GVMSBook August 2017

Great Volunteer
Management System
A PROJECT OF
&
August 2017
About New York Cares
New York Cares is the largest volunteer network in the city. Last year, 64,000 New Yorkers made the city
a better place by volunteering in New York Cares programs at 1,400 nonprofits and schools – improving
education, meeting immediate needs, and revitalizing public spaces. To learn more, visit
newyorkcares.org.
About NYC Service

NYC Service, a division of the Office of the Mayor, launched in April 2009 in response to President Barack
Obama’s national call for volunteerism and a goal of engaging 100 million Americans in service by 2020.
New York City was the first ”City of Service” and since NYC Service launched six years ago, over 190 U.S.
cities have joined the Cities of Service network.
Today, NYC Service promotes volunteerism, engages New Yorkers in service, builds volunteer capacity
and mobilizes the power of volunteers and service year members to impact New York City’s greatest
needs. NYC Service is working to increase our City’s volunteer rate from 18% to the 25% national average
and our vision is to inspire and empower all New Yorkers to volunteer and serve New York City and each
other.
Through our dual focus on volunteerism and the expansion of service year programming, NYC Service is
fulfilling its mission by leveraging its greatest resource – New Yorkers – to address New York City’s
greatest needs. To learn more, visit nyc.gov/service.
ii | Introduction
Objectives
Volunteers are critical to the mission and success of nonprofits.
Volunteers engage community.
Volunteer management takes an investment of time and energy, and requires systems and processes to
ensure volunteers are well supervised and used strategically.
This volunteer management system guide will support the design of a framework of your volunteer
program. We present a number of volunteer management topics, each with a brief overview that helps
define it and illustrate why it is important. Each overview is followed by examples of best practices
culled from a variety of sources and organizations. Some sections include tips or websites for further
exploration. Each topic is accompanied by a variety of tools, worksheets, examples, and resources
designed to help you improve your organization’s volunteer management.
Topic 1 Engaging Volunteers Strategically in Your Organization.........................1

Topic 2 Using Volunteer Position Descriptions ..........................................................5
Topic 3 Tailoring Volunteer Recruitment and Messaging....................................13
Topic 4 Creating an Official On-Boarding Process..................................................17
Topic 5 Ensuring a Great Experience for Volunteers..............................................23
Topic 6 Using Volunteers to Lead Other Volunteers...............................................29
Topic 7 Recognizing and Retaining Volunteers.......................................................35
Topic 8 Tracking Volunteer Impact...............................................................................39
Topic 9 Board Management as Volunteer Management......................................41
Topic 10 Engaging Financial Sponsors as Volunteers...........................................47
Topic 11 Working with Youth Volunteers...................................................................51
Topic 12 Working with Older Adult Volunteers.......................................................55
Topic 13 Managing Volunteers During Times of Crisis.........................................57
Topic 14 Skills-Based Volunteers...................................................................................63
Topic 15 Integrating Staff and Volunteers.................................................................81
Topic 16 Assessing Volunteer Costs and Benefits...................................................83
Topic 17 Understanding and Promoting the Benefits of Service......................85
Topic 18 Strategic Volunteer Planning........................................................................87
Topic 19 Community Assessment Through Asset Mapping...............................89
Topic 20 Neighboring: Building Strong Communities From Within.................91
Appendix Volunteer Management Resources.........................................................93
Volunteer
Recruiting
Volunteer
Volunteer On-boarding
Role
Volunteer
Volunteer Mission + Engagement
Recognition and Strategic Plan
Retention
Volunteer
Volunteer Leader
Personal and
Professional
Benefits Volunteer
Tracking
iv | Introduction
Great Volunteer Management System
Topic 1: Engaging Volunteers Strategically in Your Organization
Great volunteer management occurs when it is a critical part of an organization’s strategic plan. The best
volunteer programs engage volunteers as a priority. Share your strategic plan with your volunteers.
Knowing your organization’s mission, vision, current priorities, and goals will give volunteers an incentive
to buy-in to your work, commit, and return to volunteer.
Ensure support for volunteer programs from Executive Leadership, including your Board of Directors, and
look for strategic ways to build capacity with your volunteers. Work within all levels of your organization to
formalize the role of volunteers by specifically including volunteers in strategic plans, program goals, and
by creating specific roles for volunteers. Reimagine your strategic plan and goals, and create clear and
specific roles for volunteers. Volunteers are cost-effective, but require investment. Investing in volunteers
as a resource can ensure they are used strategically.
Best Practices:
• Create your organization’s strategic plan with volunteers as a critical goal and strategy (use Worksheet 1
as a starting point).
• Establish volunteer service as a goal within the organization’s strategic plan and annual objectives.
• Engage all staff, from custodial to Executive Leadership, in conceptualizing how volunteers could
support and advance their work. This creates a culture shift and allows all staff to see how volunteers
can help expand your reach as opposed to being a task or chore.
• Designate one or more staff members to coordinate volunteers.
• Include volunteers on your organizational chart to show their reporting structure and importance.
• Share your mission and goals with volunteers early and often.
• Put volunteers’ work into context (e.g. let them know how long it would have taken paid staff to do the
same task).
• Provide impactful statements and statistics that demonstrate how volunteers support your work.
• Recognize staff who work with volunteers by including them as part of their review process and
on-going management.
• Share successful use of volunteers to other staff members to make TIP:
them aware of ways that volunteers being used efficiently and
effectively at your organization. The estimated value of a
volunteer’s time is $26.45
per hour in New York and
$22.55 per hour nationally.
(2013 independentsector.org)
Worksheet 1: Develop a Strategic Plan with Volunteer Service as a Critical Goal
and Strategy
Use this strategic plan outline to analyze your organization’s mission, purpose, and objectives as they relate
to volunteers. Each component should inform each other. Internal and external assessment of your work
should inform your planning, your activities, and how you measure your work.
Mission (Purpose)
Internal Assessment Vision (Theory of Change) External Assessment

Values
Mission and Program Trends
Assessment • Economic/Legal/
• Performance History Social Issues
• Financial History Goals/Strategies • Marketplace (Clients,
• Strengths, Weaknesses, • Programs Competitors, Changes)
Opportunities, Threats • Volunteer Service • Distinct Mission
• Issue Identification • Financial Plan Competence
• Stakeholders (Community
Members, Donors,
Supporters, Political
Governance/Organization
Representatives)
• Staff
• Volunteers
• Board Members
Measures of Success/Impact
• Inputs
• Outputs
• Outcomes
Management Systems
• Processes
• Improvement Areas
• Action Plans
Annual Operations Plan,

Strategic Plan, and Tracking
and Revision
2 | Topic 1: Engaging Volunteers Strategically in Your Organization

Worksheet 2: Volunteer Management Reflection Worksheet
Answer the following questions to get to know your current volunteer program and identify areas
for improvement.
Is there something unique you have done to help attract or retain volunteers at your organization?
What do you see as one of the major challenges to your organization’s current volunteer management
structure, or to your own work in managing volunteers?
Is there a larger barrier (internal or external) that you or your organization faces when it comes to
improving volunteer management practices or systems?
What skills and practices would you like to work on that relate to your management of volunteers?
What can your organization as a whole do to better support new and current volunteers?
Worksheet 3: Engaging Staff from Outside the Volunteer Management Team in
Defining Volunteer Roles
Answer the following questions to get to know your current volunteer program and start to
identify areas for improvement.
Are there aspects of your organization’s volunteer support system that you would like to improve (e.g.,
feedback structure, policies, and procedures, etc.)? Identify 1-2.
Who else from your organization will you engage in the volunteer support system? Identify 1-3 staff.
What next steps do you need to take to incorporate and streamline the task of supporting volunteers
across staff in your organization?
4 | Topic 1: Engaging Volunteers Strategically in Your Organization

Topic 2: Using Volunteer Position Descriptions
Volunteers and staff benefit from clear position descriptions that detail expectations for volunteers and for
those who are supervising volunteers. Like job descriptions, good volunteer position descriptions clearly
outline responsibilities and expectations. Done well, they are critical tools for training, as well as for
providing feedback to volunteers both during and after assignments.
Position descriptions should be written and shared and should include details such as duration of the
project; time commitment; necessary skills, training, or languages; and other particulars specific to your
organization and the volunteer role. When you have determined the ideal roles for volunteers at your
organization, you will also need to decide what kind of volunteer commitment best fits each position.
Volunteers can be one-time, episodic, semi-committed, very-committed, or nearly full-time, as in the case
of interns or AmeriCorps members. If it supports your mission and programs, it’s helpful to have a variety of
short- and long-term volunteer positions available to engage a diverse mix of volunteers.
Best Practices:
• Engage staff who will be working with volunteers in creating volunteer position descriptions so they
feel comfortable training and providing feedback to volunteers.
• After volunteers have completed an assignment, ask them if the project fits their expectations and
revise the position description as needed; volunteers are more likely to return if their expectations are
met, even if the assignment is difficult.
• Create action-oriented descriptions that lead with verbs to get volunteers excited. Include specific
project details and impact to keep volunteers’ attention.
• Ensure that volunteers know how they will receive evaluation and feedback and understand they are
valued members of the organization.
• If you are interviewing for a very-committed, full-time, or leadership volunteer, have a staff person
conduct a prescreening either by phone or in-person, to review position descriptions and other critical
information.
Worksheet 1: Volunteer Gap Analysis Worksheet
Use the worksheets on the following pages to help you think about the volunteer roles you need
to develop or refine at your organization.
First, you will focus on the gaps between the volunteer positions your organization currently has, and the
volunteer positions your organization wants to create. This will help you identify some of the volunteer
roles that are missing from your menu of volunteer opportunities.
Next, you will have a chance to align the volunteer roles you hope to develop or refine with your current
organizational priorities and goals. Connecting volunteer roles to your strategic goals and priorities will
help shed light on which volunteer positions your organization should focus on developing first.
6 | Topic 2: Using Volunteer Position Descriptions

I. Volunteer Role Gap

Note: Use information gathered from your organization and colleagues to help you determine the new volunteer roles you want to
develop. See examples in italics below.
Identified Need in Organization Is there a current volunteer role that Roles to develop or refine in order
(based on your own assessment can help address the identified to address identified need
and colleague’s input) need? If so, which role?
Classroom management Yes, “student buddies”
Classroom content is out of date No Add curriculum developer role

II. Aligning Volunteer Roles with Mission and Strategic Goals Goal 2: Using Volunteer Position
Connect proposed volunteer roles to your organization’s mission and strategic goals. Descriptions
See examples in italics below.
Volunteer role to develop or refine With what organizational goals or How does the role or task align with
(based on your own assessment priorities does this volunteer role your mission or an organizational
and colleague input) align (if any)? goal/priority?
E.g. Curriculum Developer Provide program-rich environments Develops issue area content for use
in youth clubs in youth clubs

Worksheet 2: Volunteer Position Description Worksheet
The volunteer position description outlines the responsibilities and benefits of specific volunteer
opportunities, and identifies what support or training the organization will provide. A
well-thought-out description helps strengthen recruitment efforts because it defines the
assignment and details the skills, abilities, and interests integral to performing the task successfully.
A volunteer position description should include the following components:
Title
Provide a short, descriptive title that gives the volunteer a sense of identity. This will also help program
staff and other volunteers understand the assigned role.
Purpose/Objective
Use no more than two sentences to describe the specific purpose of the position. If possible, state the
purpose in relation to the nonprofit’s mission and goals.
Location
Describe where the person will be working.
Key Responsibilities
List the position’s major responsibilities. Clearly define what the volunteer is expected to do as part of
this assignment.
Qualifications
Clearly list education, experience, knowledge, skills, and age requirements. Also note if the opportunity is
accessible to people with disabilities. If a background check is required, it should be indicated here.
Time Commitment
Note the duration of the assignment, hours per week, and/or other special time requirements.
Training/Support Provided
Define the nature and length of all general and position-specific training required for the assignment.
Also list resources and other support available to the volunteer.
Benefits
Describe benefits available to the volunteer, such as lunch, a T-shirt, and personal development
opportunities.
Volunteer Supervisor and Contact Information

List the staff person or volunteer leader who will be working most directly with the volunteer. Share how
and when the volunteer will be evaluated and provide supervisor contact information.
Worksheet 2: Volunteer Position Description Worksheet
Use this worksheet to outline the responsibilities and benefits of specific volunteer opportunities, and to
identify what support or training the organization will provide the volunteer. Remember to be as detailed
as possible and to use clear language—no jargon or acronyms that new volunteers may not understand.
Title:
Purpose/Objective:
Location:
Key Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
Time Commitment:
Training/Support Provided:
Benefits:
Volunteer Supervisor:
Phone:
Email:
Program Website:
This form is modified from The Points of Light and the HandsOn Network.

Worksheet 3: Creating a Volunteer Listing
Use this worksheet to craft a volunteer description. This information could be used in a email or
even a volunteer database site, such as nyc.gov/service, to recruit people for positions. Though it’s
good to keep your description lighthearted and accessible, the key qualifications and availablity
requirement information from the previous pages should be prominently featured in your
messaging. Consider who might be happy or qualified for this role other than a professional.
Use the space below to draft your own listing.
Headline
WANTED: Shower Singers, Karaoke Artists, Professionals, and Everyone in Between with a Love for Singing!
Text
Work with choral students, grades three through five, by sitting throughout the group and keeping
everyone focused on learning two- or three-part songs. While no experience is required, we are looking for
a piano accompanist. Position is twice monthly through June.
Headline
Text
Headline
Text
Worksheet 4: Developing a Project Plan
Create your own project plan for volunteers so that they know what is expected of them.
Use Table 1 to enter what volunteers will be doing, and use the calendar boxes to the right to check off the month they will work
on or complete this task.
Use Table 2 to create specific goals and deliverables for each volunteer. Be sure to include deadlines and benchmarks so you
know the project is on-schedule or completed.
Organization Name
Project Name:
Number of volunteers assigned to project:
TABLE 1: Project Plan (months)

Goal 2: Using Volunteer Position
Essential Functions and Specific Tasks S O N D J M
FDescriptions A M J JU A

TABLE 2: Goals and Deliverables
Goal Benchmark/Deliverable Date Benchmark/Deliverable Date Benchmark/Deliverable Date
Topic 3: Tailoring Volunteer Recruitment and Messaging
With many other organizations, interests, and hobbies competing for people’s free time, it is critical to
develop a recruitment plan that is targeted to your ideal volunteer populations. Simply posting
information on your website and hoping that volunteers will come to you is unlikely to generate interest in
today’s crowded communications landscape.
Once you have developed your volunteer position descriptions, use them to think about ideal availability
or skills you will need, and begin to design your recruitment plan using those as a guide. For example,
many adults are not available during 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but college students and older adults often do have
free time during the day. Specific skill sets, whether language fluency or construction skills, may guide your
recruitment efforts toward particular affinity groups or trade unions. Be sure to vary and test recruitment
strategies, and ask volunteers how they found out about your organization so you can measure what works
best. Remember to mention the benefits of volunteering, such as gaining new skills and making new
connections, as you craft your recruitment messaging.
Best Practices:
• A key reason people volunteer is because they are asked. Make sure your recruitment message has a
clear ask and description of what you would like volunteers to do. Never be vague!
• If you are targeting specific skill sets, make sure to include them in your messaging. Volunteers who
speak another language or have a specific skill will likely be excited to engage. Blanket messages are
rarely effective.
• Use a range of recruitment tools, including your website; social media like Facebook and Twitter; direct
outreach like mailings, email, and phone calls; and indirect outreach and public relations like news
articles, word of mouth, and other websites. Organizations like nyc.gov/service, idealist.org, and New
York Cares are often great places to list and post volunteer
opportunities.
TIP:
• Think broadly about who can be a volunteer. If you serve students
or clients, they themselves, as well as their families, are a great In-person asks are highly
starting point for recruitment. effective. Don’t forget to
• Share the benefits of volunteering in your outreach messages. This ask your already-dedicated
will help you to recruit volunteers. volunteers to help with
recruitment.
• Since seniors represent a large potential pool of volunteers, it is
crucial that volunteer recruitment and messaging be targeted to More information about
the group. To successfully recruit older adult volunteers, consider: the benefits of
volunteering can be found
Utilize traditional methods of communication, including
at nationalservice.gov.
telephone, postal mail, or print advertisements. While many
older adults use email and internet platforms, some prefer
these forms of communication.
Topic 3: Tailoring Volunteer Recruitment and Messaging
Recruit in the context of organizations where older adults are likely to be actively involved,
including fraternal organization, religious instutions, or civic groups.
Be consistent in messaging that you are interested in the skills and talents that older adults offer as
volunteers. Include pictures of older adult volunteers in promotional materials, and describe their
volunteer impact to showcase their contributions.
14 | Topic 3: Tailoring Volunteer Recruitment and Messaging

Worksheet 1: Volunteer Recruitment Strategy Worksheet
Develop a volunteer recruitment strategy for at least two of your organizations volunteer positions.
Target Person/Dept.
Volunteer Role Recruitment Tactic Frequency Cost/Time Responsible for
Audience(s) Implementing
Worksheet 2: Volunteer Recruitment Messaging Worksheet
Take some time to work through the elements that should be included in your messaging for a specific
volunteer position at your organization.
Volunteer position:
Organization:
Duration and schedule:
Target audience:
Need that the position addresses:
Why your audience should care:
Benefits to volunteer, organization, and community:
How volunteers can get involved:
Contact information:
16 | Topic 3: Tailoring Volunteer Recruitment and Messaging

Topic 4: Creating an Official On-Boarding Process
A clear and official on-boarding process for volunteers is a crucial and often overlooked facet of good
volunteer management. It is critical to maintaining the safety of staff and clients, setting expectations for
volunteers, and educating volunteers about your organization. Your on-boarding process should be unique
to your organization, but should at a minimum include a volunteer application or intake form and an
interview or orientation.
If this is your first time setting up a volunteer program, it is wise to check in with your Human Resources
team or a lawyer to help define policies and procedures that are important to your site and clients. Once
you have identified key policies and procedures to which volunteers must adhere, you can determine what
kind of tracking system, intake forms, and screening processes will best fit your needs and the
commitment level of your volunteers. If you are planning to use a background check to screen volunteers,
we recommend Go Pass. The Go Pass initiative, a partnership with the Department of Education and NYC
Service, offers nonprofits a simple and reliable volunteer screening process that helps reduce costs and
enhance safety and security.
Best Practices:
• Have a volunteer application or intake form that is easy to find and complete, whether online or in
paper form.
• Have clear policies and procedures and share them so volunteers are prepared from the start. These
should be delivered in writing via email, website, or paper.
• Determine and enforce a screening process for volunteers. Your organization should have one voice
when it comes to determining who can and cannot volunteer.
• Be sure your policies and procedures are up to date and legally compliant with all laws. For example,
The New York Nonprofit Revitalization Act of 2013 may require your volunteers be notified of your
organizations whistleblower policy.
• Make sure your on-boarding process is commensurate with the
commitment level of your volunteers. If you use one-time TIP:
volunteers, a background check is probably not cost effective.
Google Forms is a great
• Make sure that all volunteers have an orientation that gives them an online tool for
opportunity to learn about your organization. organizations that lack a
• Consider an interview for longer-term volunteers and volunteer budget for complex online
leaders so you can gauge and match their interests. forms or databases.
• Ensure clients and staff can easily identify volunteers by using nametags. Visit nycgopass.org for
information on
• Encourage volunteers to have written personal development goals
background screening.
and desired outcomes for their volunteer experience.
Worksheet 1: Intake Process
All of my organization’s prospective volunteers…
Check all that

apply:
Fill out an application and receive a response within two days
Submit resumes and/or cover letters
Have an in-person interview
Tell us their interests and skills
Receive a copy of our policies and procedures or a set of ground rules
Sign a volunteer agreement
Go through a third-party background check
Receive volunteer positions based on the skills and interests they express
Add additional steps to your intake process below
18 | Topic 4: Creating an Official On-Boarding Process

Worksheet 2: Sample Volunteer Application
Volunteer Information Form

The information you provide on this sheet enables us to send you important OFFICE USE ONLY
volunteer information and other correspondence and assists us in helping
you find suitable projects. Please fill out this form in its entirety. Orientation Date:
All items with u MUST be completed. Entered:

Initials:
PERSONAL INFORMATION (REQUIRED) PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY

u Dr. q Mrs. q q I am over 18 years
of age
u Mr. q Ms. q First Name Middle Initial Last Name
PREFERRED MAILING A DDRESS This is a: q Home Address q Business Address u TELEPHONE/E-MAIL
Company Name (if this is a business Address) Preferred Ext.
u
Street Apt. Secondary Ext.
u
City/State/Zip E-mail – Please clearly print your preferred e-mail
address.
B USINESS INFORMATION
Occupation u MAILING PREFERENCES
I would like to receive:
u Title q The Calendar e-mail: a monthly guide to projects and
Company events
q The Program Guide: an annual printed guide to our
projects
q The Hot Projects e-mail: a weekly guide to projects that
need volunteers
EMERGENCY INFORMATION In the event of an emergency, please contact:
q From time to time, New York Cares will send you
information about our Happy Hours and other Fundraising
Name events. If you DO NOT wish to receive these emails,
please check this box
Phone Relationship
VOLUNTEER INTERESTS (PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

q Adult Education/ Job Readiness q Children’s Sports q Financial Literacy q SAT Prep
q Adults and Children with Special Needs
q Computer Tutorials q Hunger q Seniors
q Animal Care q Environment q New York Cares Office q Support for People Living with
q Children's Arts (Parks and Community Gardens) and Event Support HIV/AIDS
q Children’s Education q English for Speakers of Other q Painting. Sorting, and
Languages Revitalization
SKILLS (PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)
q Administrative/Office q Finance q Photography q Instructor/Certification
q Arts & Crafts q Gardening q Sports Coaching (Please Specify)
q Computers/Technology q Murals/Fine Art q Teaching/Tutoring
q Construction/Carpentry q Painting q Video/Film q Other (please specify)
q Curriculum Design q Performing Arts (please specify) q Writing
q Desktop Publishing/Graphic Design
What Language(s) Do You Speak?
PLEASE CONTACT ME ABOUT: (PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

q Annual Events Planning q Speakers Bureau q Becoming a Site Captain q Asking my company for in-kind
gifts (please specify)
q Fundraiser Event Planning q Office Work q Asking my company for financial
q Emergency Response Volunteering q Becoming a Team Leader Contributions
PLEASE FILL OUT THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BACK 11/09

Worksheet 2: Sample Volunteer Application
MY GENERAL AVAILABILITY IS: (PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

Weekday Pre-9a.m. Weekday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Weekday 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. Weekday Eve. 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Saturday Sunday
I LEARNED ABOUT NEW YORK CARES THROUGH:

Friend Media Volunteer Event Employer Internet Flier Street Fair Celebrity Ad Other
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION (OPTIONAL)
New York Cares is dedicated to developing a volunteer base as diverse as the city we serve. Please help us chart our progress by providing the following:
Gender: Male Female Date of Birth: / / (Please note: All New York Cares Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older)
Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino White American Indian/Native Black/African American Asian Hawaiian/Pacific Other
American Islander
Age Range: 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-59 60+
LEGAL INFORMATION (REQUIRED)

New York Cares organizes many volunteer programs serving children. Because we work with a variety of childcare agencies, some of which are
government-regulated, we must ask you to provide the following information. Please respond even if you do not anticipate volunteering with children
at the present time. Thank you for your cooperation.
DECLARATION OF CONVICTIONS OR PENDING CRIMINAL ACTIONS

List below any convictions for violations of law (other than traffic violations) in this state or elsewhere, and all charges currently pending anywhere.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY CONVICTIONS, THE " NONE" BOX MUST BE CHECKED. IF THE BOX IS NOT CHECKED, YOUR FORM WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU.
NONE
Date of Conviction Offense Court & Location Disposition & Penalty
CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1. Are you the subject of an indicated child abuse and maltreatment report on with the New York Central Registry of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
(SRC) or elsewhere?
NO YES
If yes, please provide date(s), description(s) and explanation(s) of incident(s).
2. Have you ever been terminated, suspended, placed on probation, reprimanded or otherwise penalized by an employer for child abuse and/or
maltreatment in New York State or elsewhere?
NO YES
If yes, please provide date(s), description(s) and explanation(s) of incident(s).
REFERENCES (PLEASE LIST TWO PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES)
Name Address (or email address) Phone Relationship
Name Address (or email address) Phone Relationship
WAIVER
I have read and understand the Volunteer Policies and Procedures of New York Cares. By signing below, I agree to the following: I attest that I am physically
fit and prepared to volunteer. In consideration of my acceptance as a volunteer, I hereby agree to release, defend, indemnify and hold harmless New York
Cares, Inc. and its affiliates and sponsors and their officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents, from any and all claims for expenses, personal
injury, losses or damages that may be incurred or caused by me during or in connection with my volunteering, whether arising from the negligence of such
persons or otherwise. I understand that when I am volunteering through New York Cares, I will be under the supervision and control of a New York Cares
Project Partner. I understand that I will not be under the supervision and control of New York Cares, Inc. I grant full permission for organizers to use
photographs, portraits, films and videos of me and quotations made by me in legitimate accounts and promotions of this event and New York Cares, Inc. I
understand that New York Cares, Inc. reserves the right to collect additional information about me in the future as deemed necessary.
Signature Date
DECLARATION
I declare that all of the statements made on this form are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge.
Signature Date
20 | Topic 4: Creating an Official On-Boarding Process

Worksheet 3: Agenda for a 60 to 90 Minute Orientation
This can be scaled back for one-time or episodic volunteers.

Welcome and Introduction (10 - 15 minutes)
Use this time to welcome new and/or potential volunteers to the program. Have participants and staff
self-introduce, or implement an “ice breaker” by pairing volunteers with each other (or with staff or
seasoned volunteers) and having them introduce each other.
Program History and Mission (10 - 15 minutes)

If you want your volunteers to feel engaged, it is critical that you help them understand your
organization’s program history, mission, and philosophy. If the history is lengthy, concentrate on
highlights and supplement with timeline handout. If a video is available, this is the time to show it!
The Importance of the Agency’s Volunteer Service to the Community (10 - 15 minutes)
Success stories (preferably provided by volunteers) and an overview of opportunities will give new and
potential volunteers an understanding of the program’s impact and the significant difference they can make.
Expectations (10 minutes)

This information is crucial and needs to be presented in a clear and straightforward manner. Include a
discussion about how volunteers will be evaluated and about volunteer responsibilities. Reference your
Volunteer Handbook and review bullet points of prohibited behaviors and consequences.
Volunteers need to know that your organization values their commitment and will provide support and
ongoing training opportunities as needed. Review your agency’s grievance process and Volunteer
Agreement. Mention the benefits of volunteering here as well.
Next Steps for the Volunteer Placement Process and Questions (5 - 10 minutes)
For potential volunteers who have not yet completed an application or interview, distribute applications,
and explain the process. For others, explain the next step to placement.
Adjourn for refreshments and informal discussion among new volunteers, seasoned volunteers, and staff.
Or, consider having experienced volunteers perform a fun role-play related to their volunteer experiences.
22 |
Topic 5: Ensuring a Great Experience for Volunteers
You can ensure the goals of your assignments are met and inspire your volunteers to work with your
organization again by making sure you are facilitating and providing a great volunteer experience every
time. A volunteer who was asked to complete tasks not originally assigned, or who was not well utilized
during an assignment, is unlikely to be productive on-site and unlikely to return to your agency again.
Ensuring a great experience for volunteers means more than planning an excellent project. It means
eliciting and providing feedback, confronting issues as they happen, and encouraging volunteers to step
into leadership roles.
Best Practices:
• Make sure the volunteer tasks and timeline for your assignments match the position descriptions you
have provided for each volunteer.
• Never waste a volunteer’s time. Make sure volunteer projects are meaningful to your organization and clients.
• Provide every volunteer with a designated supervisor (volunteer or staff ) for every assignment.
• Provide an official nametag or badge to volunteers and address volunteers using their first names.
• Ask volunteers for feedback about their experiences and for suggestions for improvement.
• Give volunteers feedback. Recognize great behaviors and give shout-outs with specific examples to
those who have done an excellent job. If a volunteer needs to improve, offer concrete suggestions.
• Sometimes things are out of your control—clients might be late to a project, weather might literally
dampen spirits. When situations like these occur, be honest with volunteers, apologize early, and
encourage volunteers to come again to see your organization at its best.
• If it is your first time planning a specific type of volunteer program, source information on scheduling
and feasibility from colleagues or contacts at similar organizations.
There are also many additional resources online that can help you
obtain this type of information. TIP:
There are lots of resources
about volunteer
management. For more
tips and examples visit:
• idealist.org
• energizeinc.com
• handsonnetwork.org
• nationalservice.gov
Worksheet 1: Scenarios for Working with Volunteers
Discuss the following scenarios with colleagues to develop ideas on how you would give
volunteers feedback. Suggested responses can be found on the next page.
Scenario #1
A local public school has a mentoring program for some of its students. Every month, all mentors and
students go on a field trip together, accompanied by two school staff members. During last weekend’s
field trip to the Bronx Zoo, Jane, one of the volunteer mentors, purchased a stuffed animal and a T-shirt
for her student mentee. After seeing their peer with his new souvenirs, all of the students started asking
for their own toys and souvenirs, but purchasing gifts is against the rules of the mentoring program. This
created a conflict for the other mentors. After the program, three mentors and two parents called the
school to complain about the incident. As the head of the mentoring program, what do you say to Jane?
Scenario #2
A senior center has a robust volunteer program, and every volunteer goes through a standard
on-boarding process with you, the volunteer manager. Last week, when you arrived to greet volunteers,
you found that several had arrived early and were already engaging with the seniors who had been
eagerly waiting to greet them. You quickly noticed that one of the new volunteers, Dan, had brought a
friend who you had never met before and who had not participated in an orientation or any other part of
your on-boarding process. Dan and his friend Alex were playing a game of Backgammon with one of the
seniors and seem to be having a great time. What do you say to Dan and his friend?
Scenario #3
As the volunteer manager at a homeless shelter, you pride yourself on providing a positive and
welcoming community for both residents and volunteers. Over the past few weeks, you have noticed that
one of your volunteers, Maria, has seemed disengaged and uncomfortable around some of the residents.
Today, on the assembly line during meal service, you see that Maria isn’t being friendly or welcoming to
the residents. Maria is a volunteer from the Workforce Development Corporation and still needs to fulfill
15 hours of service. As her supervisor, you need to submit a mid-term evaluation, but want to have a
discussion with her first. What do you say to Maria?
24 | Topic 5: Ensuring a Great Experience for Volunteers

Worksheet 1: Working with Volunteers Scenarios
Suggested responses
Scenario #1 – Local Public School
Here’s the problem:

• Jane did not follow established policies and procedures.
• Jane has caused conflict for both fellow volunteers and clients.
A few solutions:
• Be clear about your policy before the project, and reiterate it several times. Preventing this behavior
is easier than dealing with it after the fact.
• Talk to Jane and explain to her what the problem is. Make sure she understands what she did wrong,
and it is a clear policy violation.
• Address the situation with the other volunteers and parents. Apologize and let them know you are
addressing the incident with Jane and it won’t happen again.
Keep in mind:
• You should review important policies with volunteers when they begin volunteering. Provide
volunteers with a copy of important policies for their records.
• Ask volunteers to sign that they have received a copy of your policies and procedures, and they
understand them. This will help you hold volunteers accountable.
• When talking to Jane, be clear about expectations and next steps. For example, you can refer back to
the policies and procedure document Jane signed to make her accountable for her actions. For next
steps, let Jane know what you expect from her going forward. If this affects her volunteer status, or
might in the future, clearly explain the consequences she faces (e.g., “If this happens again, it will
affect your ability to volunteer with us”).
• When addressing the other volunteers and parents, assure them that you are dealing with the
situation, but do not comment on specific action you are taking with regard to Jane’s status.
Maintaining confidentiality for Jane is important as well.
Scenario #2 – Senior Center

• Alex has not been through your training and onboarding process, so you do not have any information
on him and he has not signed a liability waiver.
• Dan has disregarded your policy on bringing guests to projects.
A few solutions:
• Pull Dan and Alex aside and explain the required training and on-boarding. Make sure that both Dan
and Alex understand the problems caused by Alex’s presence.
• Let Alex know that he cannot remain on the project. Encourage him to sign up for your next training,
or fill out a volunteer application so he can join in next time.
• Remind Dan that it is not acceptable for volunteers to bring guests to projects. Explain that Alex is
more than welcome to return next time if he goes through the appropriate training process.
Worksheet 1: Working with Volunteers Scenarios
Keep in mind:
• You should review important policies with volunteers when they begin volunteering, including
your policy on bringing guests.
• Ask volunteers to sign that they have received a copy of your policies and procedures, and they
understand them. This will help you hold volunteers accountable.
• When talking to Alex, be as positive as possible. Even though he cannot stay and will need to
come back, you want to encourage him to take that next step and not be discouraged.
• When addressing Dan, be clear that this rule was clearly stated when he agreed to your policies
and procedures. If this affects his volunteer status or might in the future, clearly explain the
consequences he faces (e.g., “If this happens again, it will affect your ability to volunteer with us”).
Scenario #3 – Homeless Shelter
• Maria is not engaging with the clients.
• Maria is not providing the quality of volunteer service that your organization expects.
A few solutions:
• Set up an appointment to speak with Maria privately. These conversations should not happen in
front of clients or other volunteers.
• Explain to Maria why it is important for her to engage with the clients and be welcoming when
providing service.
• Give Maria clear guidelines on how to improve her performance.
• Be honest about your evaluation. Let Maria know what it will say and how she can change your
perception.
Keep in mind:
• Playing to the volunteer’s strengths and preferences is important. Maria may not be doing the right job.
Talk to her about what she likes and dislikes about volunteering with you. For example, perhaps she truly
enjoys chopping the veggies and washing dishes, but doesn’t know what to say to clients. In that case,
perhaps she would provide better service if you stationed her in the kitchen instead of on the meal
service line.
• Set expectations in the beginning. When Maria first comes to meet with you and informs you that she
will need a review, let her know what you need to see in order for her to receive a favorable review.
• Speak with Maria as soon as you notice the unacceptable behavior. Don’t wait until review time!
Instead, give her the chance to impress you and turn it around.
26 | Topic 5: Ensuring a Great Experience for Volunteers

Worksheet 2: Volunteer Evaluation and Feedback Form
The following form can be modified to fit the needs of your organization.
Volunteer Name Volunteer Role
Date Started Date
On a scale of one to five (five being best), rate the above volunteer on the following elements:
The volunteer is conscientious about arriving on time, and about notifying others in advance of
cancellations.
1 2 3 4 5
The volunteer performs all tasks and duties effectively and with care.
1 2 3 4 5
The volunteer is pleasant and courteous to staff and clients.
1 2 3 4 5
Describe the volunteer’s strengths and how they have contributed to the organization’s mission and
strategic goals.
Describe how the volunteer can improve her/his work with your organization.
Additional comments
Supervisor’s Signature Date Volunteer’s Signature Date

28 |
Topic 6: Using Volunteers to Lead Other Volunteers
Using volunteers to train, manage, and provide feedback to other volunteers is a key component of a great
volunteer management system. Creating a “lead volunteer” role conserves staff resources, provides
leadership opportunities for committed volunteers, and offers inspiration to new volunteers—enabling
you to build capacity and advance your organization’s mission. With proper training, volunteers can take
on nearly any role in your organization, and lead and teach other volunteers to do the same.
There are a few ways to create leadership positions for volunteers. You might begin with the same steps
that you used to start your general volunteer process, including position descriptions, an interview, and
on-going feedback. Or lead volunteers may emerge naturally from your volunteer pool—those who have
been working with your organization for a long time, are exceptionally committed, have a special skill, or
can come up with enthusiastic new ideas. Once those volunteers are identified, begin a conversation about
leadership opportunities.
Best Practices:
• Think broadly about what kinds of volunteers can be leaders. The key characteristics needed are a
willingness to learn and enthusiasm for your organization.
• It is critical to ask volunteers to step into leadership roles rather than assume they will naturally be
drawn to the role.
• Use lead volunteers to help manage nearly any piece of the volunteer process including recruitment,
intake, training, project management, and feedback—these are great ways for experienced volunteers
to do more.
• Ask your best volunteers to help you manage other volunteers.
• The role of a lead volunteer doesn’t have to start and stop with a specific timeframe. Volunteers with
leadership roles can confirm details with agency staff and communicate with volunteers before,
during, and after a project.
• Lead volunteers get to learn and practice new leadership skills while also knowing they are
contributing to your overall mission.
• Lead volunteers are still volunteers. They still need feedback, recognition, and their time should be
well-managed.
• Board members can be considered the ultimate volunteer leaders. They lead the strategy, mission, and
operations of your organization.
Worksheet 1: Volunteer Leaders Brainstorm
Discuss the following topics with colleagues to determine the best way to begin using volunteers
in leadership roles at your organization.
What is a leader?
What are the ideal traits of a lead volunteer for our organization?
What characteristics, skills, or knowledge would we like our lead volunteers to already have?
Are there people we already have in mind that could be developed into great leaders?
30 | Topic 6: Using Volunteers to Lead Other Volunteers

Worksheet 2: Sample Leader Volunteer Position Description
Below is an example of the volunteer position description New York Cares uses to recruit
volunteer leaders.
About Volunteer Leaders at Our Organization: Team Leaders embody the heart of New York
Cares projects. Each New York Cares project must have a Team Leader who volunteers on behalf of New
York Cares, enabling us to offer as many as 1,500 volunteer projects every month at locations
throughout the city. This special group of people consists of volunteers who make a commitment to
help manage a volunteer project for a few hours each week or month, depending on the project. Team
Leaders work closely with New York Cares and their Project Partners to lead effective hands-on
volunteer projects.
Title: New York Cares Team Leader

Position reports to: New York Cares Program Manager
Types of agencies: Public Schools, Senior Centers, Nursing Homes, Community Technology Centers,
Tier II Shelters, Soup Kitchens and other Community-Based Organizations.
Project meetings: Varies depending on specific project. Most projects meet once monthly, but many
meet twice per month or weekly.
Goal of the project: Varies depending on specific project.

Length of volunteer position: Six months to one year, flexibly scheduled projects.
Time requirements of position: Lead projects on a monthly basis, consistently return project
reports to Program Manager, attend planning sessions with New York Cares and Project Partners as needed.
Requirements for position: The Team Leader application process involves five steps: attend a New
York Cares orientation and at least three projects, complete a short Team Leader application form,
schedule an interview with a New York Cares staff member, complete an online training, and attend a
two hour Team Leader in-person training session. Team Leaders are also required to complete a
background screening form and confidentiality agreement, including providing a valid Social Security Number.
Skill requirements for position: Team Leaders should be active New York Cares volunteers with an
interest in volunteerism; should have confidence in their ability to lead groups and to teach others; and
should have a proven ability to problem-solve and work with teams, demonstrating strong leadership skills.
Project-Related Responsibilities:
Before the project:
• Attend planning meetings with the Program Manager and Project Partner as needed.
• Confirm project dates, meeting time and place, and task-specific details with Program Manager and
Project Partner.
• Accept and return volunteer phone calls and e-mails, view team lists and organize team online.
Send team reminders through the website and use the online system to update volunteers on any
project changes.
• Confirm volunteer attendance and check in with Project Partner one week prior to the project date.
During the project:
• Take accurate attendance, including no-shows.
• Provide volunteers with information about the agency and the impact of their service.
• Have Project Partner give comprehensive overview of tasks for the day, providing hands-on
demonstrations when necessary.
• Facilitate the group in completing tasks, ensuring quality work.
• Check that any agency spaces are tidy and in their original state at the end of the project.
After the project:
• Host a project debrief to gain feedback from volunteers and share your own experiences.
• Update volunteers on ongoing training and skills-enhancement opportunities.
• Share successful project ideas and feedback with Program Manager and with other Team Leaders.
• Submit volunteer attendance and impact numbers online.
• Thank volunteers for coming via a group e-mail message sent from the New York Cares interactive
Web site and follow up with no-show volunteers.
Benefits: Enthusiastic and supportive project atmosphere. Leadership training and project management
training. This is an excellent opportunity for any New York Cares volunteer with an interest in becoming
more involved and spreading his/her positive attitude and outlook about volunteerism and New York
Cares. This position potentially provides opportunities to learn about a multitude of issues facing many
New York City residents such as homelessness, hunger, the digital divide, and literacy problems.
This opportunity also provides the chance to discover information about a variety of local nonprofit
organizations, and to build skills in volunteer training and project management.
For Further Information: Contact the New York Cares Leadership Development team at
[email protected], or call (212) 228-5000.
32 | Topic 6: Using Volunteers to Lead Other Volunteers

About Volunteer Leaders at our organization:
Title:
Position reports to:
Project-related meetings required:
Goal of the project:
Length of volunteer position:
Time requirements of position:
Requirements for position:
Skill requirements for position:
Project-related responsibilities:
Before the project:
During the project:
After the project:
Benefits:
34 |
Topic 7: Recognizing and Retaining Volunteers
Just as we like to feel appreciated by our coworkers, peers, friends, and family, volunteers like to be
recognized and thanked for their service. Recognizing volunteers individually for their contribution and
their impact on your mission is critical to helping them understand the importance of their work, making
them feel appreciated, and encouraging them to return to your organization and get involved more
deeply. People start volunteering for a variety of personal reasons but the primary reason people return is
that they feel they have made a difference. Recognizing volunteers for their service increases the amount
of times an individual will return to volunteer, and it increases the likelihood that s/he will take on
leadership roles.
While a simple verbal “thank you” is a great start, consider developing more advanced recognition methods
and consider different strategies for different types of volunteers. Additional leadership opportunities,
celebration and recognition parties, written (even handwritten!) notes, and recognition certificates are all
great ways to recognize volunteers. The best recognition is timely, frequent, consistent, and personal.
Best Practices:
• Make sure to say thank you at the end of each volunteer project, even if you have consistent volunteers.
• Be genuine when thanking and recognizing volunteers.
• Be specific and include great examples of particular actions a
volunteer took and their impact on your organization and clients.
TIP:
• Develop a recognition calendar to ensure you are on schedule and
Ideas for recognition
consistently recognizing volunteers for their service.
include:
• Brainstorm with staff and leadership volunteers about creative ways,
• Individual thank you
specific to your organization, that you can thank and recognize
notes from clients
volunteers. Make recognition meaningful to your volunteer base: • Celebrations during
some volunteers may appreciate being recognized publically while Volunteer Appreciation
others would prefer a handwritten note or more private recognition. Month in April
• Develop a system of awards and rewards, including using the • Networking events
• Public recognition on
Presidential Service Award.
social media or in a
• Serve as a reference for volunteers who are applying for work or newsletter
further schooling. • “Promotion” to a role with
more responsibility
• Write commendation letters to a long-term volunteer’s current
school or employer. Register for the Presidential
Service Award at
presidentialserviceawards.gov
Worksheet 1: Mapping Your Organization’s Current Recognition Activities
It can be helpful to chart out what you are already doing to recognize volunteers. Use the table provided to plot the ways you
currently provide volunteer recognition. Also identify the audience that is being recognized and who is responsible for
overseeing the recognition. The best recognition plans happen regularly, so be sure to write your activity on a calendar.
When is it Utilized? Target Audience Who is Responsible for Organizational Calendar

Recognition Method (How often and for what (What types of Implementing? (when in the year do you
milestone?) volunteers?) use the outlined strategy?)
36 | Topic 7: Recognizing and Retaining Volunteers

Worksheet 2: Recognizing Volunteers—Strategy Development Questionnaire
Great volunteer programs recognize volunteers strategically. This means recognition should encourage the
behavior you want to see. Your most productive volunteers should be recognized quite a lot and in many
ways but, for a one-time volunteer, a single thank-you email may suffice. Review the following questions
with your colleagues to further develop your volunteer recognition strategy. These questions can help you
decide if you are using recognition in the most effective ways.
Who are my most productive volunteers?
What are the common characteristics of my most productive volunteers?
What motivates my volunteers?
How do I currently encourage a volunteer to become more engaged?
How do I, as an individual, currently recognize volunteers?
How does my organization currently recognize volunteers?
Does a targeted communication strategy fit my organization? Why?
Do I have a budget associated with recognition? Is it adequate?
What are other, non-financial, constraints to recognizing volunteers?

38 |
Topic 8: Tracking Volunteer Impact
Maintaining records about your volunteers and the impact they make on your mission is critical for
ensuring client and volunteer safety; assisting with fundraising and grants; planning future volunteer
programs; making the case for supporting volunteers and the staff members who work with them; and
planning programs for the future. Tracking demographic information about your volunteers allows you to
have a deeper understanding of your current volunteer base. Keeping track of the impact of volunteers
has nearly limitless uses.
Use a database or, at a minimum, a simple spreadsheet to keep track of your volunteers and their impacts.
Volunteers can provide optional demographic information about themselves like gender, age, level of
education, and area of residence. Agency staff or volunteer team leaders can track volunteer activity
including date, time, frequency of service, and types of tasks completed. Include measurable data like
how many clients a volunteer tutored or how many meals were served. Tracking the outcomes of
volunteer activity will help you determine what volunteers accomplished and what you could not do
without their service. It will also be invaluable when you need to demonstrate the impact your
volunteers make to internal and external audiences. Examples of outcomes include number of students
graduating, adults with increased knowledge of financial literacy, or number of youth or seniors with
positive attitudes about exercise.
Best Practices:
• Gather contact and demographic information as part of your intake process.
• Enlist volunteer leaders in helping you to collect and track data. Volunteer leaders can enter
assignment-based statistics.
• Identify outcomes of target volunteer roles. For instance, volunteer high school tutors should not only
track the attendance of students, but students’ improvement throughout the program.
• Use pre- and post- surveys for volunteers and clients to track outcomes.
• Determine the best database for tracking your volunteers’ service. A simple spreadsheet is a great
place to start if this is the first time you are tracking volunteer impacts.
• Collect volunteer impacts and use them to make the case for increased programming and to bolster
grant and funding proposals. Work with Development or Communications staff at your agency to
explore options.
• Create a how-to guide for entering volunteer information and
TIP:
impacts so that staff and leadership volunteers enter information in
a consistent manner. For technical database
assistance visit
idealware.org or Npower’s
Community Corps website,
thecommmunitycorps.org.
Worksheet 1: Developing Your Volunteer Tracking System
Tracking volunteers is an important responsibility and procedures should not be developed

without input from many stakeholders. There are a lot of resources available on the Internet to
guide your decision-making process.
Discuss with colleagues the following current and future strategies for project and volunteer
tracking to begin to identify the best practices for your organization.
1. Are we already collecting information about volunteers?
a. If yes, what information do we already collect?
b. If yes, when do we collect this information?
c. If yes, what additional information do we think we should collect?
d. If no, do we have other tracking systems for staff, development, or programs that could
also track volunteers?
e. If no, what are the steps necessary to modify our tracking systems so that they also track volunteers?
2. Do we have a budget or staff for maintaining tracking systems? There are options available for
organizations with limited staff and budget.
3. What kind of impact do we hope our volunteers have on our clients and mission? What ideas do we
have about how to measure this information?
40 | Topic 8: Tracking Volunteer Impact

Topic 9: Board Management as Volunteer Management
Your board members are important volunteers with your organization and are key to meeting your
mission. Their role is one of the highest forms of volunteerism for a nonprofit. Many of the same principles
of good volunteer management also apply to your board of directors, although most need to be outlined
and more detailed to address the needs of this important volunteer group.
Best Practices:
• Incorporate board procedures into your bylaws, including all functions of the board, executive
positions, and term limits. Your bylaws should be a guide in successful board engagement, but in order
to be effective, they must be specific to the needs of your organization and meeting your mission.
• Be clear on the roles and responsibilities for members of your board of directors. Consider what
expectations you have for this key group in terms of conducting organizational operations,
governance of the organization, and supporting the staff in meeting the organization’s mission. Also
include additional expectations of board members, including fundraising and other essential
functions.
• Ask board members to sign a letter of agreement. This ensures that they are fully invested in the role
they are taking on and have a complete understanding of what is expected of them.
• Provide a new board member orientation for those who are just joining your board of directors.
Onboarding should include visits to your programs so board members can connect with your mission,
overview of their roles and responsibilities, and next steps. Orientation is best coordinated by the
current board chair or executive committee.
• Consider outlining term limits for board members and members of your executive board. Not all
organizations have or enforce strict term limits, but it can be helpful in bringing new life to the board
and allowing the most highly engaged members to take a step
back and perhaps take on a different role.
TIP:
• Assist the executive leadership of the board in establishing
protocols for board meetings and business. Your board members For more detailed
are busy, and the work they are doing is important, so it is key to information on board
make the best use of their time at board meetings. Consider using management, look at NYC
Robert’s Rules of Order as common guidelines for how board Service’s Guide to Good
meeting run and have clear policies on how decisions are Governance at
proposed, discussed, and voted upon. nyc.gov/goodgovernance.
• Your board should grow and change with your organization. Once
you have your board management and structure in place, conduct an annual self-assessment to
identify any gaps or areas for change.
• Establish committees of the board to further your work. Consider committees by issue area and
function. Make sure committees have a solid structure, clear deliverables, and regular interaction with
senior staff. Sample committees include fundraising, communications, nominating, and finance.
Topic 9: Board Management as Volunteer Management
• Recognize board members for their commitment to the organization and their accomplishments on
your behalf. Consider what you can do for them as an organization, and look for external sources of
recognition, including awards nominations and other opportunities for board visibility.
• Include a board list in printed materials, such as brochures or annual reports, and provide copies to
board members.
42 | Topic 9: Board Management as Volunteer Management

Worksheet 1: Sample Organizational Board Assessment
What are your organizations top five priorities within the next 12 months? (List in order
of importance.)
1. ________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________
5.________________________________________________________________
Are the roles of the executive leadership of the board clearly defined?
Does the Executive Director report directly to the Board of Directors? Does the Board of Directors
hire the Executive Director?
Is the Board clearly seen as working on behalf of the organization within the community?
Does the Board actively participate in the strategic planning process?
Does the Board have clear policies for nominating new members and executive leadership? Does
this process ensure diversity among the board?
How are new board members oriented upon taking on their role?
What training does the board receive throughout their tenure?
Are there clear board documents and guidelines, including descriptions for all positions and
committees of the board?
44 |
Does the organization have formally adopted bylaws that conform to federal and state statutes? If
so, does the board meet the minimum number of members as indicate in the organization’s
bylaws?
Does the board review the bylaws annually?
Does the board have an annual calendar of meetings and activities?
Do board meeting align with attendance requirements as stated in the bylaws? Is a quorum of the
board present at each meeting?
46 |
Great Volunteer ManagementGreat
System
Volunteer Management System
Topic 10: Engaging Financial Supporters as Volunteers
Engaging financial supporters—whether they are current donors, corporate volunteer groups, foundation
staff, or boards—in direct service can bring resources to your organization and deepen the connection
your donors have with your mission.
Design volunteer opportunities with supporters in mind. Corporate donors will likely appreciate
opportunities for group-based volunteering, while individual donors may appreciate smaller scale projects
with a skill-based component. When building a corporate volunteer program, look to leadership volunteers
and your Board of Directors for good connections in their companies. Once you have outlined some
groups to start engaging, follow the processes for individual volunteers and make sure volunteer groups
are tracked, trained, and recognized.
Best Practices:
• Ensure that the assignment or position descriptions for corporate and financial supporters fill an
authentic need at your organization and that the tasks further your mission and goals.
• Think broadly about how financial supporters can volunteer at your organization. Consider the types
of professional or expert help your organization needs, and find out if corporate volunteers can fill
those roles.
• Keep in mind that volunteer groups may also be interested in working on projects that are outside
their profession. For example, financial services employees might want to paint your facility.
• Remember that corporate and other donors may be able to help out with additional resources if
asked, whether financial or in-kind.
• Provide feedback to volunteers and main contacts, and solicit feedback on how to improve programs
for their volunteers specifically.
• Work to create a meaningful relationship with corporate and financial supporters by providing
updates on their work, on successes and challenges at your organization, and on continuing
engagement opportunities.
Worksheet 1: Where Should We Begin?
Discuss the following current and future strategies for project and volunteer tracking with
colleagues to begin to determine the best practices for your organization.
1. Who are our key financial supporters? Include corporations, foundations, and individuals.
2. Has any donor approached us about direct service before? Were we able to offer a volunteer project
or experience?
a. If yes, what group did we engage and what did they do?
b. If no, what would we have needed to be able to engage them?
3. What groups are already affiliated with our organization that might be a good place to start?
4. What kinds of skilled volunteer or pro-bono assistance do we need?
5. What kinds of financial or in-kind resources would be helpful to our organization?
48 | Topic 9: Board Management as Volunteer Management

Worksheet 2: Develop a Pitch to Promote Your Volunteer Program
Use the form below to outline the elements of your pitch in order to solicit support for your
volunteer management program.
Here is an outline of the proposal:
Your mission, vision, and volunteer service goals
Impact of volunteer service
Strategies to increase volunteers and impact
Resources required to support volunteer service
Messaging to ask for your team’s support
How can an external stakeholder support your program?
Demographics (e.g. age) of your volunteer corps

50 |
Topic 11: Working with Youth Volunteers
Youth volunteers are an often untapped resource. There are many individuals, families, schools, and
community groups looking for opportunities to get youth involved with volunteering. By utilizing youth
volunteers who are eager to learn, you may be able to cut costs and increase your capacity.
Youth are enthusiastic, energetic, and ready-to-give. Providing volunteer opportunities for youth and
welcoming them into your organization brings a fresh perspective to the work that you do and allows you
to shape the next generation of volunteers. When working with youth, be sure to develop programs that
are suitable for different ages. You can start by breaking more complex tasks into smaller steps that can be
divided among volunteers of different skills and abilities.
Best Practices:
• Be clear on what your age restrictions are and don’t make exceptions.
• Connect with schools, community centers, and after-school programs to recruit youth volunteers.
• Track youth volunteers’ service hours. Youth often request signed letters to show that they volunteered.
• Require a parent or legal guardian’s permission for any youth to volunteer. Remember, only a parent or
a legal guardian may take responsibility for individuals under the age of 18. Signatures of teachers,
coaches, counselors, other family members, etc. are not valid for waiver purposes.
• Ensure staff has been properly trained and screened before supervising youth volunteers.
• Supervise youth at all times. Below is a guide for the suggested ratio of adults to youth volunteers. The
appropriate ratio of adults to youth volunteers may vary depending on the project tasks and your
organization’s experience with youth.
Age of Youth Adults to Youth Volunteers
Pre-K to One Adult per Five Youth (1:5)

Grade Three
Grade Four to One Adult per Eight Youth (1:8)
Grade Eight
Grade Nine One Adult per Ten Youth (1:10)
and Up
Worksheet 1: Questions to Ask When Considering Working with Youth
Have youth ever informally helped out at your organization? What did they do? Could that task be expanded?
Where can you find youth volunteers? What schools, community centers, after-school programs, or other
youth-based organizations exist in your community?
How will you engage youth volunteers? How will you decide the tasks that are appropriate? How will you
make sure the tasks are safe?
Who will supervise the youth volunteers? Who will ensure that your organization’s guidelines are
followed? How will you manage challenging youth volunteers?
52 | Topic 11: Working with Youth Volunteers

Worksheet 2: Sample of a Waiver for Youth Volunteers
Note: This is an example only. Consult your legal team for your organizational requirements.
In consideration for permission for __________________________(the “Child”) to participate in
volunteer project(s) and/or volunteer trainings (the “Activities”) offered by
_____________________________ (name of organization), I do hereby acknowledge, consent and
agree to all of the following terms and conditions.
I declare and represent that I am the parent or guardian of the Child.
I declare and represent that the Child is now in good health; that I have discussed with the Child the
nature of the Activities in which the Child plans to participate; that I and the Child understand the
nature of the Activities; that the Child is physically and medically fit to participate in the Activities;
and that the Child’s personal attire and equipment are safe and fit for their participation in the
Activities. I acknowledge that participation in the Activities involves certain risks and hazards of
injury and/or property damage. I am aware that the Child may travel to or from the Activities on his
or her own and without supervision. I and the Child assume the risk of the Child’s participation in
the Activities.
In consideration of the Child’s acceptance as a participant in this event, I agree to release, defend,
indemnify and hold harmless ________________________ (INSERT YOUR ORGANIZATION NAME),
its volunteers, employees, officials, directors, agents, affiliates and sponsors from any and all claims
for any and all expenses, personal injury, loss or damages incurred or caused by the Child to the
Child’s person and/or property during or in connection with the Child’s participation in this event.
This release shall be binding upon my heirs, next of kin, distributees, executors and administrators.
I hereby attest that the Child’s attendance and involvement in this Activity is voluntary and that I
have read (or have had read to me) this release, understand it and sign it voluntarily.
Child’s Name: ___________________________________________

Signature of Parent or Guardian: _____________________________
Printed Name of Parent of Guardian: __________________________
Relationship to Child: ______________________________________
Date Signed: _____________________________________________
Emergency Contact: ______________________________________

Relationship to Child:_______________________________________
Phone to contact number while volunteering: (_____)____-___________
54 |
Topic 12: Working with Older Adult Volunteers
Don’t overlook seniors in your recruiting efforts. The skills and time that older adult volunteers possess can
be a valuable resource for your organization. The New York City Department for the Aging reports that New
York’s over-60 population is projected to increase to 1.84 million by 2030. According to the Corporation for
National and Community Service, these baby boomer volunteers have the highest volunteer rate of any
age group. Draw them to your organization by creating compelling opportunities for them to use their
skills. By better understanding the characteristics of older adult volunteers and making assignments
accessible to them, organizations can significantly increase their volunteer base and capacity for programs.
Best Practices:
• Connect with community centers, religious institutions, civic groups, and employers to recruit older
adult volunteers.
• Schedule a variety of opportunities to appeal to older adults with a broad range of experience, skills,
and interests.
• Shift to a skills-based volunteering model by leveraging the professional skills of your volunteer base to
meet diverse organizational needs.
• Add a professional experience component to your volunteer application to identify relevant skills.
• Older adult volunteers have full and busy lives. Be flexible in offering a variety of time commitments for
volunteer training, development, socialization, and recognition events. Consider one time, episodic,
and short-term volunteer opportunities, as well as more traditional ongoing assignments.
• Use large font (14-point or larger) in promotional, training, and other materials the volunteers will need
to read or use.
• If budget permits, provide a free meal or stipend to older adult volunteers. These benefits are
particularly meaningful to older adults.
TIP:
Make your volunteer

environment age-friendly.
Set out chairs for
volunteers, make sure
assignments are easily
accessible, and have
projects in rooms with
plenty of light and easy
access to restroom.
Worksheet 1: Questions to Ask Yourself When Working with Older Adults
How does your organization traditionally utilize volunteers? Could those tasks be expanded to include
skills-based volunteering opportunities? What are some examples?
Where can you find older adult volunteers? What community centers, religious institutions, civic groups,
employers, or other organizations exist in your community?
How will you engage older adult volunteers? How will you make sure the tasks are of interest to volunteers
and match their skill sets?
How will you support and supervise older adult volunteers? What feedback mechanisms are in place to gather
information about the volunteer experience?
56 | Topic 12: Working with Older Adult Volunteers

Topic 13: Managing Volunteers During Times of Crisis
In the wake of a disaster, many individuals seek out ways to help their communities recover. During these
times, it is important to leverage volunteers to give back in a safe and efficient manner. Additionally, it is
important to effectively manage this surge in interest throughout each aspect of disaster response. The
reality is that many volunteers will step forward in the immediate aftermath, but much more will be
needed in the weeks, months, and years following the disaster..
Best Practices:
• Determine whether your volunteers can help. Some organizations may not have the need or ability to
engage their volunteers in disaster work. If you cannot effectively engage volunteers in disaster-related
service, help them connect with an organization that can provide them with a safe and appropriate
way to give back.
• Set clear expectations from the very beginning of the volunteer’s assignment. Volunteers may expect
to be working directly in affected areas or with victims, but this is not always possible. Make sure the
volunteer is clear on his/her assignment from the start.
• Make sure your volunteers are clear on what their impact will be and how they will be helping in the
wake of the disaster. Volunteers have stepped forward to take immediate action and often get
frustrated if they do not see immediate results. However, the reality is that many situations will not see
immediate, sustainable results for months or even years. It is important to help volunteers understand
that every minute they give makes a difference in helping the community recover.
• Have established safety procedures for all volunteers, and share them widely within your organization
and with volunteers themselves. It is important to make sure that volunteers are giving back in an
effective and safe way. For example, have a brief safety overview at
the start of each project, and make sure volunteers know where
TIP:
emergency exits are while they are volunteering and whom they
should speak to if there is an emergency situation while they are on Have a Continuity of
site. Operations Plan (COOP) for
• Make a plan for volunteer self-care, especially for long-term your organization and
volunteers. The stress of response and recovery takes its toll, and as integrate volunteer
volunteer managers, it is up to us to make sure our volunteers take engagement into that
care of themselves while they are taking care of others. You can plan. You cannot
offer counseling opportunities to volunteers who work with you effectively engage
frequently or put limits on how many hours volunteers can volunteers or host
contribute in one week. opportunities if your
organization does not
• Keep all messaging consistent and respond to volunteers promptly. have a solid foundation
It is critical to keep frequent and consistent communication with post-disaster.
volunteers early on since you will need them to keep coming back
for long-term recovery projects.
Worksheet 1: Engaging with Volunteers Post-disaster
Ask yourself the questions below when considering your organization’s ability to manage volunteers
during a disaster.
Do you have a plan for your office and staff if an emergency were to happen during business
hours?
Does your staff have a check-in plan to contact you if an emergency were to happen outside of
business hours?
How would you reach out to volunteers if an emergency occurred? (Who is responsible? How and
what would be communicated?)
What critical programming do you run that would still take place during a disaster?
Do you have a plan to prioritize programming during a disaster? If so, what is the plan? How is that
communicated to your staff? To your volunteers?
Do you have additional volunteer needs during a disaster? How would you recruit for them? Do
volunteers know their role might be different?
58 | Topic 13: Managing Volunteers During Times of Crisis

Worksheet 2: Creating a Continuity of Operations Plan
Setting up a COOP is key for your organization’s preparedness strategy, and it is important that this
plan addressed your key functions and align with your mission. You will specifically need to
address these essential functions in terms of how you will maintain them when resources and staff
time is tight. A sample COOP outline is below.
Introduction
Purpose of the Plan
Think about the goal of your plan. Focus on if/then statements to set clear expectations from the
start on how and when you will activate your plan. For example, “If a local emergency occurs that
disables the location of our office, then we will activate specific aspects of the plan.”
Key Definitions
Think about your standards and how you define them. For example, is a local emergency limited
to your neighborhood or your borough? Consider industry standards when offering definitions,
and make sure to outline this part of the plan as if the person reading and implementing the plan
has no background knowledge on preparedness planning.
Partnerships
What key relationships have you established pre-disaster that will be important in ensuring your
continuity of operations? How can staff negotiate or utilize these contacts in an emergency?
Preparedness
Staff Roles and Responsibilities
What are the responsibilities of your staff both during an emergency and during ongoing
operations? During ongoing operations, who will manage the plan, and how will it be kept fresh in
the minds of your staff members? During a disaster, how will their role be different? What
additional responsibilities will they have? How will they prioritize these responsibilities with their
current workload?
Pre-established Best Practices

Provide a list of best practices for your staff, so they know how to be prepared should something
happen. Make sure to share this with new staff as they join your organization, and train them on
how to maintain these best practices as a part of their day-to-day work.
Preparedness Schedule
Provide a schedule for regular training and review of the plan and procedures. Consider holding
annual exercises so staff may rehearse their roles. This will also help you identify any gaps in the
current plan, and make changes to address those gaps.
Continuity of Operations Plan and Response Plan

Essential Functions List
Prioritize your essential functions. What is most important to maintain? Be specific and number
them in terms of priority. An example is provided below:
Priority Essential Functions
1 Ensure Staff Safety
2 Communications and Technology
3 Accounting and Human Resources
4 Existing Programs
5 Citywide Response Plan and New Response Programs
6 Fundraising
Ensuring Staff Safety

Clearly outline emergency procedures for staff, both when they are in the office and when they are
out of the office. Include things like emergency exits, external meeting locations, and emergency
contact information and protocols.
Communications and Technology

How will your technology function during a disaster? Do you have systems in place to keep things
running? Outline what staff will and will not have access to.
Accounting and Human Resources

Give a clear outline of the ways in which your organization will maintain these processes during a
disaster, especially pay roll.
Existing Programs
What are the priorities in terms of programming? How should staff make decisions on what is
essential and what they should shift their focus from?
New Response Programs

What is the plan in place for any new programs that arise post-disaster? Which staff members will
focus on these new initiatives? While it can be hard to pinpoint what the specific need will be, it’s
important to outline a plan for who will manage new needs that arise post-disaster.
60 | Topic 13: Managing Volunteers During Times of Crisis

Fundraising
It’s important to have a plan for fundraising post-disaster. What effort will you take to ensure key
funding? How will you maintain relationships with current funders? What specifically will donor
dollars be used to support post-disaster? While it can be difficult to pinpoint specific needs, it is
important to be as specific as possible when outlining your fundraising plan.
62 |
Topic 14: Skills-Based Volunteers
Direct service organizations like yours use volunteers for many things—you have probably had many
incredibly helpful people lend their time stuffing envelopes, serving meals, setting up chairs, and packing
boxes. When there is so much work to be done, giving clear and discrete tasks to volunteers makes your
work possible and allows volunteers to do good.
This chapter is not about those kinds of volunteers.
In this chapter, we’ll talk about people who can lend their specialized or professional skills to your
organization. This kind of volunteerism furthers your ability to work towards your mission; it also builds
stronger connections between you and your volunteers. When a volunteer’s particular skills and talents are
engaged they are more likely to have a meaningful, long-term relationship with your organization.
NYC Service surveyed 50 emergency food organizations in 2014 and found that all were interested in
taking on skills-based volunteers to push their work forward. The top areas of needed volunteer expertise
were website development, social media and digital communications strategy, and grant writing. The
following sections outline what project readiness looks like for each of these three tasks, focusing on what
your organization needs to have in place to take on skills-based volunteers and use their talents effectively.
Example: Website Development
Website development and design is a great way to engage skills-based volunteers. Building or redesigning a
website can be done off-site, makes use of a volunteer’s specific talents, can be phased, and can be completed
in a reasonable timeframe. It is essential that you have everything in place to allow your volunteer to hit the
ground running and work independently to create you the website that you need.
Begin by thinking through what sort of website you want. Spend some time looking at the websites of
similar organizations, both in mission and in size.
What do other similar websites include? What about the websites of different direct-service
organizations, like a tutoring center?
Who the site is for? If it is for more than one of these groups, you may need separate sections.
What do you want visitors to your site to do? This will inform what pages and features you need on
your website, and how your site should be organized.
Knowing who at your organization will be responsible for understanding, maintaining, and updating
your website will also influence what features you should have. Remember that calendars and blogs
need constant updating. If you can’t dedicate staff time to that, don’t add those features to your site.
Also, consider the skills required for a staff member to update and maintain the site. It is important for
your skills based volunteer to build a site that is sustainable in relation to the skills of the staff member
responsible for maintaining it.
64 | Topic 14: Skills-Based Volunteers

Some common website pages and features:

• Front page, which includes your business address, hours, contact information, and compelling
images
• About us, which includes your organization’s mission, staff list with bios, and staff contact
information
• Services, which includes descriptions and schedules of your programs
• Calendar of events
• Schedule a pick-up, drop-off, or appointment
• Sign up to receive services
• Sign up to volunteer
• Donate money
• Join a mailing list
• Blog
• Streams from other social media sources, like your organization's Twitter or Instagram
accounts (see the section on social media and digital communications)
Write the content for each section in a text document. Remember: each section has to have content.
You will need:
• An organizational description (best to have this at a few
different lengths, ranging from catchy phrase to a few
TIP:
paragraphs)
• General organization contact information Print out each “web page”
on a single piece of paper.
• Staff list with contact information and optional photos and This can help you
biographies of each staff member determine which pages
• Succinct and clear descriptions of any particular services, don’t have enough
programs, or initiatives the content, and which pages
organization offers might need to be split into
two or more.
• Text for any of the above pages listed that you plan to
including
If you want your volunteer to write the content, this work might be done better by someone who is a
skilled writer, rather than a web designer. Engage that skilled-based volunteer first, then have the
content available for your designer.
Along with the content, provide the volunteer with links to other sites that show the features and pages
that you want. This will be especially helpful for event calendars, schedules, and sign-up pages.
Just as important as well-written and organized content are the photos on your website. Good photos
of the organization in action, the staff, the facilities, the intended client population, and so on make all
the difference in effectively communicating information about the organization to distracted internet
users. If you do not have good photos, engage a skills-based volunteer to come and take some.
Assemble and organize all the photographs before handing off to your volunteer. For the web, the
photos can be small file sizes—photos taken with a smartphone can be used if they are well-composed.
If you have preferences about what photos (or types of photos) to use on certain website sections, make
this clear to your volunteer.
Provide your skilled volunteer with your organization's logo (ideally in a vector-based file format like .ai,
.svg, or .eps) and whatever brand or design guidelines your organization has (such as colors, shapes,
fonts, and so on). If you don’t have design guidelines spelled out anywhere, provide your volunteer with
any branded materials, such as business cards, signage, flyers, pamphlets, or truck-side murals.
If you don’t have logos in the right format (or at all), or design schemes to match, this will make more
work for your web designer and might extend the length of the design project.
If you plan on producing print materials, you might engage a skills-based volunteer with design skills to
create these graphic elements before making your website, or have a graphic design volunteer work off
of what has been created by the web design volunteer. For print, you will need photos with larger file

Checklist for Website Development
You’ll want to provide these things to your website volunteer:
List of pages and features and thoughts on site organization
Reference links to examples of pages and features
Content for each page, including
Organizational description
Staff bios and contact info and photos
Succinct and clear descriptions of services or programs your organization offers
Address(es) and general organization contact info
Notes on what kind of photo you want with each kind of page
Batch of good photos

These could be shared on a thumb drive, or through a service like Dropbox or Google Drive.
Logo files
Design guidelines
Other branded material for reference
Any existing hosting and domain information or passwords

Milestones for Website Development
Check in with your volunteer at each of these milestones for two-way feedback. Make sure your volunteer is
creating the website that you want, but also give them the opportunity to draw on their expertise and
experience and suggest changes in the website’s structure, content, features, etc.
Milestones include:
• Site organization framework

• Overall site design
• Individual pages up
• Photos or images for each page
• Final site
Your skilled web-design volunteer will provide you with a new or newly designed website. But there are a few
additional things you should be sure that they provide.
Essential
• Instructions for maintenance and updating the website

• Passwords for administrator accounts
• Passwords for domain ownership
• Information about the website host, including when the site needs to be renewed, and any accounts
or passwords with the hosting providers
Nice to Have
• Access to logs or analytics that tell you who is visiting your site and other statistics
• Information about how to use or interpret these

Post Project Plans for Website Development
Finally, you need to think through what happens after the site is built. At the beginning of the process you
determined which staff at your organization will be responsible for maintaining, updating, and understanding
the website. This is where they come in.
• Hold a training for staff on how to use the new website

• Make sure the passwords and accounts provided by your web-based volunteer are stored in an
accessible place
• Set up a schedule for updates to calendars, blogs, and other features
• Determine what will happen to information submitted through the website (sign-ups, etc.)
• Ask if your skilled volunteer is available for future tweaks or fixes
• Thank your volunteer! Acknowledge their work at any or all upcoming launch parties, fundraisers,
staff or board meetings. Ask your volunteer if they would like their name and contact information on
the website, and for how long they would like to keep it up.
Example: Social Media and Digital Communication Strategy
Social media and digital communications can take many forms and work towards multiple goals. It is
important to think about your approach in terms of strategy, or what you are trying to accomplish with your
campaign, and tactics, or the tools and actions you will employ. When bringing on a skills-based volunteer in
this area, it is important to make sure that person demonstrates good judgment either through work they
have done in the past, or through a formal interview process. Social gaffes or inappropriate postings can really
take off, and can do harm to your organization. It is also important to work very closely on content creation
with your social media and digital communications volunteer, and to ensure that all social media posts are
being monitored by staff. Since this volunteer is speaking for the organization, it is incredibly important that
organizational staff are on top of the message being communicated.
Defining the scope of your social media campaign begins with defining your strategy, and answering broad
questions about what you are trying to achieve.
What programmatic goals are you trying to achieve with your organization overall?
What similar organizations are doing with their social media campaigns. Make a list of 5-10
organizations that work in a similar realm, would be possible collaborators, or have overlapping
audiences.

What are they doing with social media and digital communications that you might want to mirror?
What kinds of posts and what tools best engage their audiences?
Make a list of 5-10 organizations that are doing work that is very close to what you are doing.
What niches are they not filling? Consider how you may want to fill those.
What audiences are important to achieving those goals If your goal is to diversify your volunteer
base, you would identify a different audience.
Remember, your skilled volunteer may have expertise in matching goals to audiences, so come to the
project with clear ideas but also be open to their perspective.
Provide your volunteer with a comprehensive list of the ways you currently communicate with your
clients, donors, volunteers, and community members, and the different ways you engage with each. Be
honest about how well these strategies are working. This will help your skilled volunteer identify gaps
and suggest improvements.

Checklist for Social Media and Digital Communication Strategy
Once the strategy is in place, and you are clear on what you are aiming to achieve through digital
communications, you need to decide what tools you would like to use. This is the tactics part of social media
strategy. You can work with your volunteer on this piece—they are the experts, after all—but knowing what
tools you are interested in employing is a good place to start. Do you want to share stories through words or
photographs? Do you want to keep a blog or an Instagram account? Do you want to send group text
messages to your clients? Remember that these will be ongoing activities that need staff and volunteers
constantly keeping them up to date.
List of current communication strategies
Access to existing social media properties, including usernames and passwords
Access to your email platform
Access to your website login
Inventory of and access to photographs and videos that can be used in social media posts
Organizational mission statement, in short, medium, and long versions
Organizational history, facts, and statistics that might make for interesting posts
Logos, design guidelines, or any branded materials for reference
Messaging guidelines to shape what can or should be said in social media posts.
Stories that could be used for social media content
A list of people at the organization who could help with each of the things listed
A list of 5-10 people, places, or organizations you’d be thrilled to get attention from
Milestones for Social Media and Digital Communication Strategy
Check in with your volunteer at each of these milestones for two-way feedback. Make sure your volunteer is
creating the social media campaign that you want, but also let them draw on their expertise and experience
to suggest changes in the strategy, tools, content, etc.
Milestones include:
• Creation of all-over strategy

• Development of specific social media tools
• Development of guidelines for how and when to use each
• Assigning responsibility for the maintenance and updating of each tool to staff/volunteers
• Hand off of the campaign to the organization
However, because this skills-based volunteer will be speaking on behalf of your organization as they post to
social media and send out other digital communications, you must ensure consistent staff monitoring of this
content in addition to check-ins at milestones.
• A document outlining the social media strategy

• A list of all social media accounts, with usernames/passwords, and any expiration or renewal
information
• Training materials specifying best practices for using each tool, for instance:
- 1 Facebook post a day for 3 months
- 1 blog post a week for 6 months
- Instagram photos taken by direct service volunteers

Post Project Plan for Social Media and Digital Communication Strategy
For your project to be successful, your organization must be ready to take on the ongoing tasks of running
their social media sites. You must find staff to manage each platform.
Ensure a safe, secure, and knowable place to store all the login and other information related to each social
media tool.
Select a date to check in with the relevant staff members to assess the efficacy of the campaign. Are you
achieving your goals? Are there unexpected benefits? Unexpected burdens?
Ask if your skilled volunteer is available for future review or updates. If not, assemble a list of other skilled
volunteers who might be.
Thank your volunteer! Acknowledge their work at any or all upcoming launch parties, fundraisers, staff or
board meetings. Ask your volunteer if they would like their name and contact information on the website, and
for how long they would like to keep it up.
Example: Grant Writing
Successful grant writing can bring much-needed money and resources to your organization, and is a great
way to involve skills-based volunteers in your organization’s work. The writing can be done off-site, and makes
use of your volunteer’s strengths. If you have the groundwork in place, it can be completed in a reasonable
timeframe.
Engaging a skilled volunteer through grant writing requires strong organizational readiness as well as project
readiness. Because so much of grant writing is about the organization’s mission, vision, goals, and past
successes, this all must be clearly articulated and known by all leadership, staff, and volunteers. Your skilled
volunteer is expert in telling stories that show how your organization is set up to have significant social
impact, but they need substantial material and support from you to be able to do so—they need to
understand the world as you do.
Two important considerations:
1. Projects for skills-based volunteers are, ideally, not time sensitive; grants almost always have firm
deadlines. Guard against disappointment by beginning the work well in advance, and understand
that the grant still might not get completed by the time it is due. If the grant is absolutely essential to
your organization, a paid grant writer is a safer choice.
2. There may be liability issues when volunteers have access to client information or financial
statements beyond what is publicly available. Pay particular attention to the information about
Sensitive information and liability concerns in Section C.

Understanding Grant Specifications
The grant itself will have clear specifications, which may include multiple components (written proposal,
budgets, financial statements, contact information). Be clear what sections you would like the volunteer to
address.
Set a deadline by which you would like the volunteer to complete the grant so that anyone in your
organization who needs to approve it has time to do so.
Decide if you want the volunteer to also take care of the formatting and assembling all the pieces. Make sure
the details of how to submit (electronically or hard-copy) and when to submit (and if that is a postmark or
delivery date) are well understood. It is important that submitting the grant application should be done by a
staff member, and not the volunteer.
Information To Provide Your Volunteer
Go through the grant specifications and highlight everything that it requests. Make a list and make sure you
have information to provide your volunteer for each section.
Some of the information you are likely to require is listed below. It may be helpful to have a Word file, Google
Doc, or even just an email with all this information that can be updated periodically for future skills-based
volunteers to use (both for future grants, as well as other projects like website development, or fundraising
campaigns or volunteer recruitment). It is divided into general organizational information and grant-specific
information.
Organizational Information
• Mission statement/what we do
• Organizational vision
• History of your organization
• Statistics (number of programs offered, clients helped, meals served, etc.)
• Contact information and address(es)
• Staff bios, phone numbers, and emails
• Leadership bios
• Board member information
• List of partner organizations
• Organizational financial documents* (budget, revenues sources, audited financial statements, etc.)
• Proof of tax-exempt status*
• Logos (if you don’t have a logo, you may want to engage a different skills-based volunteer to create
one)
Understanding Grant Specifications
• Good photographs of your programs and clients (if you don’t have a good, high-quality photos, you
may want to recruit a skills-based volunteer to take some for you)
• Copies of previous successful (and unsuccessful) grants
* Note: Check for potential liability issues when sharing this information with a volunteer.
Grant-Specific Information
• The granting organization’s goals and priorities: the volunteer will need this to tailor the grant
application.
• Statement of Needs. This includes the research that contextualizes your proposal or request for funds
(i.e. statistics about hunger in your Borough or neighborhood to show why your food pantry needs
funding).
• Information about the program for which you are writing the grant. This includes planning
documents, client-facing program descriptions, flyers or emails advertising the program or project.
• Anything about the organization's strategic objectives that can be used to help explain how this
project also makes sense in terms of where the organization is intentionally heading.
• Information about the organization's other programs/projects, especially those which have
comparable impacts, outputs, or background processes.
• Program/project budget
• Project implementation plan
• Activity calendar and/or timeline
• Anticipated project outcomes
• Evaluation plan
• Project partners or advising organizations
• Contact person (staff member)

Milestones for Grant Writing
Even with meticulous pre-planning, grant writing is a collaborative project that will require a few iterations.
Below is the list of phases the grant will likely go through—you and the volunteer must decide which
milestones require check-ins, and what tasks will be done by the volunteer and which will be done by you or
your organization. This process will move smoothly if the volunteer’s staff contact is consistent through the
life of the project, and empowered to make decisions and provide requested information and clarification
quickly.
Timeline and Tasks:
• Initial discussion of grant needs: deadline, scope, timeline, format, what the final project will look like,
responsibility for submitting
• Outline
• First draft (includes likely request for additional information)
• Editing
• Gathering supplementary information
• Second draft
• Editing
• Near-final draft
• Adding any sensitive information not given to the volunteer
• Editing
• Proofreading (to be done by someone other than the grant-writer)
• Fact checking (to be done by organizational staff)
• Adding logos and/or letterhead
• Assembling
• Sending on time—to be done by a staff member, not the volunteer
Deliverables
Ensure that the volunteer provides you with the grant in an editable format so that it may be used as the basis
for future grants (in addition to whatever hard copies or PDFs are produced). If they did any layout, have them
provide you the layout files and all images and logos they used.
Post Project Plans for Grant Writing
• Set a date to follow up with the grant making organization (should that be required).
• File copies of the grant in accessible, known places for future reference.
• Thank your volunteer. Acknowledge their work at any or all upcoming launch parties, fundraisers,
staff or board meetings. Ask if they would like their name and contact information on the website.
• Follow up with the volunteer when you hear back from the grant-making agency; let them know if
the grant was successful or not.

Topic 15: Integrating Staff and Volunteers
Teamwork between volunteers and staff is key to the success of any organization. Effective organizational
structure and infrastructure should always include and recognize the roles of volunteers, integrating
volunteers into all functions of the organization. Volunteers can be involved with anything from program
design and delivery to fundraising and management activities. Organizations that use a variety of
volunteers in a wide range of positions (including providing pro bono services) are generally more
effective than organizations that do not.
Best Practices:
• Make sure to involve staff members in developing volunteer roles and responsibilities, including
reporting structures.
• Include volunteers in any visual representation of your organization. You could include them at the
department level or on your overall organization chart.
• Ask both staff and volunteers to contribute to fundraising campaigns.
• Include volunteer contributions in your annual report. Your staff, donors, funders, and the public
should be aware of how volunteers fit in to your organization and help you achieve your mission.
• Build morale and comradery by celebrating staff and volunteers together. When you have a staff
celebration and don’t include volunteers, volunteers feel less valued. Conversely, if you only have an
appreciation event for volunteers, your staff may feel unappreciated.
• Include management of volunteers in staff position descriptions and performance reviews. This ensures
staff members take their volunteer management roles seriously from the start.
• Create a defined "career path" for volunteers, including a defined Board Development Strategy.
• Educate staff members who don’t manage volunteers about the importance of volunteers. Everyone
from front-line employees to the executive committee has a responsibility to ensure that volunteers
have a productive experience.
TIP:
Find information on Skilled

and Pro Bono Volunteering
at taprootfoundation.org.
82 |
Topic 16: Assessing Volunteer Costs and Benefits
Organizations can see many benefits from working with volunteers, but ensuring the program is worth the
investment your organization is making is key to solidifying their value. Return on Investment, or ROI,
refers to calculating the value of the outcome of your volunteer program as compared to the cost of the
resources that allow the program to run.
Understanding the costs involved in volunteer management for your organization is an important
component to developing your program, and helps demonstrate both to volunteers and funders the value
of your volunteer program. A solid cost and benefit analysis can lead to improved and efficient internal
processes, better communication with external audiences, and informed strategic planning as your
organization grows and changes.
Best Practices:
• Take time to estimate the value of your volunteers’ service. Think about each volunteer assignment and
what it would cost your organization to pay someone for the same service.
• Remember to take into account the level of skill involved in each volunteer role, since that might affect
how much someone would be paid to perform the task.
• Consider the baseline rate for volunteer service per hour in your area. TIP:
According to a 2013 study by Independent Sector, the value in New Don’t keep the results to
York is $26.45 per hour. (You can see the value for all 50 states by yourself. Communicate
visiting independentsector.org.) your findings with a wide
audience, including staff
• Take into account all costs in your analysis, including the cost for
at your organization,
volunteer recruitment posting, background checks, or specialized
funders, volunteers, and
training.
the general public.
• Include staff time in your calculation, incorporating any interaction Discussing the results will
your staff has with volunteers. This will not only help you calculate the build support for your
cost of your volunteer program, but also enable you to identify ways to programming and give
streamline your process. you the opportunity to
streamline your process.
• Be sure to look at the impact your volunteers have made and the
benefit of having these volunteer roles for your organization. Benefits
can include volunteer hours and longevity, impact on the community, and results of your specific
programming.
• Research other organizations in your field to benchmark your results against theirs. What is the dollar
value your sector places on a similar impact?
Worksheet 1: Cost and Benefit Analysis
1. List each input for your program, and the cost associated with that input. This can include staff
time, management costs, supplies, or other expenses. Be as specific and you can, and use a
separate sheet of paper, if you need additional space.
Program Input Cost of Input

1.
2.
3.
4.
Total Cost
$________ is the total cost of my volunteer program.
2. List each output for your program and the value associated with that output. This can include
hours of service, benefits to your clients, or in-kind donations. Be as specific as you can, and use
a separate sheet of paper, if you need additional space.
Program Output Value of Output

1.
2.
3.
4.
Total Value
$________ is the total value my volunteer program produces.
Cost and Benefit Calculation: $_________ (output) / $_________ (input) = $___________________

Therefore, for every $1 invested in your volunteer program, you can expect to see $_______ in value.
(insert calculated total here)
84 | Topic 16: Accessing Volunteer Costs and Benefits

Great Volunteer ManagementGreat
System
Volunteer Management System
Topic 17: Understanding and Promoting the Benefits of Volunteering
Service to others is a hallmark of the American character. Today in the United States, 65 million
Americans—27% of our population—volunteer their time, contributing eight billion service hours (50
hours per person) each year, valued at an impressive $175 billion dollars (Corporation for National and
Community Service). Looking ahead, service and volunteerism can be central to how we as a nation meet
the challenges facing communities in times of fiscal constraints and growing individual needs.
Volunteer service is a triple win, offering a trifecta of benefits to the community, the recipients of the
service, and the volunteers themselves. With more volunteers, we can leverage service to impact the
critical issues of our time.
Volunteers make a difference to the community and the world

• Youth service prepares youth and adults to become active citizens and take leadership roles in
finding solutions to community challenges (Educational Horizons, 2002).
• Youth service and service learning result in a 40% lower risk of academic failure, school suspension,
or teen pregnancy (Child Development, 1997).
• Volunteer service impacts the critical issues facing our city such as education, economic justice,
public health, environment, and emergency response.
• Older volunteers meet a wide range of community needs - helping seniors live independently in
their homes, tutoring and mentoring at-risk youth, providing financial education and job training to
veterans and their families, and helping communities recover from disasters (The Corporation for
National and Community Service).
Volunteers connect to other people
• Volunteering improves self-confidence, self-esteem, and social skills.
• Volunteers build expanded networks of friends and social connections or social capital.
Volunteers improve their health and life expectancy

• Volunteers who serve 100 hours or more per year (two hours per week) report less pain, less heart
disease, less ill health, and less depression.
• Volunteers are 30% less likely to report poor health than non-volunteers (Journal of Health and
Social Benefit, 2002).
• Volunteers are 16% less likely than non-volunteers to die before age 70. Those who volunteer for five
years or more are 44% less likely to die by age 70 (CNCS Health Benefits of Volunteering; America's
Changing Lives, Longitudinal Study of Aging, 2007).
• Older Americans who volunteer frequently live longer and report less disability (The Corporation for
National and Community Service, 2010).
Volunteers advance their knowledge and careers

• Volunteers learn new things and develop new marketable skills.
• Volunteers are 27% more likely to find a job after being out of work than non-volunteers. Those
volunteers who do not have a high school diploma are 51% more likely to find a job than their
non-volunteering counterparts.
Topic 17: Understanding and Promoting the Benefits of Volunteering
Volunteers give and, in return, get joy, life satisfaction, and fulfillment
• Volunteers who serve monthly are, on average, 7% happier than non-volunteers; those who serve
bimonthly are 12% happier; and those who serve weekly are 16% happier (Harvard Health
Publications, 2013).
• Volunteers can share their talents and hobbies with others.
• The gift of time and talent serving others is exciting and returns the gift of joy.
86 | Topic 17: Understanding and Promoting the Benefits of Volunteering

Topic 18: Strategic Volunteer Planning
Strategically engaging volunteers in service to your organization will not only help you meet your mission,
but will also build the capacity of your organization as a whole. Research in the sector has proven that
organizations with strong volunteer management programs are better managed and led, more adaptable
and sustainable, better prepared to scale their work, and stronger nonprofits overall. In addition, these
nonprofits have strong and well-developed human resources management practices, and operate at
almost half the median budget as their peer organizations.*
There are a number of steps your organization can take to work toward strategic management of
volunteers, so you can begin to see the rewards in every aspect of your organization’s management and
function.
Best Practices:
• Volunteer roles must be carefully planned to match your organization’s strategic goals and priorities.
If volunteers are not providing mission-critical service, those roles should be carefully evaluated to
determine their benefit to the organization.
• Plan volunteer roles with careful consideration to the needs of the organization, as opposed to placing
volunteers ad hoc based on their skills and availability. While it is important to consider what
volunteers have to offer, this should not be the determining factor in deciding an organization’s
volunteer roles.
• Volunteer management is an art as well as a science that requires time, money and resources from your
organization to make them successful and effective.
• Organizational leadership must believe in strong volunteer management and support it from the top
down.
• Make volunteers feel invested in your organization and its mission. Strategic volunteer management is
more than just volunteer matching- it’s making the volunteers see the impact of their work and feel as
though they are making a difference.
• Think about the big picture. Don’t focus on specific volunteer tasks, but about the broader ways
volunteers can serve your organization.
• Consider a variety of volunteer types and levels of engagement,
TIP:
including episodic volunteers, committed volunteers and skills-based
or pro bono volunteers. Each type of volunteer can provide
For additional information,
meaningful service that will further your organization’s mission,
visit
based on your needs and the structure of your programming.
http://www.pointsoflight.org
/service-enterprise-initiative
* “Research Behind Service Enterprise.” Point of Light [ n.d.] Viewed October 1, 2016
http://www.pointsoflight.org/service-enterprise-initiative/research
Worksheet 1: Developing Your Pitch
Imagine you are going to present at a meeting with the ED and other Senior Staff about the
importance of using volunteers strategically at your organization, and what your organization can
do to maximize its work with volunteers. Use this worksheet to guide you in developing your
talking points.
I. Make It Compelling
What are your organization’s strategic goals and priorities? What is the benefit of using volunteers to meet
these goals and priorities? What is the most compelling argument for how volunteers can help increase
your organization’s capacity to execute mission-critical work?
II. Address The Challenge

What are the existing challenges your organization faces? How can a strong volunteer program address
these challenges?
III. Be Inclusive
How do you want staff, constituents and other stakeholders to be involved in making changes? How will
you ensure that everyone can work collaboratively to explore how volunteers can meet the organization’s
strategic goals and priorities?
IV. Offer A Solution

What needs to happen in order for your organization to use volunteers more strategically? What obstacles
are in the way?
88 | Topic 18: Strategic Volunteer Planning

Topic 19: Community Assessment Through Asset Mapping
Asset mapping is an important community-based tool to support communities in building on their skills
and their own capacity to address their pressing needs. An asset map will identify individuals, associations
and institutions within the community and detail what they have to offer and how best to leverage their
assets to better serve the community. By leading your efforts with an asset map, you’ll be better prepared
to partner with the community, and tap into the assets they have to support your efforts.
Focusing on assets allows you to build on what the community has and support their efforts to create
change. In contrast, looking only at needs assumes that outside resources are the only way to provide
support to communities, and does not provide individuals with an outlet to be active participants in the
support of their community.
Best Practices:
• Take a tour of the community, with a keen eye on what resources are available. Walk the streets, meet
residents, visit places of interest, and eat at local restaurants. Get a feel for the community so you can
partner with them to identify and address their needs.
• Consider places of interest, such as community centers, churches, unemployment offices, schools,
libraries, colleges and universities. Look at the services they currently offer, and think strategically
about how you can partner with them to support community-driven solutions.
• Identify key stakeholders, as you will need their valuable inputs and support to continue your efforts.
Talk to school principals, active community members, elected officials, and small business owners to
help focus your efforts.
• Develop a physical map of the community, listing assets and noting ways that your services can
connect with those assets to provide programming and community support.
• Keep the focus of your asset map on what the community has to offer. Remember, asset-based
assessment looks within the community and builds on what they have in an effort to meet their needs.
• Be an ally for the community’s active participation in the process.
Make sure community members understand you want to be a part of TIP:
the solution, but that you recognize you are not the only piece. It
takes organizations, community members and leaders, as well as key Keep your asset map as a
stakeholders coming together to drive community change. living document. Visit the
places in the community
frequently, so you can note
any changes and have an
up-to-date map of
community resources.
Worksheet: Questions To Ask When Starting An Asset Mapping Project
What is the size of your community?
What work is required to support the community?
Who is already doing the work? What are their needs to successfully expand this work?
How much time is there for the task?
How much money is at our disposal?
What does the neighborhood want to accomplish? What role could our organization have in
helping them reach this goal?
Who is this most going to help?
How will the results benefit the community? How will the work contribute to growth, innovation or
progress in the community?
90 | Topic 19: Community Assessment Through Asset Mapping

Topic 20: Neighboring: Building Strong Communities From Within
Neighboring, or the concept of residents strengthening their own communities through community
support and volunteer service, is a powerful tool in building a stronger city. Engaging volunteers effectively
and strategically is a benefit to the community, and stronger communities are the ones that actively play a
role in that in the volunteer process.
In 2017, NYC Service conducted a neighborhood study to better understand volunteer service in local
communities, and revealed some interesting findings. Overall, the study suggests that NYC residents are
engaging at high levels with causes in which they believe or to which they personally connect. A focus on
developing neighborhood volunteer networks creates stronger, more resilient communities throughout the
city – a benefit to us all. As a nonprofit, you can further engage in creating thriving and sustainable
communities by carefully engaging neighborhood volunteers in your work in their communities.
Best Practices:
• Think beyond the traditional definition of volunteering when recruiting and engaging community
members for local opportunities. Often times, community members are already volunteering with local
institutions, including schools, and houses of worship. Connect with these local stakeholder groups to
help you engage local residents in volunteering with your programs.
• Seek to meet needs that are specific to the community you are working in. Not every approach will be
right for every community, and not every type of service will be needed within the community. Local
volunteers will connect to service opportunities that meet the specific needs of their community. Treat
each community you work in as you would each unique volunteer you work with.
• Address the barriers volunteers may have to volunteering with your program. Each barrier is also unique
to each community. Volunteer cite lack of time as the biggest barrier to volunteering. As much as
possible, create opportunities that offer flexibility, and actively seek feedback from community
volunteers about what opportunities fit into their schedule.
• Make your opportunities within the community known. Community volunteers have often expressed
that finding local, meaningful opportunities is difficult, even when they want to give back. Make sure to
recruit volunteers for your program locally. If you do not provide opportunities that match the
volunteer’s interest, try connecting them to other local organizations who might be able to help.
• Supporting community volunteering is a team effort. Work closely with volunteers, local elected officials,
and other neighborhood stakeholders in creating volunteer programming and civic engagement
opportunities that are of interest to volunteers and meet the needs of the community.
For additional information on Neighborhood Civic Engagement, read NYC Service’s full report at
http://ow.ly/kzOw30eCC87.
Worksheet: Assessing Your Neighborhood Civic Engagement Readiness
Use this worksheet to create a neighborhood profile, and assess your readiness to begin engaging local
volunteers.
1. What are the demographics of the neighborhood?
2. What languages are spoken here?
3. Who are your local stakeholders (both formal and informal) that can help you further assess
needs and recruit volunteers?
4. What specific needs have you seen or have been expressed to you by the local residents?
5. How does your organization currently support this neighborhood?
6. What programs can you offer to volunteers in this neighborhood?
7. Are you able to support programming in this neighborhood? (i.e. Do you have local staff that
can assist? Are you able to support the language needs of the neighborhood?)
92 | Topic 20: Neighboring: Building Strong Communities From Within

Volunteer Management Resources

Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five
million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. For
information about seniors, read their report Keeping Baby Boomers Volunteering: A Research Brief on
Volunteer Retention and Turnover.
nationalserviceresources.org
Energize, Inc
Leading website for all things volunteer. Articles, templates, resources, courses are all in one spot.
energizeinc.com/art.html
HandsOn Network
Great resources on volunteer management and recruitment, including a volunteer hour’s calculator that
allows nonprofits to accurately value the time volunteers donate.
handsonnetwork.org
Idealist.org
Great for posting jobs, volunteer opportunities and for volunteer management resources.
idealist.org/info/VolunteerMgmt
Points of Light Foundation

Points of Light provides research, analysis, tools and training to support the creation and management
of volunteer programs.
pointsoflight.org/ideas-and-insights
Sparked.com
Online volunteering site – nonprofits can post small online tasks for volunteers to complete. Great for
updating documents, managing spreadsheets and generating fundraising ideas.
sparked.com
Volunteer Match
Good for advertising for volunteers and has good management resources.
ideaencore.com/collection/VolunteerMatch
Lawyers Alliance for New York

Lawyers Alliance for New York is the leading provider of business and transactional legal services for
nonprofit organizations that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods. Great
resource for connecting with legal advice and workshops. Many services provided free.
lawyersalliance.org
New York Association of Volunteer Administrators

NYAVA is a membership organization dedicated to promoting professionalism and leadership in
volunteerism in the New York City area, offering volunteer management training by experienced
volunteer administrators.
nyava.org
Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York
The goal of the NPCCNY is to help nonprofits meet common challenges and problems, to serve as a
meeting ground, and to strengthen the nonprofit sector as a whole.
npccny.org
NPowerNY
NPower is a national nonprofit providing IT training and services to nonprofits and young adults.
npowerny.org
NTEN
NTEN is a membership-based non-profit technology hub for assisting nonprofits in meeting their
everyday technology needs and using technology effectively. Provides trainings, workshops and
handout resources for technology opportunities.
nten.org
The Foundation Center

The Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Visit the 5th
Avenue location and use the free resources, or use the online Foundation Finder, a free, searchable,
look-up tool providing contact information and basic fiscal profiles for US private and community
foundations. Reference library, online newsletters, classes.
foundationcenter.org/newyork
The Support Center for Nonprofit Management

The Support Center provides nonprofit management training and consulting, volunteer management
workshops, information and practical resources, and works to build strategic alliances.
supportcenteronline.org
94 | Appendix
For Your Consideration
Volunteer management systems are continuously evolving as new tools and practices emerge from the field.
If you have ideas or tips to be included in our next version, please contact [email protected] with
the subject line “GVMS Suggestion.”
For more information about New York Cares volunteer management trainings, visit
newyorkcares.org/trainings-we-offer.
For more information about NYC Service, visit nyc.gov/service.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, New York City Campaign Against
Hunger, Queens Public Library, Jewish Association Serving the Aging, New York City Department for the
Aging, and UJA-Federation of New York for their input on this project.
Thank you for your service.

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Great Volunteer

About NYC Service

Volunteers are critical to the mission and success of nonprofits.

Volunteers engage community.

Topic 1 Engaging Volunteers Strategically in Your Organization.........................1

Topic 1: Engaging Volunteers Strategically in Your Organization

Internal Assessment Vision (Theory of Change) External Assessment

Annual Operations Plan,

2 | Topic 1: Engaging Volunteers Strategically in Your Organization

Worksheet 2: Volunteer Management Reflection Worksheet

4 | Topic 1: Engaging Volunteers Strategically in Your Organization

Topic 2: Using Volunteer Position Descriptions

6 | Topic 2: Using Volunteer Position Descriptions

I. Volunteer Role Gap

Classroom content is out of date No Add curriculum developer role

8 | Topic 2: Using Volunteer Position Descriptions

Volunteer Supervisor and Contact Information

10 | Topic 2: Using Volunteer Position Descriptions

TABLE 1: Project Plan (months)

12 | Topic 2: Using Volunteer Position Descriptions

Topic 3: Tailoring Volunteer Recruitment and Messaging

14 | Topic 3: Tailoring Volunteer Recruitment and Messaging

Duration and schedule:

Need that the position addresses:

Why your audience should care:

Benefits to volunteer, organization, and community:

How volunteers can get involved:

16 | Topic 3: Tailoring Volunteer Recruitment and Messaging

Topic 4: Creating an Official On-Boarding Process

All of my organization’s prospective volunteers…

Check all that

Submit resumes and/or cover letters

Have an in-person interview

Tell us their interests and skills

Receive a copy of our policies and procedures or a set of ground rules

Sign a volunteer agreement

Go through a third-party background check

Add additional steps to your intake process below

18 | Topic 4: Creating an Official On-Boarding Process

Volunteer Information Form

All items with u MUST be completed. Entered:

PERSONAL INFORMATION (REQUIRED) PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY

VOLUNTEER INTERESTS (PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

PLEASE CONTACT ME ABOUT: (PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

PLEASE FILL OUT THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BACK 11/09

MY GENERAL AVAILABILITY IS: (PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

I LEARNED ABOUT NEW YORK CARES THROUGH:

LEGAL INFORMATION (REQUIRED)

DECLARATION OF CONVICTIONS OR PENDING CRIMINAL ACTIONS

Date of Conviction Offense Court & Location Disposition & Penalty

CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT BACKGROUND INFORMATION

REFERENCES (PLEASE LIST TWO PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES)

Name Address (or email address) Phone Relationship

Name Address (or email address) Phone Relationship

20 | Topic 4: Creating an Official On-Boarding Process

This can be scaled back for one-time or episodic volunteers.

Program History and Mission (10 - 15 minutes)

Expectations (10 minutes)

Topic 5: Ensuring a Great Experience for Volunteers