecture Foundation
• Chicago Park District/

The Nature Conservancy

• Willowbrook Wildlife Center
• Kohl Children’s Museum
• Forest Preserve District of

DuPage County

• Pleasant Home
• Mayslake Peabody Estate
• The Grove
• Morton Arboretum
• Museum of Science and

Industry

• Lincoln Park Zoo
• Jewish United Fund

Before we jump in…

• Take a few minutes and outline the basic

components of your volunteer program from the first contact with a prospective volunteer to orientation and ongoing involvement

• Is there something you think is missing from your

program that you’re hoping to learn more about?

Here is what we came up with…

• At the CCVP meeting, we divided into groups by organization size to come

up with the components of the “Ultimate Volunteer Program”

• When given a limited time frame, here’s what each group prioritized
• Small organizations are great at thinking about recognition and

retention with personal touches

• Medium Organizations see the overall picture, but focus on the

training

• Large Organizations are detail oriented, and set up recruiting and
• nboarding in a methodical way
• Sometimes we may need to “think” like another size to make sure we’re

covering all the pieces

• Every organization, no matter the size, has its own strengths

Best Practices – Let’s Dig In…

• The discussions and tips shared fall into the following

“buckets”

• Paperwork & Tools
• Recruitment & Onboarding
• Training & Development
• Recognition & Retention
• Management & Operations
• These seem to capture the major pieces we should be

thinking about.

• Do you see one right now that you may not have thought of?

Before You Start

• Policies and Procedures
• Budget and Staff
• Space
• Internal Support

http://www.rmmagazine.com/2016/11/01/why-policies-and-procedures-matter/

Recruitment & Onboarding

• Finding Volunteers
• Meeting and Screening
• Orientation
• Preparing for further Training

https://www.slideshare.net/JessPereira/25-reasons-why-you-should-come-to-america- 020111/33-WE_WANT_YOU

Training & Development

• Required
• Ongoing
• Methods

http://www.tcpskids.com/training/

Recognition & Retention

• Simple
• Grand Scale
• Meaningful
• New Opportunities
• Face Time

Management & Operations

• Communication
• Information
• Evaluation

http://www.eambrace.com/operations-management.php

Now it’s your turn!

Activity

• You will be divided into 5 groups
• Each group will be given a program topic on which

to focus

• What do you think is important for that area?
• What is one thing your organization does well in

that area?

Time to Share

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sharing-ideas-creates-commitment-jade-coote

Final Thoughts…

• Celebrate what you do well!
• Not all pieces are relevant to every organization; it’s
• k to adapt to your own needs
• Look for inspiration in programs you admire
• Did you see an idea you like from an
• rganization? Ask us to connect.

Thank you

bmaher@lpzoo.org bthornton@sheddaquarium.org Jason.Theuman@czs.org https://chicvp.wordpress.com/