Establishment and Development of PEMAC's Volunteer Program
PEMAC established of its Volunteer Services Program in June 2022. Envisioned as being a member-informed program from inception, it is structured on an ongoing cycle of member feedback and continuous improvement; using this approach PEMAC proudly offers a responsive and tailored Volunteer Program that directly reflects our member’s stated wishes and needs as well as best-practices in the field of Volunteer Management.
In June - July 2022, members were consulted to identify the existing volunteer landscape at the association, and share their motivations and wishes relating to a formal volunteer program. The feedback from members constituted a foundational pillar in the development of the Volunteer Program which was officially launched n August 2022, after the Board announced a policy statement which emphasizes the integral role of volunteers in advancing PEMAC's work which can be read below.
In March 2023, the first annual Volunteer Program Evaluation was conducted as part of the PEMAC Member Survey. The member feedback was developed into a report that identified members feedback on their wishes and needs for the program. The feedback was analyzed and used as the basis for two primary recommendations to develop tools to enhance engagement, and a subsequent implementation of those tools in a targeted engagement strategy.
A basic report with the findings and recommendations was presented to the membership during National Volunteer Week, and the more detailed report containing the data breakdown, findings, analysis and recommendations were delivered to the Board of Directors for review and discussion in relation to program development activities for PEMAC's new fiscal year, July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024.
Board Policy Statement on Volunteer Involvement at PEMAC:
PEMAC relies on volunteers in many areas of our organization; we value the time, talents, and passions volunteers contribute to achieving of our mission, through leadership, projects, sustaining roles that ultimately serve the public. PEMAC engages skilled volunteers from diverse backgrounds to strengthen our capacity as an organization to meet the needs of the communities we are connected to. PEMAC is committed to creating a safe, and inclusive environment where the contributions of volunteers are recognized through an integrated human resources perspective.
Vision for Volunteers at PEMAC:
An innovative, diverse, member-driven network of professionals working together to promote excellence in maintenance, reliability, and asset management through volunteering.
Purpose of the Volunteer Program:
The Volunteer Program supports-, tracks- and reports-on the membership’s voluntary activity in the advancement of PEMAC’s Strategic Goals and Objectives. The Volunteer Program systematically tracks the number of volunteer engagements on PEMAC initiatives (Strategic Objective C4), the number of volunteer hours completed outside of PEMAC education (Strategic Objective D2), as well as reporting-on work being done by volunteers that advance various Strategic goals and objectives on volunteer assignments.
Implementing the Volunteer Program:
PEMAC is implementing the Volunteer Program on a 'go-forward' basis with the program implementation process beginning around August 2022. The following pages follow the 'Volunteer Cycle' (Planning, Recruitment, Selection, Orientation/On-boarding, Assignment ending/Recognition) and describe how the Volunteer Program Works and how each stakeholder in a volunteer engagement fits into the program in terms of their role. We opted to apply the formal program generally on a 'go-forward' basis, so the information provided largely applies to 'new' initiatives. As various pre-existing initiatives complete their terms/cycles, they will be formalized into the Volunteer Program. For all ongoing initiatives, the Volunteer Engagement Specialist will at least, connect to seek feedback and provide support to non-formalized initiatives pending their renewal.
Values for Volunteers at PEMAC:
Although volunteer services are included under PEMAC’s values and code of conduct, as volunteers we also value,
- Enhancing community relationships through volunteerism;
- Building knowledge about best practices;
- Promoting enduring relationships;
- Promoting volunteers as key stakeholders on our teams;
- Demonstrating excellence, teamwork, and innovation;
- Creating an environment that promotes trust, equity, respect, diversity, openness and honesty.