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Get Involved: Powered By

Your Library, A California State

Library Initiative for 2008-2009

Engaging Volunteers in

Organizational Capacity Building

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Capacity Building

• Understanding Boomers

• Assessment

• Building the Case

Using Critical Intervention

Points

• Mapping the Initiative

• Creating Opportunities

Designing Powerful

Engagement

• Cultivation & Networking

• Interviewing & Vetting

Agreement & Support

• Creating the Collaboration

• Nurturing the Relationship

Steps to Volunteer Engagement

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• Community of practice

• Start small, experiment, and learn together

• Follow through

• Boomer Volunteer Engagement:

Collaborate Today Thrive Tomorrow as text

• Interactive PDFs:

www.boomervolunteerengagement.org

• Best practice

Project Overview

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Learning Objectives

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• Learn the trends and language of volunteer engagement

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• Understand the role of volunteers in capacity building

3

• Discover critical intervention points and create a powerful case for volunteer engagement

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Trends and Issues

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Trends and Issues

Flickr: jamelah

Time Collaboration Technology

Generational Shift

Results focused

Culture shift

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Boomers Leading Change

Entrepreneurial

Self-Directed

Skills Based

Desire Flexibility &

Control

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Technology

Expand

Communication

Increase Diversity

Create Training

Opportunities

Flickr: Wysz

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Additional Trends

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Organizational Structure

Gateway Behaviors

Volunteers Leading

Volunteers

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Philosophical Foundation

Capacity

Building

Strategic

Collaborative

Skills Based

Community Building

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Philosophical Foundation (cont.)

Survive and thrive

Increase organizational impact and outcome

Expand circle of influence

Free employees to steward critical initiatives and do different work

Access abundance within the organization

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Organizational Effectiveness

Financial Stability

Program Quality & Growth

Capacity Building

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Mission Programs Management

Governance Financial

Resources Administrative

Resources

Volunteers

Capacity Builders

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Share

Workload

Increase Resources

Articulate Engagement

Vet for Skills & Interests

Prioritize Volunteer

Efforts

Create Inviting Work

Environments

Convene & Launch Teams

Negotiate Collaborations

Negotiate Outcomes

Cultivate Volunteer Leaders

Changing Staff Roles

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Volunteer Engagement

Readiness Assessment

Current Economic Climate

Organizational Commitment

Volunteer Placement

Scheduling and Flexibility

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Volunteer Engagement

Readiness Assessment

Volunteer Roles

Volunteer Support

Staff Role in Volunteer Engagement

Volunteer Benefits

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Recruitment Cultivation and Networking

Placement Negotiation and Agreement

Supervision Support

A New Paradigm

Management Engagement

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Review Measurement

Recognition Acknowledgment

Retention Sustainability

A New Paradigm

Management Engagement

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What can you realign?

What are the strategic priorities for your library?

What are your dreams?

Needs Assessment

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Critical Intervention Points

An element of behavior, policy, or

process that presents an

opportunity to be affected through strategic volunteer engagement

and that, if successfully

implemented, makes significant

change for a positive result.

Organizations that are highly effective

in the engagement of volunteers

consistently display a high degree of

shared leadership.

(Merrill & Associates, 1996)

Flickr: Byrnesyliam

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Focus on Strategy

Translate the strategic

plan

Facilitate volunteer

leadership

Ensure participation

Flickr: sean dreilinger

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Flickr: Stephen Dyrgas

Critical Intervention Points

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Flickr: Stephen Dyrgas

Critical Intervention Points

What is critical?

Critical intervention points lead to turning

points; they are crucial or decisive; often

essential and indispensable.

•Outcome alignment?

•Urgency?

•Relevance?

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Flickr: Stephen Dyrgas

Critical Intervention Points

Choose a meaningful

place to intervene

•Has potential to create powerful results

•Mitigates or prevents a crisis

•Moves an initiative forward •Solves a problem

•Meets an objective

•Creates momentum

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• Does it play to a strength?

• Will it come as a surprise to any key

stakeholders?

• What changes to current practice are

needed?

• Do existing volunteers have the expertise

and time to carry this out – or to be trained?

Critical Intervention Point Questions

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• Are more or different volunteers needed?

• New position descriptions?

• Cross-generational appeal?

• What are the biggest anticipated

challenges?

• What are you willing to invest?

• What aren’t you willing to invest?

• Is it sustainable?

Critical Intervention Point Questions

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1. Identify potential critical intervention points.

2. Align effort with existing priorities.

3. Evaluate costs and benefits.

Process Summary

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4. Choose one critical intervention point.

5. Engage volunteer and staff leadership.

6. Define results and accountability.

7. Let go.

Process Summary (cont.)

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Create your vision of what will be different.

Create an elevator speech.

Plan where to use the speech.

Tell powerful stories early and often.

Creating the Case

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For Next Time

Complete the needs assessment (Ch2, p39).

Complete the case statement exercise and be prepared to

present your elevator speech (Ch5, p81).

Identify 2 or 3 critical intervention points.

Read chapters 1 and 2.

Next webinar: Jan 21

10:00-11:30 PT.

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Boomer Volunteer Engagement

Downloadable PDFs

www.boomervolunteerengagement.org

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Creating Capacity

Set the stage for success

Create agreements

Expand roles for

volunteers

Let volunteers

lead

Expanded capacity

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Learning Objectives

1

• Learn the trends and language of volunteer engagement

2

• Understand the role of volunteers in capacity building

3

• Discover critical intervention points and create a powerful case for volunteer engagement

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Resources

Managing Transition: Making the Most

of Change, William Bridges

Flawless Consulting, Peter Block

Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will

Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America, Marc Freedman

The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell

Boomer Volunteer Engagement:

Collaborate Today, Thrive Tomorrow , Jill Friedman Fixler and Sandie

Eichberg, with Gail Lorenz CVA

Flickr: Darren Hester

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Next Webinar:

January 21 10am PT

Mapping the Initiative

Thank you!