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Dear Connie:
I am searching for some statistics and demographics that would
help us know what age groups to target (now and in the future).
Currently we target seniors/older adults and youth. We have read
that seniors are not a great source anymore as they have so many
choices and are retiring earlier. Our organization is "intergenerational"
bringing young and old together and more and more is cross-generational.
In our growing multi-cultural society in Canada, we feel more
focus should be placed on "family." Any comments would
be appreciated.
Chris in Canada
Dear Chris:
For Canadian research in the nonprofit sector, check out the Canadian
Centre for Philanthropy at http://www.ccp.ca. It has an online,
publicly accessible catalogue that houses information on Canadian
research recently published and Canadian research-in-progress
that relates to voluntary or charitable organizations or associations
(including grassroots or community associations and cooperatives)
- research that is conducted in university settings, government,
and research institutes.
In the United States, the first wave of "baby boomers" has hit the early retirement age and they represent the largest senior citizen population we've ever had. If the same applies in Canada, I wouldn't be discouraged about continuing to recruit "senior citizens." I would just recognize that they "look" different today and have different needs, goals, ambitions, skills, and interests. So your recruiting methods should be tailored to "speak to" this group of potential volunteers.
Best way to find out what "they" want? Convene a group of them and ask! Some questions to pose:
I hope this helps. Just remember that "older people" will always be around. But like "younger" people, their needs and interests change from one generation to the next.
Dear Connie:
I've worked with the Toastmasters International organization as
a volunteer for many years. Part of our credo is to educate and
train people in public speaking and then encourage them to put
their skills to use in the community. How can we bring the volunteers
who work in other organizations to ours? Often these volunteers
make presentations, and don't realize they need help to make better
speeches and increase their effectiveness. Low dues, mentoring
programs, self-paced learning, and positive, supportive attitude
are built into this educational, all-volunteer organization. Thank
you for your help.
Jeanie K.
Dear Jeanie:
You're absolutely right about the wonderful opportunity that Toastmasters
offers for volunteers to brush up on their platform skills. They
are often on the front line and the public face of an organization
-- at the information desk, customer service counter, docent,
tour guide, usher, the list goes on and on. In November 2000,
I responded to a reader about establishing a speaker's bureau.
(To read the question and my response, visit the Volunteer Today
Archives Central at http://www.volunteertoday.com/2000archives.html
. Each edition of Volunteer Today is archived by month, so just
click on the November 2000 edition to read my column that month.)
I suggested that this reader contact her local Toastmasters International
and ask for help and guidance to set up a speakers bureau.
I think it would be wonderful if local, national, and international Toastmasters chapters would promote their services to their local communities . . . through their Volunteer Center, newspaper, newsletters of nonprofit organizations, speeches at business meetings, etc. Maybe you can get the grassroots movement started!!
Dear Connie:
I'm interested in learning if any organization has a Valet Parking
component run by volunteers. The patient/customer would leave
their vehicle and the volunteer would park it and them retrieve
it when their test or visit was over. I am the coordinator of
a volunteer program for a Rural Community Hospital in Pennsylvania.
Any impute would be valuable. I'm sure there may be some liability
issues as well. I was thinking that a local business might want
to sponsor this program, given the popularity of corporate volunteers.
Dean M.
Happy New Year Dean!
You pose an interesting question about utilizing volunteers to
park the cars of visitors to your hospital. Off hand I don't know
of another volunteer program utilizing volunteers in this way.
I spent many years in law firms, so when I read your message the
first thing that popped into my head was "liability issues."
Without doing the research myself, my GUESS is that the hospital
may resist your idea because of the liability they could incur
if a volunteer had an accident in your parking lot and hurt themselves
or a visitor's car. You may also find resistance among volunteers
for the same reasons (not to mention the visitors).
I think it's a creative idea, but you'll probably have to jump through a lot of hoops before you can implement it. Sorry I'm not more positive about it. Good luck!
Dear Connie:
I am a member of a volunteer ambulance service. I am looking for
resources on appropriate and inappropriate questions for the new
member interview process. Can you point me in the right direction?
Joe at E.H. Ambulance Corps
Dear Joe:
Most volunteer program managers use the same rule of thumb for
volunteer applications that employers use for paid job applications.
This means that you can't ask a volunteer's age, religious affiliation,
sexual preference, or any other confidential question. But, you
can ask anything else!
The most thorough resource on screening volunteer is at the CyberVPM web site http://www.cybervpm.com. Click on the "Basics for Volunteer Program Management" and then click on the "Screening" chapter. You'll find many links to other volunteer applications, books, and the basic philosophy of screening.
Questions you can ask range from contact coordinators (name, address, phone, email, etc.) to education, skills, languages spoken, relevant work experience, and availability to volunteer.