July/August
2007 E-bulletin
FEATURE
ARTICLE
New
& Revitalized - RRC's Volunteer Management Certificate
RELATED
RESOURCES
Volunteer Management:
Standards
TIPS
& TOOLS
Volunteer Management:
Requirements for Employment
SPECIAL
EVENTS
Funders Forum: Register
Now
VOLUNTEER
APPRECIATION
Recipients
of the Premier's Youth Volunteer Service Awards (2007)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Apply
for Imagine Canada's Business & Community Partnership
Award
Retiring Boomers:
Are Non-Profits Ready for These Volunteers?
Healthy Living
Conference, Sept. 24 & 25
Marymound Bursary Program for former clients
FEATURE
ARTICLE
New & Revitalized - RRC's Volunteer Management
Certificate
Red
River College, in collaboration with Volunteer Manitoba
and MAVA, has completely reformatted and revitalized
the Volunteer Management Certificate Program. These
changes are significant and exciting. This program
now makes it easier to obtain a solid foundation of
skills and knowledge in the profession of Volunteer
Management.
How Is The Program Different?
* Changed Requirements - 6 core courses focused on
the employment requirements for a volunteer administrator.
* Courses available through Distance Education - You
will be able to fulfill the entire program requirements
regardless of where you live and you won't have to
wait for a minimum number of students to take the
courses or electives.
* Practicum or Electives Option - an opportunity to
put into practice what you learn right away by participating
in a practicum or you can take electives totaling
72 credit hours.
* Practicum Location - It is possible to do the practicum
in your own agency (you must meet the criteria) so
the agency and volunteers benefit from your education
faster.
Why Should I Take This Program?
The administration of volunteers is a highly rewarding
profession with an opportunity to work with a tremendous
variety of people. Agencies rely on the activities
of volunteers to achieve their mission. As the administrator
of these valuable volunteers, your skills, knowledge
and abilities will directly impact the success of
the agency's programs and services.
How Will My Employer or Future
Employer Benefit?
Your enhanced skills developed through the program
will bring:
- A stronger profile for the organization
- Flexibility to grow and expand with a high return
on investment
- Enhanced relationships within the organization between
staff and volunteers
- A trained public relations force to act as your
ambassadors
- Increased opportunity to build community partnerships
- Minimized risk to your organization
What Are The Core Courses?
You must take Working With Volunteers
from RRC or Volunteer Management
Introduction from Volunteer Manitoba first.
Then you can take the following courses in any order:
Program Planning & Evaluation
(offered through Volunteer Manitoba); Recruitment
& Marketing; Training
& Development; Interpersonal
Communications; and Risk
Management.
When Are The Courses Available?
Working With Volunteers, Volunteer Management Introduction,
Training & Development, and Interpersonal Communications
are ready for you to start, Program Planning &
Evaluation will be ready to start in January 2008,
and Recruitment & Marketing and Risk Management
will be ready by Spring 2008.
How Will the Courses Be Offered?
All the courses and electives will be offered by distance
learning. This means that you will able to take the
courses regardless of where you live. You
will communicate with the instructor using email.
Volunteer Management Introduction, through Volunteer
Manitoba, is still available in classroom format,
offered 4 times a year.
Why Would I Choose To Do A Practicum?
This is the opportunity to put into practice what
you learned in the program with guidance and support
from a mentor and an instructor; benefiting from the
experience and expertise of both. If you meet the
criteria to do the practicum in your own agency, you
will be able to work on a project that will benefit
the volunteer program with support from others at
the same time.
What Are Some Ideas For Practicum
Projects?
Some ideas include creating a marketing plan, writing
a policy manual, conducting a risk assessment, conducting
a needs assessment and training plan, or creating
an orientation package. Each project requires approval
by the instructor and you must be supervised by a
person with expertise and experience in this area.
What If I'm Already Enrolled
In The Program?
Red River College will transfer your credits from
previous Volunteer Management Certificate courses
into the new program. For complete details, visit
their website: www.rrc.mb.ca,
select "quick link" Programs & Courses,
then Distance Education, then Volunteer Management.
How Is Volunteer Manitoba Involved?
Volunteer Manitoba is offering one of the core courses:
Program Planning and Evaluation. This course will
be available by distance learning with open enrollment
(start anytime). You can also take the classroom version
of Working With Volunteers (Volunteer Management Introduction)
at Volunteer Manitoba.
Can I Still Transfer Other Volunteer
Manitoba Workshops Into The Program?
Yes! You will be able to transfer up to 20 credit
hours of additional Volunteer Manitoba workshops into
the program and apply these towards your electives.
These 20 credit hours do not include the Core courses:
to Volunteer Management Introduction course or the
Program Planning & Evaluation course.
For more information call Volunteer Manitoba: (204)
477-5180, toll-free: 1-888-922-4545 or visit Red River
College's website: www.rrc.mb.ca,
select "quick link" Programs &
Courses, then Distance Education, then Volunteer Management.
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RELATED
RESOURCES
Volunteer
Management - Standards
Volunteer Management is a profession
that is supported nationally by the Canadian Administrators
of Volunteer Resources (CAVR) and provincially by
the Manitoba Association for Volunteer Administration.
Here
are a list of websites that outline the standards
of the profession:
Canadian Administrators of Volunteer
Resources (CAVR) - (click on
Dimensions of Ethical Conduct on left-hand side)
National Core Values for the ethical conduct of administrators
of volunteer resources.
CAVR
Employment Package -
series of resources designed to assist employers recruit
qualified applicants for roles in volunteer resources
administration in their organizations
Canadian
Code for Volunteer Involvement -
download this resource that provides nationally accepted
standards of practice to effectively involve volunteers.
Values
Added - provides a quick overview of 8
sub-sectors within the voluntary sector including
statistics, the reach and impact they have on Canada.
Includes statistics on the contribution of volunteers
within each sub-sector.
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TIPS
& TOOLS
Volunteer Management: Requirements for Employment
To assist employers in hiring qualified administrators
of volunteer resources, the following typical responsibilities
have been identified by the Canadian Administrators
of Volunteer Resources (CAVR):
1. Planning your volunteer program including assessing
the needs, determining the potential to meet these
needs through volunteer support, and designing volunteer
assignments.
2. Developing appropriate policies, procedures and
applying national standards for the program.
3. Developing effective marketing strategies to attract
volunteers.
4. Administering the volunteer program by screening,
orientating, supervising, monitoring, evaluating and
recognizing volunteers, and documenting all these
activities appropriately.
5. Educating and training staff to work with volunteers.
6. Ensuring volunteers, clients, and the organization
are as free from health, safety, and liability risks
as possible.
7. Fostering positive community relations through
the development of partnerships and collaborations
with community organizations.
8. Evaluating the volunteer program and volunteers.
9. Maintaining records of volunteer participation.
The Red River College Volunteer Management Certificate
Program ensures that the graduate is readily prepared
to assume these responsibilities.
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SPECIAL
EVENTS
Funders
Forum
Friday,
September 14, 2007
Canad Inn Polo Park
8:30am - 1:00pm
Registration
Forms now available. Click
here to download the PDF file.
This
year's Forum will have a special emphasis on funding
for programs and services designed for older adults
and seniors. We have six (6) different funding agencies
speaking about their funding program with all three
levels of government represented as well as a corporate
funder.
Start
the morning with Getty Stewart "The Proposal
Writing Lady". Getty will share the fundamental
principles you need to know to save time, reduce frustration
and get more funding. Learn more about key decision
makers and how they select winning proposals. This
keynote will leave you eager to write your next proposal.
To
download the registration form click
here...
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VOLUNTEER
APPRECIATION
Recipients
of the Premier's Youth Volunteer Service
Awards (2007)
The
following outstanding youth volunteers were this year's
recipients of the Premier's Youth Volunteer Service
Awards:
Breanna
Pullis - Winnipeg
Nominated by: Megan Strain, Murdoch
MacKay Collegiate
A grade 11 student at Murdoch MacKay Collegiate, Breanna
has participated, lead, and initiated many of the
school’s community activities. Breanna has taken the
initiative to become involved with the Teen Touch
Youth program as well as volunteering at Park Manor
Personal Care Home. Breanna Pullis is a hardworking
young role model and an inspiration to her peers and
her contributions as a volunteer have made a tremendous
impact in both her school and the community.
Youth Community Partnership – Gimli High School -
Gimli
Nominated by: Lindsay Dandeneau,
Community Development Coordinator, Northeast Interlake
Community Economic Development
An excellent example of innovation, perseverance,
enthusiasm and commitment, the Youth Community Partnership
volunteers are striving to make a positive change
in their community while advocating for youth and
becoming active, involved citizens. The Youth Partnership
Group is comprised of approximately 20 high school
students from Gimli High School who advocate for issues
relating to Gimli youth including employment and recreational
opportunities, transportation and environmental issues
and lack of representation in local decision-making
processes. Thanks to this unique program, these young
volunteers are developing skills to become community
leaders and bring about positive change for not only
their peers, but the entire Gimli community.
For
more stories of the 2007 Volunteer Awards recipients...
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