Coordinating volunteers in the digital age

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Coordinating Volunteers in the Digital Age Beth Cougler Blom www.bethcouglerblom.com

Learning Outcomes By the end of this session you will be able to:

 Discuss and explore the connection between the use of technology and volunteer motivation, engagement and retention

 Outline the reasons to include or not include technological tools in your volunteer program

 Describe how technology can be used to connect, train and collaborate with volunteers

 Take away a list of commonly-used tools for these purposes and more

+A bit about motivation

  People volunteer because…

  (and more)

+This means…

 We need to know why people are volunteering with us so we can help them get what they need…while still working to achieve the mission of our organization

+The opportunity is…

 We can use technology to support volunteers in getting what they need:  Using skills  Learning skills  Relationship-building

+A bit about learning

social

role reversals

increasing exponentially new emphases

personal learning networks

+This means…

 Our organizations can be learning networks

 We can give ourselves permission to be

students in our work as much as teachers

 And use our volunteers as the teachers they can be


 With technology, we have nearly

unlimited potential as to who and how many volunteers to engage to help us

learn what we need to learn and do what we need to do

+A bit about life

+A bit about life

“We are an increasingly mobile society…

People expect to be able to work, learn and study whenever and wherever they want to.” – Horizon Report


 We can tap into episodic volunteers more easily if we use technology and build more flexibility into positions

(because long-term volunteers are now the exception as opposed to the rule)


 Virtual volunteering might even become a real trend

(instead of everyone just talking about it)

+From the research…

“Advances in technology, shifting demographics and increased resource

pressures mean today’s organizations must reevaluate all facets of their volunteer policies and practices, and ultimately

embrace different approaches.” – Bridging the Gap, 2010

Today’s Canadians tend to be more goal-oriented and have greater structure in their school, work, family and social lives. They

are mobile, technologically-savvy, value autonomy, and have multiple interests

and roles within the community.” – Bridging the Gap, 2010

+Some reasons to use technology

  For your volunteers:

  Recruit a new demographic of volunteers

  Assist in giving volunteers transferable skills

  For you:   Adhere to a practice of lifelong learning

  Role model best practices for your team

  For your organization:   Be a sought-after organization to volunteer with

  Reach out to clients in new ways

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Quiz

Get ready…

Good or bad reason to use technology?

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Quiz

Our volunteers are scattered over a large

geographical area


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Quiz

We wanted a central information hub that could be accessed

inside or outside the office


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Quiz

We want to bring retired and current

volunteers together to share information and

connect


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Quiz

Because “everybody else is doing it”!


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Quiz

Because it looks cool


+What gets in the way of adopting new technology?

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Poll

How many of you have ever avoided doing something technological because you didn’t know how to do it?

+ I’m 104 and I use

Facebook!

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Some Tools

connect collaborate train

+The fact of the matter is…

“Digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and

profession” – Horizon Report from The New Media Consortium and the

Educause Learning Initiative

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Thank you! Beth Cougler Blom www.bethcouglerblom.com

Coordinating volunteers in the digital age

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