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What Good Programs Are Made Of
by Allison (Allison) on 09-15-2008 02:49 PM
Around the same time that I started mentoring Pam, I began a new position at a local non-profit. I was hired as the Mentor Coordinator (MC). I recruited and trained new volunteers, planned monthly enrichment activities and mentor support groups. When I started with the program, we had 25 active mentors. After three years with the program, I had recruited, trained and matched over 100 mentors. I think there were several reasons why the program tripled in less than three years.
First of all, I had great co-workers. I worked directly with the case managers and therapist who had weekly contact with the children in the program. We communicated easily and we all wanted what was best for the children. Most of my co-workers attended the enrichment activities, where we all could interact with the children on a more relaxed level. Some of the events we did included annual trips to watch the Tigers play at Comerica Park, ice skating, visiting the IMAX Theater, a Halloween event at Henry Ford, and more! We also volunteered together as a group, which modeled to the children that they can also give back to the community. We worked at a food pantry, lakeshore clean ups, and collecting food for the less fortunate. The agency I worked for also provided opportunities to attend trainings and conferences on mentoring and mental health issues.
Another reason why our program was successful was the retention of the volunteers. As the MC, I was able to be the first and last contact in the program. I knew I had to clearly communicate our expectations, rules and policies to the volunteers. I recognized I had to provide as much support for the volunteers as possible. Some of the small things I did to make sure our volunteers knew they were appreciated included sending birthday cards, writing thank you cards during National Mentoring Month, recognizing one volunteer a month in our monthly newsletter, and returning phone calls and emails in a timely fashion. I learned over the years that if you have a happy volunteer, they are more likely to say yes when you ask them to volunteer again.
Another helpful tool was the mentor collaboration we belonged to, Metro Detroit Mentor Collaboration. We came together once a quarter to discuss any mentoring issues we were experiencing. This collaboration made me realize that some of the struggles I was going through as a MC were normal. The group members provided support, resources and encouragement to keep going. We partnered together to host recruitment events, plan activities for our mentors and mentees and provide trainings to our mentors.
If you are a volunteer for a mentoring program, I'd suggest providing feedback to your MC about the way the program is running. I appreciated the honesty of my mentors when they told me their opinions (both bad and good) about the program. It's helpful to have some type of feedback. If your program doesn't have a newsletter or send out thank you cards, offer to help your MC complete these projects. Although they seem small, these are the little things that will keep a volunteer happy and want to stay with the program for years to come.
First of all, I had great co-workers. I worked directly with the case managers and therapist who had weekly contact with the children in the program. We communicated easily and we all wanted what was best for the children. Most of my co-workers attended the enrichment activities, where we all could interact with the children on a more relaxed level. Some of the events we did included annual trips to watch the Tigers play at Comerica Park, ice skating, visiting the IMAX Theater, a Halloween event at Henry Ford, and more! We also volunteered together as a group, which modeled to the children that they can also give back to the community. We worked at a food pantry, lakeshore clean ups, and collecting food for the less fortunate. The agency I worked for also provided opportunities to attend trainings and conferences on mentoring and mental health issues.
Another reason why our program was successful was the retention of the volunteers. As the MC, I was able to be the first and last contact in the program. I knew I had to clearly communicate our expectations, rules and policies to the volunteers. I recognized I had to provide as much support for the volunteers as possible. Some of the small things I did to make sure our volunteers knew they were appreciated included sending birthday cards, writing thank you cards during National Mentoring Month, recognizing one volunteer a month in our monthly newsletter, and returning phone calls and emails in a timely fashion. I learned over the years that if you have a happy volunteer, they are more likely to say yes when you ask them to volunteer again.
Another helpful tool was the mentor collaboration we belonged to, Metro Detroit Mentor Collaboration. We came together once a quarter to discuss any mentoring issues we were experiencing. This collaboration made me realize that some of the struggles I was going through as a MC were normal. The group members provided support, resources and encouragement to keep going. We partnered together to host recruitment events, plan activities for our mentors and mentees and provide trainings to our mentors.
If you are a volunteer for a mentoring program, I'd suggest providing feedback to your MC about the way the program is running. I appreciated the honesty of my mentors when they told me their opinions (both bad and good) about the program. It's helpful to have some type of feedback. If your program doesn't have a newsletter or send out thank you cards, offer to help your MC complete these projects. Although they seem small, these are the little things that will keep a volunteer happy and want to stay with the program for years to come.
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