Member Spotlight: How One Member Leveled Up in Communicating Volunteer Program Value 

How has another month has gone by already? If that’s the case, it must be time to introduce another member of our VolunteerPro Premium Membership community! 

This month, we’re happy to share some of the conversation Valerie recently had with George Johnson-Coffey, Manager of the Audio Reading Service in Allen County, IN.  

Valerie: Hello, George, and thank you for sharing your story with us! Can you give us a quick overview of your organization and your volunteer program? 

George: I manage a broadcast service that is a department of our county library system (Allen County Public Library), in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Audio Reading Service has four employees, including myself, and over 100 volunteers. We broadcast the reading of newspapers and magazines to bring information to people who have difficulty reading printed material because of low vision, literacy issues, language barriers, stroke, or other health conditions. 

Years back, I was the library’s Volunteer Services Manager. I left to pursue a career in training and consulting directed towards nonprofit and volunteer services management. I also created a children’s music and media company with my husband, who is a singer/songwriter/producer. 

Then, in 2014, I received two phone calls from people I had known through work with the library and its community. One caller was the then current VSM of the library, the other was the person who held the Audio Radio Service Manager job. They had each independently decided to reach out and suggest I take this management job, as it was coming vacant. 

At that time, I was working as a part-time Coordinator of Volunteers at a library in a nearby county and was ready to step away from the music business and work full-time in a job that I felt passionate about. This really is a perfect fit, with the music studio and production experience along with my VSM background. 

We engage over one hundred volunteers a year. And I’m very proud to say that of all the departments within the library, we have the most volunteers.  

I’m comfortable with working with volunteers and I love it. It’s my true passion. 

George’s Challenge: Building a Well-Rounded Support System for Her Volunteer Program

Valerie: What was your absolute biggest challenge in your volunteer program prior to joining VolunteerPro? 

George: Our Library eliminated the full-time Manager of Volunteer Services position two years ago. That was the challenge; that there was no volunteer services manager for the library. 

The Audio Reading Service is a non-traditional service for the library. And we do run a little differently than the rest of the library.  

So, I’m doing a non-traditional library job, in general, and volunteers here are engaged much differently than in other departments. In fact, years and years ago the service used to be a separate nonprofit. 

Even though I’m a department manager and I manage our volunteers, I don’t manage all the volunteers in the library. Until recently, we’ve had a Volunteer Services Manager at the library full-time. When the position was vacated, the decision was made not to rehire someone. 

So, I’m really sort of on my own. I’m thankful I have Volunteer Services experience because it’s almost as though I am responsible for everything, as far as how we effectively engage volunteers in our department. There is an HR person, who is wonderful, but volunteer services management is just one of her HR responsibilities. One entire fulltime VSM position became one bullet point in a HR job description. 

 I handle all aspects of volunteer management for engaging volunteers in the Audio Reading Service: recruitment, interviewing, placement, training, supervision, recognition, and termination. 

George’s Objective: Finding a Balance in Her Volunteer Program

Valerie: What kind of drew you to the resources of VolunteerPro?  

George: Because this position is so unique and, and even though I’ve been in the field a number of years now, I just really want to delve in a little deeper. I also wanted, and needed a more intimate, personal type of support, because what I do is so unique, and I don’t have the VSM (Volunteer Services Manager) to help. 

I have to balance what I am capable and experienced to do on my own vs. what I should do on my own. 

I was looking for somebody that I can tap into with a lot of knowledge base that could help and support with all the things you need to do and know when you lead volunteers.  

You have to recruit, you have to retain, you have to change. There’s just so much that goes into it.  And you guys have, sort of vicariously, fulfilled that support role for me. Just to be able to tap into the tools, information, and network, as checks and balances, has been great. 

If that VSM position opens up here, I probably would apply for it. 

George’s Results: Reporting That Gets Recognition 

Valerie: So, what has changed for you in how you  manage your volunteer program? Do you have any kind of specific results that you’d like to share with us today?    

George: Well, I’ve always kind of looked at stats and how to best communicate that in volunteer management. 

I always put figures into my reports showing how many volunteers and hours, and the FTE. And the one thing that I’ve recently added is a figure for what the value added is to the organization. I’ve let my boss know that this is a new line item on my Excel sheet. 

I used to say, “…these are volunteers that I’ve interviewed and these are the new volunteers we’ve brought on.”  But I’d never incorporated that in my department’s statistics – the number of people who were interested or the inquired about volunteering.  

So, I actually just did that within the last couple of days. And it really is significant. I mean, just this year, I’ve had 16 inquiries and four new volunteers. There’s all that stuff in the middle that took work, you know?  I’m really glad that I’m tracking it and quantifying the work. 

I’ve always used the term engaged, but I’m now including language I’ve learned from Tobi – like calling it volunteer talent and, and the whole aspect of talent management – this better communicates the reality of what I do … especially to our board.  

I actually took a snapshot of the slide about “change your language” from one of Tobi’s presentations. I call it Volunteer Newspeak. They’re the kinds of terms that people ‘get’ now.  

And you guys are so good at turning around some of the mentality in the industry, saying how you can sell yourself, or how you can make things better.  It is really our responsibility to be the changemaker and sell the program and sell ourselves.  

I’ve really been gleaning a lot of good information from Tobi as to how to sell myself, but also sell what a really great program could look like.   

What George Wants You to Know 

Valerie: So, what would you say to somebody who’s on the fence about becoming a VolunteerPro member?  

George: I’d tell them it’s worth it because of the support and the information that you glean. It’s very practical, especially if you apply it. We do get a lot of information, but you have to really take that extra step and apply it.  

I would say it’s definitely been very beneficial to me, especially when I take the time. And that’s one of the things that Tobi has said: “… just mark a couple of hours off your calendar and just do this stuff!  

Apply it and learn it and make it happen because that’s what makes it the most beneficial. 

Also, I would say: Have a firm foundation for your program, engage staff at all levels, work to get buy-in from the CEO, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and incorporate fun and humor every day!