Volunteer Impact Program: Be Part of the Success!
Making the most of your volunteers is what the Volunteer Impact Program (VIP) is all about. This partnership between United Way of King County and 501 Commons, now in its third year, helps organizations effectively recruit, use and retain high-value volunteers. The free program provides more than $20,000 in assessment, training and consulting services to bolster your organization’s ability to engage and manage volunteers. In an era of diminishing financial resources, this is a real plus.
Take community newspaper Real Change, for example.
With its regular staff of only 11, volunteers are essential to the paper’s capacity to deliver on its mission. Last year, 240 volunteers contributed more than 7,000 hours of volunteer service, worth roughly $105,000, says Jenn Pearson, Real Change volunteer coordinator. After participating in VIP this year, the newspaper has already improved the way it screens and matches volunteers, introduced a culture of appreciation for volunteers, and invested in a volunteer database that has significantly improved efficiency, Pearson notes.
Here's Real Change COO Alan Preston discussing his experience working with 501 Commons as part of the 2011 Volunteer Impact Program.
If you’d like this kind of success for your organization, consider participating in VIP.
Learn more about the Volunteer Impact Program (VIP):
- Visit the VIP page.
- Short on time? Read this program summary.
- Read about VIP in e-Volunteerism.
