Community Publishing on Boulder Community Network

3. VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

Volunteer management has been a learning process for both BCN Coordinators and the volunteers who offer their assistance. The approach that has worked best includes giving the volunteer as much responsibility as they request without ever completely relying on the result with any deadline in mind. Assigning teamwork works well in a volunteer organization to promote involvement and communications. When developing a volunteer staff, it's important to balance individuals' goals with group dynamics and project requirements.

BCN is largely a volunteer effort. The Management Team, Policy and Technical Advisory Boards, and the orientation session trainers are all voluntary positions. During BCN'ss developmental stages, the volunteer efforts of the Technical Advisory Board were substantial. The commitment to excellence from participants made the process exciting and engaging. Now that BCN is established the day-to-day reality of volunteerism has had to become routinized. Specific volunteer positions outline the duties and responsibilities for each participant (http://bcn.boulder.co.us/bcn/job-descriptions.html). Positions include:

Volunteer Coordinator
BCN Center Developer
Page Developer for Target Subcommunities
One-on-One Tutor
Public Orientation Instructor
Information Specialist-Library Liaison
Online Help
Information Provider Contact
Resource Development
Spanish Language Translation

We currently have a volunteer staff of 12 for the Public Orientation Sessions. The sessions take place three times per month at the University of Colorado at Boulder and are staffed by at least two volunteers. The volunteers commit to one session of two hours per month. Several ambitious volunteers commit to far more hours. We have learned that volunteer management requires patience, creativity, and an ability to make a fit between both parties. In only a few cases, well intentioned citizens have engaged themselves in projects without understanding the magnitude of the efforts required for proper execution.

3.1 Lessons Learned: Volunteers

1. Having learned the ins and outs of volunteer management through trial and error, we would suggest that proper training in volunteer management be factored into budget proposals for the Coordinator or Director of the network.

2. Engaging the expertise of community members should be a top priority for community networks. Understanding how to efficiently make use of an reward volunteer resources can be a challenging and time consuming project. This may be especially true for networks that are administered by technical personnel who may have little experience with community service resources.

3. Offering the proper recognition to volunteers for their time and efforts in very important.

4. Establishing a routine for monthly updates of volunteer activities and highlighting their efforts illustrates the appreciation of network staff for volunteers time and efforts.

5. Clear job descriptions and an understanding about time commitments is important in scheduling projects. Having a clear idea of the volunteer wants to learn or achieve during the volunteer assignment is critical.

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Comments: Catherine Weldon or Madeline Gonzales