Volunteerism & Community Service

[keith]

By the looks of many service organizations, Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, etc., the greatest generation is, indeed, the greatest generation.

The average guy in my Lion's Club is, I believe, 80 years old going on 120. Five of them to every one of us under 55 or 60. When a couple of forty-somethings join, it is a youth movement.

What happened to the idealism of the 60s? Oh, yeah, we're the ME generation.

They say we have so little time...and 'they' are right to an extent. I'm lucky if I make half my Lion's meetings. I believe it is better to do what I can though, when I can, than to just skip the community service altogether.

These service organizations are the first to help with local scholarships, local disaster relief (like paying for the hotel for a family whose house just burned down), local sponsorship of youth organizations like sports and scouts. Yet the membership is - literally - passing on. And the 60s do-gooders are few and far between. We're not that busy!

Our club raises thousands of dollars annually for a camp for Wisconsin kids with disabilities. The camp is free to kids and their families and includes medical staff and terrific facilities on a beautiful private lake.

We donate thousands more to charities like Leader Dogs for the Blind and building the park facilities up in our own community.

Every dime of profit we make supports these charities. We pay for our own food and drink and administrivia.


Start a youth movement...get into a local community service organization and help out.

You might actually find some time...like when we get the call to 'carry picnic tables at the park' <code for 'sheepshead game at Chubby's>. We have to find time to do the things that are right.

[mzerkle]

Great lunch, or dinner on a hot night. Easy to fix, filling without being too heavy.

[CarolsCritterCare]

I find that students enjoy projects that are hands-on, with a good deal of interaction with the clients / those being served. Students like to get dirty, sweaty, and work in teams with their friends- or have opportunities to meet new friends.

[CarolsCritterCare]

TABLING is a great recruiting method....

The Four Golden Rules of Tabling ~~
1.You don't need a table.
2.Tabling is an active, not passive, activity.
3.Never leave a table unattended.
4.Make it fun and highly visual.

Other suggestions for Tabling ~~
Have a quick five second intro to "stop" passing students.

Give them something to take away to read later.

Have students sign-up for something. The act of signing one's names goes a long way to having them make a real commitment.

You are there to activate interested students, not convert uninterested ones.

Have an activity planned within one week of when you table.

Plug-in interested and super motivated students RIGHT AWAY. Don't wait.

Have them help you table!

[CarolsCritterCare]

PHONEBANKING

The schools student activities department probably has some type of freshman orientation. Get plugged into that. Speak at these orientations. Students will probably fill out a "student interest card" of some kind which lists different clubs and organizations on campus with which they can get involved. Make sure your center is on that list. Use those names and phone numbers to recruit volunteers.

*Call three to four days to remind students before the event. Never throw away sign-up lists old projects. Create a database or file of volunteers

The 4 Golden Rules of PhoneBanking~~~
CONNECT ~ Tell the student who you are and where they met you.

CONTEXT ~ Tell them why you are calling, explain your program and how they can get involved.

COMMITMENT ~Get them make that commitment to your event or program. Don't be confused... a "Yes" is not a commitment. Use the words, "I'll sign you up."

FOLLOW-UP ~ Review what they just committed to....specific date, time, place, name of person to see.

[CarolsCritterCare]

CLASS PRESENTATIONS

This is one of the most effective forms of recruitment. The faculty allowing you to come in to speak gives you credibility, you have a captive audience, and you have a "qualified" or specialized audience (i.e. if you are recruiting for an environmental project, go to environmental classes).

Tips on Making Good Presentations ~~
Be energetic. Information does not inspire! Your vision, energy, and a good project will!

Find a pace which is comfortable for you and isn't too fast or too slow. Keep it under five minutes!

Be open and personable. Smile!

Remind yourself who you are and why you are there.

Tell what you're going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Then tell 'em what you told 'em.

Keep your talk focused! Introduce yourself / Tell the problem / Tell the solutions which you are working on/ Tell them how they can get involved /

Pass around a sign-up list / Thank the professor.

[CarolsCritterCare]

Now that you got 'em, how do you keep 'em?

After recruiting volunteers, find or develop opportunities for them to get involved right away.

Have clear goals and expectations of what volunteer will do.

BE FLEXIBLE ~ have volunteer projects on weekends & weekdays, morning and evenings. This kind of diversity of opportunity will enable students to balance school, work, family, and service!

Make sure volunteers understand the importance of the task they are doing, and how it fits into the overall project / agency / mission.

Never allow people to feel that you wasted their time or that they weren't really needed.

Provide food & refreshments after projects.

Keep up on and celebrate birthdays of committed volunteers.

Provide a structure so that those who want to can take on roles of greater responsibility.

Give honest and sincere praise, say "Thank you", make people glad they came and participated.

Make the project an "event" make it more interesting than staying home and watching it.

Recognize volunteers in speeches, media, meetings, etc.

Give out shirts, pins, buttons, etc.

Have parties, retreats, picnics, and other "off-duty" events.

Students like Titles ~~ Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator, Lead Organizer, etc. Give them a title

[CarolsCritterCare]

Here's a few ideas you can use to recruit committed and energized volunteers.

Tried & True Methods ~~ Tabling, creative flyers and handouts, class presentations, student newspaper (ads, newsbriefs, and coverage), campus radio, Dorm Storms (flyers, door-to-door)

Wholesale Methods ~~ Approach student clubs, groups, and other organizations. Pitch the president or community service or ask to have a few minutes at their next meeting. Ask faculty to give students extra credit for service. Presentations to classes and staff and faculty meetings are also wonderful wholesale opportunities.

High Tech Methods ~~ Fax campaigns and campus/student e-mail

Creative Methods ~~Fund-raisers (ribbon, bake, and book sales are great, not only to raise a few dollars, but more importantly to raise awareness and recruit volunteers), Table Tents- print up a few dozen tents and place them on cafeteria tables, "Happenings"-music, visual displays, contests, speakers, chalking the campus, dress- up as a character (like Halloween) and give out flyers, hold particpatory games, tap the "Oh-How-Cute"-factor by putting a small sandwich sign on your dog and walking him/her around campus

[dgridley]

Unfortunately, I think volunteerism went out with the advent of the Xbox.. kids today don't volunteer or get involved like they did when I was younger.

While I was growing up, kids who didn't belong to the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or 4H were the exception rather than the rule. FFA, or Future Business Leaders of America were other staples amongst my friends. I don't know a single kid today in my area that belongs to any of those. Sad, because they teach good citizenship and community spirit. Half the boys I grew up with were altar boys at one time or another.

I was on the "front lines" politically in the 60's and early 70's, much more radical than I am now. I marched with the SDS (Student for a Democratic Society) thru Miami Beach in protest of the Vietnam war in 1972, camped 3 days at Flamingo Park with the Yippies (Abbie Hoffman, remember him?) and hippies, stood 4 feet away from Jane Fonda as she made a speech for FTA (F*** The Army), got tear gassed by state troopers in front of the Convention Center. I was involved in the Technocracy movement and the Venceremos Brigade (almost went to Cuba).. so yeah, I was a little left of center, shall we say. In those days, the Weathermen were "heros" of mine. I've gotten a few emails from Mark Rudd in the past after I did a blog post about the Weathermen. So, been there, done that.. I could write a book.

But alot of us "lefties" grew up to be good Republicans or even Libertarians and here I am today.. nice to have seen it from both perspectives tho! Either way you look at it, we were all patriots in our own minds.

[dgridley]

Speaking of volunteering and community service, this is the perfect time of the year as individuals to donate our time to those less fortunate over the holidays. You can help prepare meals, wrap gifts, provide rides, and more. Many charity organizations would love a helping hand during the Christmas season.

Does anyone here make a point of volunteering in their community in any way?

[CarolsCritterCare]

I have a wonderful group of teens and adults that volunteer endless time to the Wildlife here in my care.

They travel to different counties if need be to pick up an injured or orphaned critter.

They scavenger hunt on their own time finding this and that in scraps and materials and then build these incredible cages and nesting box's

They spend countless hours feeding a few dozen baby raccoons ~ who in the beginning eat every 2 hours.

They give up sleep to help us here at Romes Wildlife Haven
Romes’ Wildlife Haven

I am very blessed to have the volunteers I have and I am also forutnate enough to have people always interested in helping.

[dgridley]

Great to hear!