Volunteer Strategies That Work: Towards a Sustainable Model

1. Volunteer Strategies That Work: Towards a Sustainable Model Vancouver Community Network Introduction

2. Introduction • Community Learning Network Coordinator • Training and Volunteer Coordinator • Presentation Mapping VCN and community assets: Using volunteers to build capacity Introduction

3. Introduction to VCN • Non profit Internet Service Provider • 1993 - Started providing text based email • 1996 - Obtained charitable status after court case • Run by board of directors • Volunteer pool of over 60 people • 6 staff people, including CAP and CLN project coordinators Introduction

4. Community Learning Network • Internet and community development (CD) • Defining how and if possible • Over 10 active partners including 6 community centres • Sustainable / leave a legacy • Technology demands support • Raising basic skills • How could we use volunteers? Introduction

5. Building VCN’s Volunteer Capacity • Snapshot of VCN volunteers Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

6. Snapshot of current volunteers • Gender breakdown Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity Snapshot of Volunteers

7. Gender Breakdown Overall: • 25% are women • 75% are men Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity Snapshot of Volunteers

8. Snapshot of current volunteers • Gender breakdown • Languages spoken Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity Snapshot of Volunteers

9. Languages Spoken • Burmese • Cantonese • English • French • German • Hindi • Japanese • Korean • Malayam • Mandarin • Persian • Polish • Spanish • Serbian • Croatian • Tagalog • Ukrainian • Urdu Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity Snapshot of Volunteers

10. Snapshot of current volunteers • Gender breakdown • Languages spoken • Skill level (education) Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity Snapshot of Volunteers

11. Skill Level • 65% have post-secondary education: • 30% have Bachelor’s Degrees • 25% have Diploma or Certificate • 10% have Master’s Degrees • 30% currently enrolled in technical courses or programmes • 5% have no post-secondary education Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity Snapshot of Volunteers

12. Snapshot of current volunteers • Gender breakdown • Languages spoken • Skill level (education) • Work experience Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity Snapshot of Volunteers

13. Work Experience Computer-related experience: • 70% have minimum 1 year • 30% have none Canadian work experience: • 65% have none • 35% have non-computer-related experience Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity Snapshot of Volunteers

14. Snapshot of current volunteers • Gender breakdown • Languages spoken • Skill level (education) • Work experience • Motivation Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity Snapshot of Volunteers

15. Motivation Volunteers want to: • Gain Canadian work experience • Work in a technical environment • Meet and socialize with other people • Keep their skills fresh • Improve their English-language skills Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity Snapshot of Volunteers

16. Building VCN’s Volunteer Capacity • Volunteers at VCN • Sources of volunteers Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

17. Sources of Volunteers • Educational Institutions: • British Columbia Institute of Technology • Kwantlen University College • Langara Community College • Simon Fraser University • University of British Columbia • Vancouver Community College • Service Agencies: • Immigrant Services Society • North Shore Community Services • Richmond Connections Info and Volunteer Society • Other Sources: • Vancouver Public Library • VCN website • Volunteer Vancouver Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

18. Building VCN’s Volunteer Capacity • Volunteers at VCN • Sources of volunteers • Placement of volunteers Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

19. Placement of Volunteers Four core user support roles: • Reception/administration • Help desk • Public access support • Network support Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

20. Building VCN’s Volunteer Capacity • Volunteers at VCN • Sources of volunteers • Placement of volunteers • Team building Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

21. Team Building Six core volunteer teams: • Technical writing • Photography • Web administration • System abuse • Mailing list administration • Training Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

22. Building VCN’s Volunteer Capacity • Volunteers at VCN • Sources of volunteers • Placement of volunteers • Team building • Documentation & curricula development Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

23. Documentation & Curricula Development Training materials for each workshop: • Assessment forms • Training curricula • Sign-up sheets • Handouts • Homework • Evaluation forms Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

24. Building VCN’s Volunteer Capacity • Volunteers at VCN • Sources of volunteers • Placement of volunteers • Team building • Documentation & curricula development • Building the training team Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

25. Building the Training Team VCN volunteer trainers gain skills by: • Reviewing VCN documentation • Assisting experienced trainers in workshops • Train the public with the assistance of experienced trainers • Providing other team members with ongoing support and feedback • Recruiting more trainers Building VCN's Volunteer Capacity

26. Community Learning Network • Diversity of users • Long term process to raise basic skills • Experimented with using a paid trainer to raise skill level at a community partner • Wasn’t leading to goals of projects • Drain on funds – then what…? • How to incorporate the volunteers? • The process… Towards a Mentoring Training Model

27. Refocus • A CLN goal: Define how to combine internet and CD in a sustainable manner • Community partner was open to a train the trainer program • Would we pay for a trainer? • They had volunteers, but what happens when they move on? • Recognized: • need in the community through CAP/CLN • untapped assets at VCN and in community Towards a Mentoring Training Model

28. Training Need in the Community Dozens of sites, e.g.: • Confirmed: • Domestic Workers Association • Carnegie • West End Seniors Network • Potential: • Community Directions • Raycam Community Centre Towards a Mentoring Training Model

29. Untapped Assets • VCN • Currently have 7 skilled & interested volunteer trainers • Skilled staff in train the trainer, curriculum development • Process for intake of volunteers • Confirmed Community Partners • Have volunteers willing to learn and staff engaged in process of building capacity Towards a Mentoring Training Model

30. How to use these assets to sustain training in the long term? • Set up a mentor-based train the trainer system • Strategically choose sites with: • interested volunteers and • staff engaged in process Towards a Mentoring Training Model

31. Community Partner • Interested volunteers • Volunteer skill level • Training content (e.g. Carnegie vs DWA) Towards a Mentoring Training Model

32. VCN • Number of community partners are limited by: • Volunteers we have • Staff time to: • Teach volunteers how to give train the trainer workshops • Coordinate lab space • Refine curricula for each partner • Define training schedule Towards a Mentoring Training Model

33. The Mentoring Training Model • VCN volunteers: • Raise skill level of site volunteers • Train site volunteers to be trainers • Use site trainers as assistants for more general audience – set an example • Site trainers: • Run workshops with VCN volunteers as assistants • Run workshops with other site trainers • … Train others to be trainers? Towards a Mentoring Training Model

34. Degrees of success: Site volunteers provide training but for how long? Site volunteers train others to be trainers VCN Maintenance Will need to revisit the site Purely sustainable – no maintenance Measuring Sustainability • Benefit to VCN • Increased interest in volunteers Towards a Mentoring Training Model

35. Conclusion: Organic Experiment • Number of sites involved depends on degree of success • Staff needed to coordinate • Must make strategic decisions • Learning as we go Conclusion

36. Volunteer Strategies That Work: Towards a Sustainable Model Vancouver Community Network Conclusion