Member Spotlight: How to Build Volunteer Community from the Ground Up
As a leader of volunteers, one of your key responsibilities may be to build volunteer community, But it isn’t always easy, particularly when volunteers are working remotely or are routinely taking breaks from service.
But it’s important that volunteers continue to feel connected to the organization and each other. And but takes a solid strategy and focus to get there.
In this member spotlight, Heather Davis, Manager Community Engagement for Opportunity Village in Las Vegas, Nevada shares what she does to build a connected volunteer community.
She shares some of the ups and the downs and everything in between of what it’s really like to work as a leader and build volunteer community throughout her organization.
Follow along and learn how our members are taking action and getting traction with their volunteer management strategies!
Valerie: Hey, Heather! Thank you for joining me today. Can you start us off by giving a quick overview of your organization and how you work with volunteers?
Heather: At Opportunity Village we serve over 2,000 individuals and their families who live each day with development or intellectual and related disabilities.
We provide services such as job training and placement support. We also work with the high schools here in a program called JDP, which is job development program, and we have a fine and performing arts program.
We try to plug people in so they can be not just in the community, but really be a thriving member of the community. And truly our organization is completely volunteer supported.
We use over 10,000 volunteers a year, we’re over 70% self-funded so our individuals, after they get any kind of support, we then fundraise for the rest of the monies that help them go through our program. So hopefully this is no cost to them.
We started with seven families that got together and wanted more for their adult children with disabilities. And we grew into what we are today.
Our goal is really what their goal is, is to encourage them. They each have a caseworker that works with them on figuring out their dream job, and getting them the training that they need so they can get that paycheck like you and I get.
Valerie: Wow. That’s really amazing. I love that mission and how you work with volunteers every step of the way to get your clients to where they want to be in life.
Heather: So, I have a volunteer right outside my office right now, and she’s working on logging some of our hours.
We have volunteers doing office work to working in direct care. Some people bring in their service dogs, people do yoga, though right now a lot of things are online.
And then we do a lot of events that help to raise the funds to support our individuals and provide the services at no cost.
Heather’s Challenge: Educating Colleagues to Build Volunteer Community
Valerie: How did you learn about Tobi Johnson and VolunteerPro?
Heather: Prior to working here, I worked at the Special Olympics in Illinois, and I worked with eight county area in the West Central area of Illinois. And then I moved here to Vegas for this job specifically to be the Volunteer Manager.
And when I got here, the volunteer department was in its own world. Many other departments are very focused on what volunteers do, they know of volunteers, by they don’t have their hands in it.
It’s not just recruiting; it’s educating others in how we work and how we get people involved, and what the currents trends are.
So, because of that, when I started here, I started looking for more support.
I started searching for volunteer resources and VolunteerPro was the first one that I got connected with.
Valerie: What are some of the challenges you face in your role with Opportunity Village?
Heather: We’re a very large organization, so we’re constantly switching between what type of models we’re using. You know, the old structured one, to one of being more creative. We’re constantly flipping depending on what kind of volunteer work we’re focusing on at that moment.
But many people wouldn’t understand those models and those strategies if they’re not within the world volunteerism.
And we’re a very small department, as you can imagine, in regard to paid staff using over 10,000 volunteers.
We’re very involved with the community, but we need to make decisions that are best practices while trying to keep the mission of the organization front and center. We need to know what the current volunteer interest is. It changes so much, especially with technology.
Heather’s Objective: Build Volunteer Community Connections
Valerie: What was your goal in seeking out support?
Heather: I was really craving community and conversations.
Even if they didn’t know your personal specifics, they understood the broader scope of what you’re trying to accomplish. And I knew that community was out there, and once I found VolunteerPro, I was like, okay, this is it. This has the resources that I need.
So, I think it was more of a desire to connect with people on a broader scale.
Valerie: That’s so great. And in this time of rapid change, I am sure the community was integral to feeling that support.
Heather: You know, I work with a lot of really smart and really successful people, but I wanted some people who were ingrained in the volunteer world.
You know, they have that cross over of different disciplines that fall into volunteer management. Having people from different backgrounds gives you that outside, helicopter view. And when you bring your ideas and your thoughts and your conversation together, you really can have a full picture.
Heather’s Results: Connecting Volunteers with Meaningful Roles
Valerie: So, what have you been able to accomplish in your role at Opportunity Village? Do you have any specific results that you’d like to share today?
Heather: Well, I don’t have specifics in regard to numbers, but I can say that I feel more competent in what I am doing.
I think it was about six months or a year in, I went to my supervisor and said I want to make this part of my budget.
And it was an easy sell because it’s such a good resource for me when I need find whatever I’m looking for or want to confirm that I’m on the right track. I could show the funnel of how I used the information I received to make the best choices.
Also, I’ve grown this innate ability to be able to, I don’t want to say read people, but place people where they’re going to be effective. Because sometimes what we’d love to do, we just don’t have the gifts or talents for.
So, I’ve learned to help people see where their passions can help our organization and where they’re going to feel fulfilled.
Especially in my organization with the individuals we serve, not everyone knows someone with a disability, not everyone has that comfort level.
Some people want to stay behind the scenes. They know the mission is valuable, the day-to-day interactions, but they can’t do that yet.
Knowing how to share stories and help people realize how that connection of what they’re doing behind the scenes impacts people’s lives has been crucial in showing them their work is meaningful.
What Heather Wants You to Know About How to Build Volunteer Community
Valerie: Is there anything you would say to somebody who is looking for the same sense of volunteer community?
Heather: I remember I got an email from Tobi that said something like, you’re all in, we’re all in.
I don’t always have time to be all in. Sometimes it’ll be weeks before I go in the community, but something will come up and I’ll be like, I wonder what’s going on in there.
Or I’ll get an email with current trends, current topics, and that’s what gets me to click back on because then it forces me to make time for something that is going to benefit me.
And then there’s times when I’m in it just deep diving, seeing what’s going on and adding to conversations.
So, it really can be set to what it is you’re looking for. And I think the risk is low. I mean the cost of a monthly membership, if you really look at that compared to how many cups of coffee that is, I don’t know about you, but I drink a lot of coffee!
But it’s going to add a lot more than that cup of caffeine on my desk. I’ll be more energized, I’ll feel more competent, and I’ll have more time.
I mean, that’s all about what volunteering is, right?
Feeling the value, feeling that support, and feeling part of the community. Well, I say, if it’s good for our volunteers, how much more is it good for us connect, right?
