2007 Volunteer Center Regional Meetings: From Mission to Action

By Lindsay Mullins, Sally Patterson, Katherine Watier and Miriam Parel

The 2007 Regional Meetings provided Volunteer Centers with opportunities to build and strengthen the Volunteer Center National Network, as well as their individual Volunteer Centers, through structured trainings, networking opportunities and discussions. This year Regional Meetings were held across the country in Bethesda, Md., Chicago and San Francisco.

The Points of Light Foundation staff worked collaboratively with the VCNN Council to develop an agenda that would assist Volunteer Center staff to develop a strategic communication plan; understand the possible integration of the Foundation and the Network with the Hands On Network, and learn about Network activities and provide feedback on communications, research and measurement, public affairs, essential services and system governance. In addition, trainings for 1-800-Volunteer.org and Volunteer Reception Centers were offered.

Attendance at this year’s regional meetings was on par with attendance in 2006. Approximately 182 attendees, representing 114 Volunteer Centers and the Foundation, participated in the three meetings.

Strategic Communications

The Volunteer Centers requested help with strategic communications as their number one challenge for 2007. The regional meetings offered an extensive workshop, facilitated by Sally Patterson, on strategic communications planning. Volunteer Centers were encouraged to develop strategic communications plans that were mission-driven, audience-focused and action-oriented. By understanding the information needs of their priority audiences, the Volunteer Centers learned to use strategies and tools, including the cycle of communication and the message triangle, to develop persuasive messages and to track the impact of their communications activities. As one participant said, “From now on, whether I'm talking to donors, community partners or businesses in my community, I know that my contacts will be more effective and will advance the work of my Volunteer Center.”

1-800-Volunteer.org’s Training Update for Search-Engine Marketing

Volunteer Centers who attended the training learned how search engines work, learned how to adjust their Web sites to encourage more volunteers to “stumble” upon their site when using search engines, and learned the value of building links from other Web sites. All Volunteer Centers left with a step-by-step plan for starting this type of marketing for their Web sites; they gained tools to learn how to engage their board and volunteers in the process, how to tell who has been visiting their site and whether they sign up for a volunteer opportunity once they visited. Volunteer Centers interested in attending the same training via the Internet, can register for a class at: https://pointsoflight.webex.com/meet/kwatier

Disaster Volunteer Reception Center Training Update

More than 100 Volunteer Center representatives and some of their partners, including emergency managers and American Red Cross staff, participated in the disaster Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) trainings. The VRC trainers were highly qualified and experienced Volunteer Center staff who use a curriculum developed by the Foundation and also draw upon their own disaster experience to make the training effective and engaging.

VRCs are set up to channel the energy and compassion of spontaneous, unaffiliated volunteers that converge to disaster areas. Experience has shown that these volunteers — who might be a burden when they arrive unannounced at the disaster scene — can be a valuable asset if well managed. As organizations that connect volunteers to opportunities to serve, Volunteer Centers are uniquely qualified to lead the management of spontaneous volunteers in disaster. At the VRC, volunteers are registered, screened and placed with organizations engaged in the response. These trainings introduced participants to disaster management concepts and offered the opportunity to role-play for a mock Volunteer Reception Center.