Volunteer Management Boot Camp Workshop
Volunteer Fairfax has been offering the Volunteer Management Boot Camp for five years in both two and three hour increments. The session, currently offered to the general public once per quarter, covers the basics of the volunteer management cycle focusing much of the time on planning for and supporting volunteers, as well as targeted recruitment. Specifically, the session touches on completing a needs analysis, writing position descriptions, working through recruitment strategies, and the importance of communication and volunteer motivation.
This session is available as a consultant package available to any organization or group and can be lead at the purchaser's chosen time and location. For more information on Boot Camp packages, please click here.
To see upcoming training dates or to register, please click here.
Read a quick write up on the session featured in a recent issue of Association & Non-Profit Bisnow.
Session Outline:
- Getting Started
- Elements of Volunteer Program Management
- Characteristics of Organizations that Effectively Engage Volunteers
- Volunteerism Trends
- Planning your Volunteer Program
- Importance of a Needs Assessment
- Methods for Conducting Needs Assessments
- Appropriate Roles for Volunteers
- Position Descriptions
- Recruiting and Placing Volunteers
- Strategically Defined Positions Descriptions
- Benefits and Features of Volunteer Positions
- Matching the Right Individuals to the Right Positions
- Supervising Volunteers
- Communicating Clear Expectations
- Guiding and Supporting Volunteers
- Ensuring Volunteers Feel Rewarded
- Volunteer Evaluation
- Importance
- Having Difficult Conversations
- Wrap Up
- Reflection
- Additional Materials
Trainers' Bios:
Pheobe Bicknell-Agency Relations and Referrals Coordinator
Pheobe Bicknell is Volunteer Fairfax’s Agency Relations & Referrals Coordinator. She is working to expand and strengthen Volunteer Fairfax's Membership and Training programs.
Originally from North Carolina, Pheobe attended Appalachian State University where she received a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in International and Comparative Politics. After graduating, she moved to Washington, DC to work on the Hill. Realizing that her passion fell outside of politics, Pheobe left the halls of Congress to pursue a Masters at Trinity College Dublin in International Peace Studies and Development. While in Ireland Pheobe interned with Volunteering Ireland and researched the impact volunteering has on communities’ social capital. Pheobe has coordinated training and orientation programs in both Ireland and the United States. In the Spring of 2012 Pheobe presented a workshop "Put A Ring On It" at YNPN-DC's Annual Conference. Pheobe is also currently serving as one of e-Volunteerism's Research to Practice Advisory Panel Members and as the Vice President of the Northern Virginia Association of Volunteer Administrators (NVAVA). She is looking forward to continuing to grow and strengthen Volunteer Fairfax's role as a capacity building organization in the community.
Pheobe is an avid champion of volunteering and the positive impact volunteerism has on communities. She has volunteered through AmeriCorps, as a teacher of English, study skills and exam preparation and provide proofreading and editing assistance to budding female journalists around the world.
Emily Swenson-Deputy Director
Emily Swenson, a native of the Northern Virginia area, is the Deputy Director for Volunteer Fairfax. As the Deputy Director Emily has a wide range of responsibilities from client and project management including business development, framing of key approaches, high-quality client delivery to administration of information technology, reporting, facilities, and directing human capital. Emily works closely with the Executive Director and the Board to chart Volunteer Fairfax’s future growth and strategic response to an ever-increasing demand for the organization’s services.
Her now twelve year career began at the center as an intern. Emily’s early work at Volunteer Fairfax included managing the Volunteers for Change program and the development of the Businesslink corporate volunteer program. She continues to guide staff in providing opportunities for individuals and groups to engage in service; most recently this has included the development of Give Together a family volunteer day.
Emily continues to stay involved in the community and enjoyed serving as a past president of the Northern Virginia Association for Volunteer Administration. Having trained extensively with the Points of Light Foundation/Hands on Network and Prudential Youth Leadership Institute curriculums, she saw a need to create a condensed version of this material and thus created the Volunteer Management Boot camp.
She holds a degree in Public Administration from James Madison University. In her personal time she enjoys engaging her young daughters in volunteering in their community.
Emily Davis-Director of Development
Emily Davis is the Director of Development for Volunteer Fairfax. In addition to leading Volunteer Fairfax’s fundraising campaigns, she supports corporate social responsibility initiatives, and convenes the Corporate Relations Roundtable of Northern Virginia. An advocate of networked communications, Emily has been the leading force in Volunteer Fairfax’s adoption of social media.
Emily is an avid trainer and has presented for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of DC, Leadership Fairfax, the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, the Northern Virginia Events Network, and the Junior League of Northern Virginia. She recently served on the Points of Light Institute/HandsOn Network national committee which rewrote volunteer management curriculum used by Volunteer Centers across the country. A five year veteran of Volunteer Fairfax, Emily has managed several signature events and BusinessLink projects over the years. Prior to working for Volunteer Fairfax, she served as the Volunteer Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation.
Emily has a degree in Forensic and Investigative Sciences from West Virginia University. A dedicated volunteer from an early age, Emily’s enthusiasm and commitment to a career in the nonprofit sector grew out of leadership positions within Alpha Phi Omega, a collegiate service organization. Emily has held a variety of service and leadership positions in the community including: serving on the Board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of DC and the Northern Virginia Association of Volunteer Administrators and is currently co-managing a local Youth Group with her husband.
