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VolunteerToday.com ~~ The Electronic Gazette for Volunteerism |
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ASK
CONNIE |
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~September
2003~ Topics
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Dear Connie:
I am a planner with a state Department of Corrections. We are starting to track the number of hours our inmates participate in community services and want to begin attaching a dollar amount to that figure. What is the federal hourly rate for volunteers? Is there a formula for calculating the worth of community service? I appreciate any information you can give me, including additional resources. Thanks!
L.G.
Dear L.G.:
There is
a nationally recognized hourly rate for volunteers, which is established
by a Washington, DC, organization called Independent Sector. The current
value of volunteer time is $16.54 per hour. The hourly value, updated
yearly, is based on the average hourly earnings of all nonagricultural
workers as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Independent
Sector takes this figure and increases it by 12 percent to estimate
for fringe benefits.
For a thoughtful article on valuing volunteer time, visit the Merrill
Associates website at http://www.merrillassociates.net
and click on Topic of the Month. You’ll find Part II of “Exploring
the Value of Volunteering.” (The link to Part I is in the left-hand
column.) The entire article is excellent food for thought!
For additional resources, do a Google.com
search on the web for "inmate volunteers."You'll find a long
list of links to articles and information about various state programs
(e.g., Ohio, Texas, Washington) for inmate volunteers and inmates in
community service.
Dear Connie:
Greetings! I hope you are doing well. I am trying to develop a form to evaluate our volunteer program for the volunteers to fill in. I would really appreciate if you could please email me any sample forms or resources you have. Thanking you in advance,
Dib in Toronto
Dear Dib:
I don’t have any sample forms to share, but here are some questions to consider asking:
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Do you receive the training you need to do your tasks? If not, how can that be improved?
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Do you enjoy working at our organization? If not, why not?
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Do you recommend volunteering here to your friends/family? If not, why not?
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Do you receive enough/too much/too little communication from us about the volunteer program?
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Same question as above but for the organization.
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If you could change one thing about our volunteer program, what would it be?
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What's the best thing about your volunteer work here?
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What's the worst?
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Do you feel that your time here is well utilized? If not, why not?
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Do you feel that your efforts are appropriately recognized? If not, why not?
Since I don't know if you're evaluating a specific element of the program or the overall program, I took the latter approach. I hope this stimulates your own creative thinking! Also, if you’d like to evaluate certain program elements yourself, be sure to check out the Volunteer Program Evaluation Series here at VolunteerToday.com. The series currently includes evaluation of recruitment, risk management, organizational readiness, and staff/volunteer relations, with more topics to come in the future.
Dear Connie:
Can you give me some ideas on how to organize a motorcycle poker run? We want to have such an event as a fundraiser here in Southern California. Thanks!
John
Dear John:
What a
timely question! Harley Davidson is celebrating its 100th anniversary
today (8/30/03) in Milwaukee!
When I received your message, I knew nothing about motorcycle poker
runs, but I certainly do now! I did a Google.com
search on the web for "motorcycle poker run" and found a LONG
list of motorcycle clubs and associations that organize poker runs.
After cruising around the list (pun intended!) I concluded that the first thing you should do is contact your local motorcycle club. There are three American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) clubs in your area. Your can visit their websites at http://www.abate.org/local6, http://www.redhotriders.com, and http://www.d38ama.com. One of them may already hold a poker run and/or they can probably tell you how to organize one. The AMA is another resource for you at http://www.ama-cycle.org. Use their search engine for "poker run" to get links to motorcycle clubs that hold poker runs and then contact them for information. I found 10 clubs that are holding poker runs in California from September through November. The Southern California Motorcycling Association may also be a resource for you at http://www.sc-ma.com.
From my
research, it appears that at AMA Poker Runs there are specified routes
that riders are assigned, with three checkpoints on each route. The
run has a specific beginning and ending time, with plenty of time allowed
to complete the routes. Riders are grouped by class of bike and number
of passengers and pay registration fees accordingly. Each rider draws
a playing card at each checkpoint (the start and end points count as
checkpoints) for a total of 5 cards. The rider with the best poker
hand wins the poker run. Another option is for riders to pick from tickets
numbered 1 to 999 at specified points on the routes. At the end of the
run the numbers are totaled for the overall score and prizes are awarded.
Fundraising opportunities include the registration fees, sponsorships, prizes, and in-kind donations such as food. Happy trails!
| Interested in assessing volunteer and
staff relations in your program?
Looking for help from an expert? Get help with one of the Volunteer Program Evaluation Series. |
Connie Pirtle, of Strategic NonProfit-Resources, has 15 years' experience in working with volunteers. She has consulted and/or trained for such organizations as the Washington National Cathedral, Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music America, and the Association for Volunteer Administration.
Send
your questions to Connie at AskConnieP@cs.com.
Connie Pirtle
Strategic Nonprofit Resources
10103 Edward Avenue * Bethesda, MD 20814 * VOICE: 301-530-8233 * FAX:
301-530-8299
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