Notes on volunteer empowerment meetings
From AFSWiki
The following are notes from meeting with various AFS Staff about my project. I also integrated my own journal notes, so these are not necessarily direct quotes.
5/13/08 with Jen Peck and Lila Pigott
- Three-month project that will be launched by end of August.
- Figure out what's on IC and AFS Wiki, ask volunteers/returnees what info they need and what kind of involvement they want, then put appropriate info on AFS Wiki.
- Make sure to publicize this info and to report back in two weeks.
- Liven up volunteer base->overall AFS
- I will be giving tools volunteers/staff need for info, other depts working on other parts and it will all fit together
- Volunteers need the tools to work with leads and to help AFS be a word of mouth organization.
- What do volunteers need when first encouraging a student to go abroad? (website, Wiki, paper info)
5/15 Journal entry
Figure out action plan, goal, how to ask, what questions I can pose to volunteers...
Info volunteers might need?
- 1) Program information for all programs--Leslie Loy working on this
- 2) The Matrix or at least a way to know what programs are available
- 3) How to use a lead management system
- 4) Wiki tutorials--already on AFS Wiki. This could be helpful: http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english
- 5) Could Map Point be helpful?
- 6) AT Directory and Common Inbound Questions
How to ask for input?
- AFS USA Inbox
- AFS Online
- Wiki page
- Phone
- Facebook, MySpace, Spokeo, UTube, AFS TV?
- Meetings
Ask key volunteers first and ask specific questions... (put them up under Volunteer involvement
5/20 with Jim Laden
- Seems like this will be professional piece for sending volunteers so they can be their own Info Center advisors.
- Info they will need: visa, travel issues, safety, program info
- Use website and Wiki
- Could do online tutorials--ie: how to do sending interview. Jim can help me create these in a way that is standardized with existing tutorials.
- May need face-to-face meetings for some volunteers who aren't motivated by technology.
- Can get more younger returnees involved in volunteering.
- Eventually, how can the Info Center help with orientations (pre/post)?
- Other folks involved in organizational development, etc. are Kerry McCollum, Robin Weber, Helen Lowman's team
5/20 Journal entry:
- Could Kate Murphy or someone else give returnee's a survey as soon as they return from their program to see if the student might be interested in volunteering? Students could check off boxes for how they want to be involved.-->Patti Davis is working on this
- Volunteer development staff: Joanne Yokoyama, Nancy Frazier, Betsy Velluto, Carrie Jacobs, Jamie Eigel, Tiffany Stoneman, Scott Hume in the fall. ~7,000 volunteers in US and 30,000 worldwide.
5/21 with Jonathan Shakes
- 1) All AFS Online info should be on AFS Wiki by August 1st. Every member of the sending dept has a user page.
- 2) Jonathan has been working on the best practices for sending in Wiki.
- 3) Ideas he has for my project:
- Transfer info from Info Center Wiki to AFS Wiki and shut down IC Wiki
- Help with sending staff chart by getting folks to put up their page
- 4) Look at this project from filter of "What is the problem and how do we deal with it?" For example, AFS Online is closing down by August and volunteers don't have access to all the sending info they need.
- 5) Jonathan has access to a list of 60 volunteers who want to be involved, some may want to do IT functions so could help with transferring Wiki info.
- 6) Volunteers respond well to email, Google Groups, Sys Admin mailing list
- 7) At this point, only registered volunteers are on AFS Wiki
5/21 Central States team
- Talk to key volunteers what they need for volunteer development (should Vol Reg do this?), can add to my list from Admissions
- For Volunteer Registration, make sure to have a list of what AFS volunteers can get involved in (job descriptions), what their motivation for volunteering is, what strengths and capabilities do they have.
- Could use a chart on Wiki for who in the organization to ask certain questions (IC already has a "Frequently Asked Questions" spreadsheet)-->Scott Tarbox will put this on Wiki
- Volunteers respond well to emails and calls
- Need to bring together 80 Teams
- Need a training person for new volunteers. Could even be rotating volunteers to keep it local.
5/22 with Nancy Frazier
Things Volunteer Registration/Development does:
- 1) For past three years volunteer development has been training volunteers and doing anything they can to support them.
- 2) Used to be that Vol Reg only performed background checks and the vol reg piece. Now have to register vols every year, do two trainings a year for volunteer coordinators, ~13 people. Now do the application, the agreement, the references, and the background check.
- 3) Chaperone flights
- 4) Volunteer newsletter
- 5) Galotti Selection, working with National Council, volunteer services committee, volunteer recognition committee
- 6) Supporting resources for volunteers started in January 2008.
- 7) Follow-up and integration of volunteers (check in 1 month, 3 months, 6 months if not regularly in contact). Send recently registered volunteers an interest form at that point rather than in the beginning.
Observations:
- There is a ton of volunteer development info on AFS Wiki--passports to learning, volunteer descriptions (Betsy Velluto been working on), etc.
- There was a separate interest form on the International website at one point. Discovered that 1000 interest forms had been entered but were somehow lost. Once they were found, follow-up ensued.
- Seems like most people who sign up to volunteer already know AFS. When they register, the Regional Director is supposed to follow up if a field manager, AT volunteer chair, or AT field coordinator has not yet.
- Suggestions for what can still be done
- 1) Help get returnees to register. Need outreach to recruit and inspire new volunteers. Vol Reg doesn't really do this yet.
- 2) Could teach people how to use Wiki. Can ask Tiffany Stoneman about Info Sessions, Helpline. Have the Info Center be the help desk.
- 3) Help with organizational charts as may seem hard to find.
- 4) Nancy will talk with Scott Hume and Tiffany Stoneman about what support Volunteer Development needs from other departments.
5/28 Journal entry
- Could have a volunteer task database for what needs are out there. An automatic link where if someone fills something in, folks will get an email about it? (suggestion from meeting with Jen and Lila)
- Dharma Nicotera has already been putting visa info on website. Claire Boyer is updating program info and when the programs close on the website. Admissions has been putting departing students info on website.
6/2 Journal
- I am also working on getting the [Info Center]] staff to have a staff page by the end of the week. Sent email letting IC and Admissions Sending staff know about my project and to give me feedback.
6/3 with Leslie Loy
- Leslie is the Program Information Specialist and is working on putting program information on the website. She will put website links on AFS Wiki and also links for visa information. We discussed ideas for formatting the AFS Wiki a bit differently and making sure people know that she is the go-to for program info (even more so than the Info Center). Leslie now has access to the IC Wiki and can move program info to the website as she needs to.
- Country Information up and running after this meeting!
- Still need to work on if it makes sense to put other tools like the Team Directory that the IC uses on AFS Wiki? or put the info in a format that works with AFS Wiki. Scott Tarbox will help with this. Kerry McCollum has a team working on the staff info section of Wiki.
6/8 Summary of Suggestions from Donna Coyle
- Database of inspirational stories
- AFS Pals (see also Returnee activities)
- Involve returnees in leading orientations
- Structure local chapters to be like a basket that supports each other
- Make it fun to generate leads (I would also add for finding volunteers)
- Have low-key activities for volunteers, like distributing volunteer brochures
6/10 with Joanne Yokoyama-Martin
- Volunteer Development is working with an outside consultant to discern direction of volunteer development. Trying to answer questions like "What kind of volunteer organization is AFS?" (Vol-driven, vol-based, vol-supported). Then can figure out what volunteers need.
- Who actually integrates volunteers?
- New volunteer structure coming soon.
- Volunteer registration has done two surveys of volunteers in the past year. They are part of the Org Study in the Inbox. IT Dept also did survey for what volunteers want in terms of tools.
- Betsy Velluto works on the volunteer position decriptions.
- Karen Zotter can help make information available and then be a bridge for how Info Center/Admissions can help Volunteer Development in the future.
6/12 Conf Call re Returnee Engagement
- Participated in call with Patti Davis, in Returnee Relations, discussing 1. What do we need to communicate to our just returned returnees? and 2. What are the volunteer opportunities to highlight for returnees?
- Razor's Edge is the tool for keeping track of volunteer's interests. Only a few staff have access to that.
- On the Customer Service Evaluation (CSE) for returnees, Robin Weber and co. will include ways returnees can get involved as a volunteer.
- Patti and folks involved with Returnee Engagement Strategy will be doing an email blast, calling returnees, and a certificate mailing.
7/15 with Mitch Crain
Mitch is an AFS returnee, has hosted, is an AT Sending Coordinator, and a District Rep, not to mention a slew of other accomplishments. I asked Mitch what info he tends to use the most in AFS Online for Sending. This way I can try to compare with AFS Wiki. He has definitely been using the Lead Management piece for placements and making comments. Mitch said that he probably would use most of the Sending info in terms of the library... but part of that is because he was feeling like he hadn't utilized it enough yet.
Here are some other thoughts from Mitch on what he would use
- Forms--like the online application
- Best Practices and other Library info-->I made sure Best Practices here
- Program info--Which countries are more strict on grades and other restrictions (this is not necessarily in AFS Online yet either)
The kinds of questions he fields
- Language fluency-->Sending FAQs
- Safety, he gives personal experiences re being abroad, good to get more returnees involved.
- What it is like to go on an AFS Program or to Host-->we have the AFS Blog http://afsgoabroad.blogspot.com/ and "Ask an AFSer" on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/
- Visas and the status of the student he sends to Admissions-->now lots of Visa info on website and in next couple months will be easier to access student info
- Airline restrictions-->he sends them directly to airlines
7/15 with Ann Steglich
Ann is a long-time stellar AFS volunteer, so she had an organized list of what she would use and what she currently uses for Sending. I went through and made sure all of these things are there or that they will be in the near future.
1. Preapp
2. Full Sending Application, also Hosting Application
3. Interview (Form 8). Good to have forms for both student and volunteer. Some Guidelines on how to interview and what questions to ask. Samples of how to write-up the interview.
4. Scholarship/financial aid application to print out or to send
5. Fundraising Ideas-->already in AFS Wiki and there is a separate Fundraising Wiki
6. How it works when people donate money to them, is it tax exempt?
7. Info on scholarships-an outline, a list, a timeline, what amounts can be, requirements-->I think this could be on AFS Website instead and most likely will be. A simple flyer to hand out to students (Kirsten may be working on this already). Promotional emails for each scholarship, separate so if stu only interested in CB can email that.
8. Getting credit and credit forms for handing to US school. How to evaluate credit when the school looks at it, ie-a form the stu gets filled out by teacher abroad. A transcript form for school abroad. How to get a letter from principal of school or class descriptions of school abroad. Make sure to have ideas for ways to ensure schools give credit.
9. Benefits of studying abroad
10. Ideas for Gap year, maybe even college in another country
11. Have a proof reader/editor for AFS Wiki, an English Major who can go through and edit docs to make sure up to date and accurate.
12. What happens after submit full application and the timeline while waiting.
13. More on Money. Extraneous payments like the travel docs, spending money, traveling to get your visa here in the US. Also the financial policy for students when they leave the program early.
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