Planning:
Some initiatives will be approved by the Board of Directors, and other initiatives will emerge from existing committees, projects and Chapters. When any initiative is approved for operationalization, there will usually be a staff ‘owner’ of the initiative. The staff owner coordinates the activities of the initiative such as leading the development of Terms of Reference, scheduling meetings, maintaining minutes and recording CPD hours for the team. As well, a Volunteer Steward and/or Team Lead should be identified before planning the operations of the initiative.
The role of the Volunteer Engagement Specialist is administratively-based and provides support to operations in terms of planning initiatives, recruitment, screening, assignment, assignment check-ins, and administering end of assignments/formal recognition.
The staff owner, Team Lead and Volunteer Steward will work closely to plan the operational side of the initiative before recruitment begins. When the planning is complete, the Volunteer Steward will submit a ‘Volunteer Request Form’ to the VES. The VES will work with the Volunteer Steward to draft the role description and then post it on Volunteer Central. The Volunteer Steward should be able to answer the following questions for the role development conversation:
- Date(s) volunteer(s) are needed for
- Commitment level (hours/week)
- Length of time of the assignment
- Type of volunteer required: Technical / Operational/Chapter/Leadership
- Number of volunteer(s) needed
- One-liner indication of how the role(s) contribute to PEMAC’s strategic goals
- Benefits of participation-“what’s in it for me?”: Professional hours? Free conference fees? Etc.
- The objective of the role or committee being formed
- Task description – activities to be completed in role including competencies and potential risks
- Competencies required - Whether there are any potential circumstances (based on a risk analysis for the position) that may disqualify an individual. Example… does it require driving? DUIs
- Does it require handling confidential information? Conflicts of Interest
- Line of sight to the Strategic Plan and its goals
- Identification of 'pre-qualified' members who will be invited to join
- A solid understanding of how all processes of the initiative will work and how this will be communicated to the new recruits
Recruitment:
After receiving a request Volunteer Services will use a variety of strategies for the recruitment and screening of member volunteers, including:
- Posting on the Association’s web site;
- Advertising in the Friday email blast;
- Extending proactive invitations based on personal referrals of association staff members and/or other association Volunteers;
- Promotion of opportunities at Chapter events
- Volunteer Steward (the person who submitted the request) and/or Team lead identify applicants. They may determine that some candidates either have completed the role in the past or are known to have the qualifications for the role; these candidates will be considered 'pre-qualified' and undergo a modified interview to determine their ability to commit to the project and confirm their competencies so that each volunteer has been documented as qualified.