403. Helping Veterans Fight Loneliness through Remote Volunteering

Show Notes:

During the height of COVID, CASA of San Joaquin County faced the fact that over 1500 children from the County were living in foster care. These abused and neglected children had been removed from their families and placed in foster homes, group homes (now called STRTPs), or even at our county's homeless shelter. To address this challenge, CASA connects children and youth living in foster care with a community volunteer who makes an 18-24 month commitment to advocate and mentor them.

When Dani started with CASA in October of 2021, she was given a bold goal to recruit 42 community members from diverse walks of life. To follow through on this commitment, she was able to not only reach her goal but surpass it. Through the smart use of social media and focused outreach, she was able to attract a diverse and multi-generational group of volunteers dedicated to helping youth navigate the court system.

In this episode, Dani shares her recipe for effective social media and how she overcame her anxiety around making cold calls (don’t we all have that?!). In the end, it’s all about staying true to your mission and communicating your passion for those you serve in a compassionate and accessible way. Dani shows us how it’s done with grace and focus!

Learn more about the work of CASA and how you can help at:

• www.nochildabuse.org/casa
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/casa-of-san-joaquin-county/
• https://www.facebook.com/CASAsanjoaquincounty
• https://www.instagram.com/casaofsjcounty/

For More:

For more on how another organization approached diversifying their volunteer team, check out Time + Talent Podcast Episode 108: The Rewards & Challenges of Nonprofit Board Diversity - Part 1 and Episode 109: The Rewards & Challenges of Nonprofit Board Diversity - Part 2

Guest Bio:

Dani Daly is the Recruiter/Trainer for CASA of San Joaquin County. As an educator and a mother, Dani noticed the needs of children living in the foster care system. Dani noticed that the students she worked closely with, as well as the friends of her two school-aged children, who resided in foster care, often felt alone having few adults who were in their lives who weren't being paid to be there. 

After years of working in education, Dani joined CASA of San Joaquin County to make a difference in the lives of children in foster care. Dani works diligently to recruit San Joaquin County citizens to join the CASA organization and is passionate about diversifying the pool of volunteers to more closely represent our county's youth in foster care.

You can reach Dani on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-daly-55292198/

And via email at ddaly@nochildabuse.org

Courtney Tull joins us to talk about her work with volunteers and  her journey - so far!

Starting with her work as an AmeriCorps member she found a connection with the work of leading and engaging volunteers in the community.

Since that first experience, Courtney has achieved her CVA (Certified in Volunteer Administration), her Masters in Administration of Human Services, and completed her Doctorate in Social Sciences.

While working for Habitat for Humanity Sussex County in Delaware, Courtney began the research for her Doctorate - exploring her suspected connections between volunteering, well-being, and quality of life.

She was right, and she confirmed that volunteers who understand and follow their motivations reap greater rewards from their service.

Courtney shares how this data can provide the grounds to tailor recruitment and marketing strategies to match the work to the motivations of volunteers. 

View the infographic of Courtney’s research here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lwafytpve_CezWhgcMmcDfH9QJK46U7f/

You can read Courtney manuscript on her findings here: https://www.proquest.com/openview/a6dda1793a0abc57ba181d8494355324/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

For More:

For more research on volunteer engagement check out Season 2, Episode 202 The Hard Truth: Diversity & Equity in Volunteer Engagement.

Guest Bio:

Courtney Tull, CVA, DSocSci is an experienced leader in nonprofit and human service administration specializing in volunteer management, community engagement, and social science.

Courtney earned the Delaware Service Impact Award from the Governor's Commission on Community and Volunteer Service in 2018 as a result of her AmeriCorps service.

As a practitioner, Courtney has recruited thousands of volunteers and AmeriCorps members to aid Sussex County Habitat in its mission to build affordable housing and strengthen communities in Delaware.  

Since 2020, she has designed and presented her doctoral-level research about the relationship between volunteering and well-being to professional audiences locally and nationally, also being recognized as Wilmington University's College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Academic Award Recipient in 2022.

Courtney recently relocated to Orlando, Florida where she enjoys getting to know her new community, sitting on her balcony to read and look for new healthy recipes, and caring for her guinea pigs.

You can reach Courtney at ctull04098@gmail.com or on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-tull

MobileServe helps groups like schools - from elementary to college - and companies connect with nonprofits to access service learning opportunities.

They also allow those groups to gather information and feedback from the students and employees participating. Kevin Bauman joins us to talk about what they’ve learned by reviewing the information they’ve collected around impact.

For volunteers - whether they’re students or adults - volunteering can offer the opportunity to make an impact, but that message doesn’t always get clearly delivered.

MobileServe has found that asking volunteers to reflect on their experience in some way before they return back to their classrooms or offices can make a big impact on the connection a volunteer feels to the work they did. 

Questions like “How did your service make you feel?” are a good start, but asking additional questions like “What challenged you?” or “What did you learn about the organization?” can invite volunteers to think a little more about their experience.

You can read more about this on Mobile Serve’s blog on the insights: https://blog.mobileserve.com/the-science-of-top-reflection-questions

While these are best practices for creating a connection with service learning volunteers, Kevin also shares how this type of reflection can be incorporated into working with adult volunteers, as well as a strategy to create a connection and form a stronger relationship with newer volunteers or volunteers that join your organization for single-day events.

Even just a few minutes at the end of a shift or event where volunteers can gather to talk about their experiences and the work they’ve done can go a long way toward creating a stronger connection to your organization and its mission.

You can learn more about the Service Learning Reflection Toolkit mentioned here: https://www.gtc.edu/sites/default/files/files/documents/Service_Learning_Reflection_Toolkit.pdf 

To learn more about MobileServe visit https://mobileserve.com/

And you can find MobileServe on social media @MobileServeApp

For More:

For more on service learning and creating connections with student volunteers check out Season 1, Episode 103 Key Lessons from Seven Years on Intern Iterations

Guest Bio:

Kevin Bauman is the Director of Community Development at MobileServe, a firm that helps connect volunteers to service opportunities and report the impact service organizations have in our communities.

He brings a passion for community building and 20 years of experience in not-for-profit technology solutions. He holds a conviction that technology can provide the necessary advantages for nonprofits and service organizations to meet aggressive goals with often limited resources.

Kevin earned a BS from the University of Texas at Austin and an Executive MBA from the University of Kentucky.

You can reach Kevin at kevin@mobileserve.org or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbauman/

Theresa Goebel-Menting founded and directs the We EmpowHer Women’s Empowerment Series, aimed at helping marginalized women and their families overcome challenges that may be holding them back from their true potential. This program provides mentorship, support, and education for women in the Fond du Lac community. Since its inception, Theresa has provided direct supervision to members of the committee, as well as direct mentorship to participants involved. 

In this interview, we chat with Theresa about how she made the decision to move a struggling program out of county government and into a private nonprofit. She shares the brave decisions she needed to make and how she has continued to evolve and grow the now 12-week Women’s Empowerment Series each year.

Theresa’s enthusiasm and determination are unstoppable and she shares her advice on how to remain resilient and strong, even through times of uncertainty.  If you need a dose of inspiration, don’t miss this episode!

To learn more about We EmpowHer and make a donation, visit:

• https://www.linkedin.com/company/we-empowher/
• https://www.instagram.com/weempowherfdl/
• https://www.facebook.com/weempowher

Watch “Unlock Your Shackles,” Theresa Menting’s TEDx Talk here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR8jczqsbkQ

For More:

For more on how one organization transformed its strategy and made bold moves to evolve, check out the Time + Talent Podcast Episode 208: Transforming Your Volunteer Strategy from the Ground Up

Guest Bio: 

Theresa Goebel-Menting is a lifelong Fond du Lac resident, business owner, executive leader, mentor, educator, life coach, and professional performer. Most of all, throughout her work in Fond du Lac, Theresa has always been an advocate for marginalized populations, and is intentional in leveraging relationships within the community to help others.

Theresa founded and directed the Women’s Empowerment Series, a program that started through the Fond du Lac Department of Social Services. This program provides mentorship, support and education for women in the Fond du Lac community. Since its inception, Theresa has provided direct supervision to members of the committee, as well as direct mentorship to participants involved. Since that time, the organization has evolved into WeEmpowHer, offering year-round programming, resources, and opportunities for connection and fellowship.

Theresa is also founder and CEO of Sweet ‘N Easy Events, an organization that provides event planning and coordination services throughout the Fox Cities. Her company, Sweet ‘N Easy Events, was also named the 2018 Best Full-Service Wedding Planning & Decorating Company by Global Wedding Awards. In addition to Theresa’s numerous volunteer positions, she was nominated as a Young Professional Future 5 Award Winner, and was named one of Fond du Lac’s 2018 People of the Year. Theresa was also nominated as 2022 Woman of Achievement by Insight Magazine. Theresa is involved with many community organizations, such as serving on the Board of Directors with ASTOP and Life Enforcement. In 2019, Theresa was an esteemed TEDx speaker. Since then, she has joined the TEDx Fond du Lac Team.

Theresa’s passion for supporting, mentoring, educating, and advocating for others has been a cornerstone to her success in Fond du Lac and the greater state of Wisconsin.

You can reach Theresa on the following social media:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-menting/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theresa_menting/

MuslimDepiction is a nonprofit that brings awareness and teaches about the diversity and culture of the Middle East. Through the help of volunteers and their newsletter, they spread the word about the nonprofit throughout America. They are also currently raising funds to build a school in Bali for over 60 students in preschool-kindergarten.

In this episode, Zainab shares how she has engaged volunteers to spread the word on their campuses, pass out flyers, print posters, advocate within their social and family circles, and get involved in their GoFundMe project.  She discusses how volunteering and charity are vital parts of the Muslim community’s focus on doing good deeds.

As a nonprofit founder and leader of volunteers, Zainab has faced many of the same challenges as her older counterparts. In our conversation, she shares how she has engaged a multi-generational group of volunteers - aged 15 to 40 - and how she approaches volunteers who aren’t performing to expectations.  If you have doubted the commitment and potential of youth and young adults, think again. Zainab’s story will make you rethink your point of view!

For More:

For more on how organizations are engaging volunteers to combat bias and racism, check out Time + Talent Podcast Episode 306: Quilting for Justice

Guest Bio: 

Welcome to MuslimDepiction, a nonprofit organization that strives to inform, support, and help Muslims around the world. Anyone is welcome to join and support us regardless of their religion or belief. We teach and inform about Islam and help break stereotypes regarding Muslims. We also bring awareness to multiple issues regarding Islamic nations through our social media and our articles page. 

Muslims are very underrepresented in many communities, which is why we provide a place for Muslims to help each other, support each other, and communicate. We teach and inform through our Instagram and articles page. We help donate and create projects also through our Instagram and website. As for communication, we provide a social network, discord, where people globally can get together to communicate. 

You can help support us through many means such as following us on our social platforms or donating towards one of our current ongoing projects. Thank you so much for all of your support and your time. We hope you enjoy your time here as we guide you through our mission! 

To get in touch, email muslimdepiction@gmail.com 

To learn more and make a donation, check out:

• muslimdepiction.carrd.co/ 
• https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-build-a-school-in-bali?qid=b85e34824c8010da72c9ed57ced8d123 

You can also find MulsimDEpiction on social media at:

Instagram - muslimdepiction

The Chester Zoo introduced a range of micro-volunteering activities alongside our traditional roles to engage the community in conservation action and volunteering in various ways from citizen science projects from home using motion sensor cameras in people's gardens to discover hedgehog habits to digital roles such as writing subtitles, researching and checking data to responding to letters from school children and school groups when they wrote to the zoo. 

At the same time, the Chester Zoo embarked on attaining their Investing in Volunteers quality standard, which requires documenting and improving practices in volunteer engagement. True to their community roots, they involved volunteers in helping frame their work during their credentialing process. 

In this conversation, Lindsay shares their philosophy on engaging stakeholders in their process and how they focus on person-centered volunteer engagement. She also described how they maintained connections with volunteers through social events and coffee mornings, which has led to high volunteer re-engagement and retention.

Learn more about the Chester Zoo here:  

• Chester Zoo on Twitter @chesterzoo
• Chester Zoo Learning Page - https://twitter.com/LearnatCZ
• Chester Zoo on LInkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/chester-zoo/mycompany/
• Chester Zoo Website - https://www.chesterzoo.org/

For more on the Investing in Volunteers quality standard, visit - https://investinginvolunteers.co.uk/

For More:

For more on how organizations were managing during the pandemic in the UK, check out Time + Talent Podcast Episode 307: Connecting with Volunteers During Times of Change

Guest Bio:

Lindsay joined Chester Zoo's Conservation Education and Engagement team in 2019 to manage their award-winning volunteer team. She's worked in the UK charity sector for over 15 years, managing volunteers and working with children and young people. The zoo's volunteer management team successfully engages volunteers in various roles, including visitor engagement, youth volunteering, gardening, archiving, education, community engagement and micro-volunteering. 

Chester Zoo achieved the Investing in Volunteers quality standard award in 2021; the award highlights their commitment to providing a high-quality volunteering experience. Chester Zoo's Plan for Volunteering highlights how volunteers contribute to key targets in the Conservation Masterplan, which aims to empower 10 million people to live more sustainably before the zoo’s 100th birthday in 2031.

You can reach Lindsay on LinkedIn at - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-marston-59804453/

In this episode, Prince Taylor, Deputy Director, VA Center for Development & Civic Engagement at the US Department of Veterans Affairs shares how their organization moved a friendly visitor program online and adapted it for remote volunteers.  

The Compassionate Contact Corps is a virtual social prescription program where trained volunteers are matched with Veterans that are experiencing loneliness or are socially isolated. The volunteer typically calls the veteran weekly for 15-60 minutes to provide socialization and companionship via phone or video calls.

In our chat. Prince shares how the program came about through the enthusiastic advocacy of his local coordinators and how they structured the program for success.  The early data on this pilot program shows that these calls improve the mental health and well-being of veterans, who are referred by their providers to the program.

We also discuss how staff prepare volunteers to be successful in the program without overextending themself or transgressing professional boundaries and where they find volunteers to help.

For more information, visit VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement Home

For more on how to partner or participate, visit Compassionate Contact Corps - VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement

For More:

For more on how volunteer-involving organizations serve veterans using remote volunteers, check out Time + Talent Podcast Episode 305: How Remote Volunteering Gave this Organization an Edge!

Guest Bio:

Mr. Prince Taylor has served as Deputy Director for VA Voluntary Service since October 2018.  Formerly he was the HR Manager for VA’s Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness where he managed all human resource activities, advised political and career senior executives.  While serving on the VA’s Veterans Month Committee, he started the Department’s TEDxVeteransAffairs program.  

He was selected by the VA’s Corporate Executive Development Board for the Partnership in Public Service’s Excellence in Government Fellowship, which he completed in 2016 and served as a co-coach in 2018 and 2019.  Currently he serves on several advisory boards and committees, including the National VA Voluntary Service Advisory Board and the National Technical Career Field Advisory Board.  He has completed VA’s Transformational Coaching (Apprentice) program and began a doctoral program at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College in August 2020 in Leadership in Learning Organizations.  

Prince served 12 years in the U.S. Navy, serving as a deck seaman, gunner’s mate, yeoman, and intelligence specialist (he couldn’t seem to keep a job).  He served in numerous locations around the country and overseas.  He has received an M.Ed. in Workforce Education and a Bachelors in Paralegal Studies and Political Science from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale.  Today, he will give an overview of a new national program he leads called the Compassionate Contact Corps.

You can reach Prince on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedIn.com/in/prince-taylor

Season 4 of the Time + Talent Podcast is here and we're finally caught up! Tobi and Jennifer are back with a second season of the year. We generally post one season per year; however Season 3 was posted earlier this year - having been delayed by COVID.

Now, Tobi and Jenimfer are back on track to share innovative and inspirational stories from practitioners in the field of nonprofit volunteer and community engagement.

The good news is that nonprofits are building back from COVID and a global pandemic and welcoming volunteers back to service. In this season, we spotlight organizations that made the best of the challenges posed by lockdowns and came out stronger and more resilient because of them. In some cases, leaders of volunteers are continuing initiatives they started in the pandemic that continue to have an impact on those who serve and those who benefit from these fresh ways of thinking and doing.

It’s a testament to the dedication and creativity of volunteer managers around the world and the volunteers who were willing to roll up their sleeves and dive in, even in the face of uncertainty.

This season would not have been possible without the generosity of our guests who were willing to share their journeys with our audience. We thank each and every one of them for joining us to share their time and talent.

We hope you enjoy Season 4 - please take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review. This helps us reach a wider audience of professionals just like you who may be in need of a little inspiration and good news. 

For More:

For overviews of our past season kick-off episodes, check out Episode 101: Welcome to the T+T Podcast - Bold Practices in Volunteer Engagement, Episode 201: Welcome to Season 2, and Episode 301: Welcome to Season 3!

Guest Contact and Follow Up Info:

Websites: 

https://volpro.net/

https://tobijohnson.com/

https://www.volunteermatch.org/

https://learn.volunteermatch.org/

LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobijohnsonconsultant/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-bennett-cva/

In 2021, during the pandemic, Holden Forests and Gardens began work on the foundation components for their volunteer engagement strategy. One of those efforts was a volunteer-led task force to redevelop their Volunteer Handbook.

In this episode, Tracee Patterson Associate Director of Volunteer and Employee Engagement, Sarah Hartley Manager of Volunteer Resources, and Patrick Biliter Volunteer Handbook Review Task Force Team Leader share the work they did to evaluate and redesign their Volunteer Handbook.

After reviewing Handbooks from other organizations they created a digital document that focuses on supporting and engaging volunteers in the work of the organization. They wanted it to be useful for new volunteers as well as ongoing volunteers, and that the document would reflect the beauty of their forests and gardens.

They also wanted it to foster a shared culture and engage volunteers deeply in the work of the organization. Patrick shares their goals, and the steps they took as a volunteer-led task force including their first step of Appreciative Inquiry and the Group Meeting Rules.

You can learn more about that process in their Volunteer Resources Annual Report for FY20201.

While they had a strong foundation for the work that needed to be done, they did run into some challenges, including the work taking longer than planned. They were able to launch their QuickStart Guide for New Volunteers first, and on time, and follow that up with the full paperless, digital handbook. You are welcome to visit and explore their final product!

For More:

For more information on inviting volunteers to lead changes within your organization check out Season 2 of the Time + Talent Podcast, Episode 205: Digital Transformation as the New Normal - Moving Mentoring Online.

Guest Bio:

Tracee Patterson Associate Director of Volunteer and Employee Engagement

Tracee Patterson is the Associate Director of Volunteer & Employee Engagement at Holden Forests & Gardens. Her prior work in volunteerism involved administrative and teaching positions at John Carroll University and Kent State University, where she coordinated service-learning programming and taught service-based classes for students. Tracee enjoys volunteering for other environmental organizations as well as for social justice causes she is passionate about. Tracee was the recipient of the 2020 Volunteer Administrator of the Year Award, presented annually by the Forum for Volunteer Administrators in Northeast Ohio. She lives in northeast Ohio and enjoys hiking, kayaking, bicycling and yoga. 

Sarah Hartley, CVA Manager of Volunteer Resources

Sarah Hartley is currently the Manager of Volunteer Resources for Holden Forests & Gardens in the Cleveland, OH area, where she has worked since 2015. Before moving to Ohio, she spent eleven years as a volunteer coordinator at The Salvation Army Northern Division in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area spending a lot of time on their bell ringing volunteer program and various volunteer management systems. Sarah received her certification in volunteer administration (CVA) in 2019, and she has been working in the field of volunteer management since 2003 when she earned her Mini-MBA in Volunteer Management from the University of St. Thomas Center of Nonprofit Management.

Patrick Biliter Volunteer Handbook Review Task Force Team Leader

To avoid becoming a third-generation eastern Kentucky coal miner, Pat Biliter became a geologist instead, pursuing his studies at The Ohio State University, U.C.L.A., and the University of Utah.  Most children go through rock and bug collecting phases, but Pat never grew out of his.  His great passions in life include books, landforms, wildlife, blue-tick fox hounds, and his wife of 53 years, not necessarily in that order.  He spent his career and most of his adult life working in some 34 foreign countries in environmental remediation, disaster relief and military construction.  Upon retiring and returning to the United States, Pat began volunteering at Holden Forests & Gardens, the perfect venue for sharing his love of the outdoors and natural history with adults and children of all ages.

Contact the Team: volunteer@holdenfg.org

Contact Tracee at tpatterson@holdenfg.org

Contact Sarah at shartley@holdenfg.org.

Contact Patrick at pbiliter@hotmail.com

Website: https://holdenfg.org/