Social marketing is aimed at behavior change. i.e. wearing seatbelts or quitting smoking. While most of us think of ‘marketing’ as strategies to make you buy something, social marketing seeks to identify strategies that will affect your behavior. The introduction to the online course notes that ‘marketing recognizes that communication, advertising and education can lead to awareness and knowledge, but they aren’t the only factors that affect behavior change. Social marketing looks for interaction between the factors. Social marketing depends on a deep understanding of the consumer.’

The program stresses the importance of thorough market research as a means of getting to know your customer and what really motivates them. Much of the program walks you through the process for identifying barriers to behavior change, for determining potential benefits for changing behavior, for recognizing the competition from alternatives, for isolating the factors that really influence behavior, and for understanding the exchange between choosing one alternative over another.

Other chapters deal with the traditional ‘4 p’s of marketing’—product, price, place and promotion. The goal of this model is to identify the intersection of these factors to target specifically the message that will reach the desired audience, will create behavior change, and that will succeed over time.

The stories and anecdotes in the material are primarily based on health issues, but the material applies to any effort to change behavior. Since the program was developed with federal fund through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the materials are available to anyone interested in using them. If the link above does not work, go to the website and enter Social Marketing in the search box. You will get there eventually!

Anne Schink is a featured blogger and Program Manager for Project INVEST at the Maine Commission for Community Service.

Although we live in this computer age, many people still prefer to speak with a “real person.” I myself am stuck between using email and the phone for communicating with others and although I do check my email constantly during the day, I am always prepared and happy to receive or make a phone call. Many of the volunteers I work with however are not as connected to computers. Many of my volunteers are summer people who have come up to Maine to enjoy the outdoors and spend time with their family, not spend hours on the computer, anxiously awaiting an email asking them to volunteer. In fact, some volunteers don’t even have computers nor email addresses! ~gasp!~ Just kidding.

But seriously, if there is one thing that I have learned thus far through my experience as a volunteer coordinator, it is that you need to find out from your volunteers the way they prefer to be contacted. After all, if someone is willing to donate their time to you, you should be willing to donate your time, just as equally, to them. So in conclusion, stop reading this and pick up the phone and call someone, who knows, you might find a new volunteer!

Alice Phillips is an AmeriCorps member serving with the Maine Conservation Corps at the Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association in Jefferson.

Charities Crushed Under Soaring Demand
They are serving more and more needy people while donations dry up
By Bret Schulte

Then the volunteer coordinator resigned to go back to school. She was replaced by someone whose commitment to the work appeared less than compelling and you know, when you’re volunteering, you’d like to think that the paid staff has at least the same level of commitment and enthusiasm as you do. Not the case. The post support group sessions ceased and my interest and desire to continue gradually diminished to the point where I turned in my “resignation.”

You get the lesson here.

Larry Ullian is a Director of Program Development at USM’s Muskie School of Public Service.

Volunteers perform vital tasks at many nonprofit organizations and Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) is no exception. Volunteers assist at many levels of MPBN and are responsible for many of the duties associated with fundraising. Volunteers assist from all over Maine as well as New Hampshire. These volunteers are helping during odd hours (early mornings, late nights) and oftentimes appear for multiple shifts during an event (sometimes for ten hours at a stretch). Volunteers visit MPBN in Bangor, Lewiston, and Portland and drive all over the state to aid MPBN in its goals.

As an institution with several decades of history, MPBN has learned how to create a positive environment for volunteers and retain a devoted base that returns each quarter (or year) based on individual availability. Each MPBN facility and fundraising event (radio and television membership drives, the Great TV Auction) has its own core group of volunteers although there is cross-pollination among some of those as well. Volunteers come to MPBN for many different reasons (fulfilling service hours for a school, community service for traffic violations, or as part of a larger group from work) but the primary one is a genuine love and respect for nonprofit public broadcasting.

The most important fact to remember is that volunteers are donating their time to help and need to be appreciated. MPBN attempts to greet each volunteer as they enter our facilities and requests they “sign in” so a first-name basis can be attained. Food has always been a perennial feature of MPBN events and a wide variety of offerings from area restaurants keeps the volunteers refreshed, alert, and content. MPBN also believes in thanking volunteers repeatedly for their service. Though all staff people are busy and hardworking, a simple show of gratitude for what volunteers are doing goes a long way to ensuring a positive experience for all. Engaging volunteers is yet another way to cement the bond between MPBN and its volunteer base.

MPBN also has one distinct advantage over other nonprofit organizations as we can “advertise” our need for volunteers on radio and television with little effort. There is also a very small percentage of volunteers who are drawn to the glamour and excitement of helping out behind-the-scenes at a radio or television station. Microphones, cameras, and on-air talent are all appealing to people devoting several hours of their time to MPBN.

With several regular membership drives planned for each year (and with the annual Great TV Auction happening each spring), volunteers are necessary to maintain MPBN. Whether you live in Fort Kent, Eliot, Bethel, or Lubec there is a way for you to help your statewide local broadcast network. We accept all ages and are incredibly flexible with scheduling. If you are interested in volunteering at MPBN in any capacity, please visit our website for more information.

Denis Howard is the Volunteer Coordinator at Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

Start with just one of these suggestions to get prepared and get involved in SMCOAD!

Individual
• Volunteer! – register as an emergency volunteer at www.VolunteerMaine.org
• Attend a training to be a prepared volunteer.
• Share preparedness information with your family and neighbors
• Ask about the emergency plan at your child’s school or family member’s nursing home.
• Develop a family disaster kit and emergency plan. Remember, the first 72 (hours) are up to you!
• For information on developing a family emergency plan, go to: www.redcross.org or www.ready.gov.

Workplace
• Join a COAD group
• Start a call list for your organization.
• Network with other organizations in your area and in your field.
• Work with others in your organization to develop an internal emergency plan. For information and checklists, go to: www.redcross.org or www.ready.gov.
• Encourage employees to prepare their families and have back-up plans in place.

Community
• Learn what the needs are in the community and how your organization could help. (Can you offer meeting space? case management? food preparation/ delivery? emergency funding? generators? etc.)
• Participate in community emergency exercises.
• Start a COAD.
• Assist with community planning and response.

For Your Information:

SMCOAD meets every other month in various locations throughout York and Cumberland Counties. For more information contact:

York County:
Mimi Mills, Director of Volunteer! York County
United Way of York County

Mimi Mills has been Director of Volunteer! York County at the United Way of York County since May 2006.

A successful volunteer placement relies so heavily on good, targeted recruitment. Of course we all could use the help of a volunteer, and having that extra set of hands is so important to help initiatives move forward. But sometimes our eagerness to get a person in place can make us forget that there are so many things that need to happen before we are able to fully utilize a volunteer resource.

Recruitment of volunteers begins with a need. This varies widely from organization to organization, and could be something as simple as having an extra set of hands for one day/month to assist with clothes sorting or a mailing to something as complex as help with the drafting of a comprehensive plan or legal language for the formation of a non-profit. Whatever the need may be, it is important to think through the project.

Drafting a solid position description is the first step toward successfully recruiting the right person to volunteer with your organization. The position description should be as detailed as possible and include the following information:
• Organization Mission, Goals and Objectives: The position description should provide a brief description of the organization, including the mission statement so the volunteer can understand the bigger picture of the organization and how their project may help achieve overall organizational goals
• Project Description: This is probably the most important part of the position description because it provides the information about what the volunteer will be working on during his/her term of service. It helps to set clear expectations during the recruitment phase. As much as possible, the position description should include a role description within each project area.
• Timeline for the Project: Is this a one-time volunteer opportunity or an ongoing long-term need? It’s important to provide a rough outline of a timeline for the volunteer so they will know if they are successfully working toward expected goals, and for them to feel a sense of achievement.
• Nature of the Work: Can the project be completed in person, or can the project be completed remotely via computer or phone
• Supervision: Someone will need to take on the role of volunteer supervisor. It is important to ensure that one person will serve as the person who will provide guidance and support for the volunteer. The supervisor will need to be available to meet on a regular basis with the volunteer. The position description should address communication strategies between the supervisor and the volunteer. In some cases, it may be helpful to create a “social advisor/supervisor” who will help orient the volunteer to the community- to make sure they meet other people outside of the organization in order to feel connected to their new community, and to make sure the volunteer gets invited to dinners and is aware of community events that may be of interest.
• Orientation Plan: how will the volunteer be oriented to the organization, co-workers, touring the facility, learning about the community?
• Recruitment Criteria: Depending on the volunteer need, you may be looking for someone with a sophisticated skill set (planning or legal experience, teaching experience, computer skills, etc.), or just someone who is physically fit enough to help out with trail construction or a beach clean-up. Whatever the need, it is important to think about the skills the volunteer should have coming into the position, and what skills may be able to be trained during the volunteer service. If you are looking for a gregarious, extroverted person to help develop fun activities for nursing home residents, you probably don’t want to recruit someone who is most comfortable sitting behind a computer or working in a research lab. You can’t train someone to extroverted.

Once a solid position description has been created, then it is time to think about recruitment. Some organizations decide to do targeted recruiting depending on the need. For example, if you are looking for someone to help with the archiving of historical or library resources, you may want to look for volunteers through universities or schools who have museum or library science degrees. Whatever the recruitment strategy, it is important to provide as much detail from your position descriptions so the potential volunteers are well-informed with the projects and their role within the projects. You don’t have to include all details, and perhaps you can link back to your website for further details. However, this is the first chance to “sell” your volunteer opportunity, and to attract the candidates that are the best fit for your opportunity.

Once you’ve received applications for your position and have picked the candidates you would like to follow-up with, it is important to decide how you will interview the candidates. If it’s important to get a feel for their personality, sense of humor, and overall fit into your organization, it may be important to think of ways you can conduct an interview that isn’t intimidating- perhaps, meeting over coffee, or starting with a tour of your organization or meeting different people. Sometimes, sitting at a conference table with 5 board members can be very intimidating, and you may not get a good impression of your candidate. Think of ways to make the interview relaxed and comfortable.

You also may want to provide contact information for past volunteers so the candidates can get the “real scoop” about the challenges and rewards of the position and the organization. It is so important to try to provide as much information about the organization, expectations, culture, and challenges up front before the volunteer commits to accepting your position. There are always going to be unforeseen challenges that arise, but volunteers will appreciate the honesty and respect demonstrated by being candid and clear about expectations before they make a long-term commitment.

Laying the groundwork of a solid position description, and communicating clear expectations during the recruitment and interviewing stage will help to ensure a solid volunteer placement. The volunteer will feel that they have a strong sense of purpose and will understand where their role fits into the overall mission and goals of the organization.

Chris Wolff is Community Development Director at the Island Institute.

Editor’s note: This is the first in a four part series.

When I hear people talking about “problem volunteers” and how to deal with them I immediately think of prevention. There are many ways to structure your program to prevent issues associated with problem volunteers. In my view, dealing with problem volunteers begins with writing solid volunteer position descriptions. Equally important is communication, providing quality training and orientation. These are all common components of a successful volunteer program.

A well written and targeted position description will assist you in attracting and selecting the best volunteer for the position. The description serves to inform the volunteers so they can self select based on their skills and interests. Along with effective interviewing skills, thoughtfully prepared position descriptions will help avoid problems that can arise when a volunteer is improperly placed. Often a problem volunteer is a volunteer who is in the wrong position.

Some questions you should ask yourself before writing a volunteer position description:

How will the volunteer be used within the organization?
Why do you need a volunteer?
What are you expecting of the volunteer?
Who will manage the volunteer?

Be sure to include these key elements as well:

Position/Title
Goal of position
Worksite
Major duties
Length of commitment
Qualifications sought
Training required/provided
Prerequisites/skills
Supervisor/Point of Contact
Travel required
Benefits to the volunteer

As you write your position description consider using action words to get your point across succinctly. Try to use short sentences and bullet points that convey specifically what you’re looking for, for example:

• Records minutes at each meeting and provides printed copies within two weeks to board members with minimum errors.

The position description is one of the first things a potential volunteer may encounter with respect to your program. It needs to be professional, enticing, and thoughtfully prepared. When a position description is specific it conveys clear expectations, which is another form of prevention. Like employees, volunteers need to know what is expected of them in order to perform and be successful!

Rochelle Runge is the Public Relations Representative for the Maine Commission for Community Service.

My work with volunteers is sporadic. Often I’ll bring a group together for a single day project and won’t see them again for months. This gives me a lot of “down time” between spurts of volunteer activity and I try to use that to my advantage as well as the advantage of the volunteers. I view each lull in a program as an opportunity for re-evaluation.

After every big project I ask myself the following:
- Did everything go as planned?
- If not, what didn’t go as planned and was that a bad thing?
- What, if anything, went poorly and why?
- How do I make this more worthwhile for the volunteer?
- How do I make this easier for the volunteer to effectively complete?
- How do I change this project next time so I get closer to the results I need?
- How can I make this better?

These are questions that every program coordinator (volunteer based or not) should be asking. More importantly, program coordinators need to act on the results of project evaluation. Sometimes taking the time out of a busy schedule to actually change things is the hardest part. I’m lucky that my programs have natural breaks in the schedule. Most coordinators may have to make the time, but program re-evaluation is well worth it.

Bessie Wright is an AmeriCorps member serving with the Maine Conservation Corps.

Programs and projects are always changing. A constantly shifting society, diverse volunteer groups, new technologies and new funding sources force volunteer-based programs to be flexible. By continually re-evaluating programs that inevitable change can be focused, timely and well planned.