Goal 1       Increase public and organizations’ understanding and valuing of volunteer administration and DCAVS

Measurement. Recruit and retain membership.

Background. These goals and guidelines came from the ideas to re-purpose the Outreach Committee by removing its web site maintenance responsibility and instead focusing the Outreach Committee on advocacy directed towards the Dane County public and the organizations that have volunteer involvement. This advocacy will tell the “story” of volunteer administration and tell the story of DCAVS and its connection to volunteer administration.

Next steps.

What:     Recruit a strong chair and work to recruit the committee. Then, the committee will put the initial plan together for advocacy strategy to share with the Board and gain approval.

Suggestions.

• Outreach uses & integrates with all the current activities of DCAVS
• Partner/collaborate with others (e.g., United Way Volunteer Center)

Brainstorm ideas.

• Recruitment
• Public face
• Manages website (or not, as we later decided)
• How to let our members learn more about DCAVS? Expand lunch & learn? Add to newsletter and website.
• Every members’ website should list themselves as a DCAVS member.
• First tell our story to Dane County organizations and public, then to the broader world.
• Advocacy
• More strategic collaborations
• Communicate to people inside and outside the profession that:

◦       This (volunteer administration) is valuable

◦       This is a profession and deserves good compensation, etc. and requires special skills and talents

◦       Receives recognition

◦       It is seen as a legitimate career choice

◦       People can better advocate for themselves in their organization and demonstrate their importance/value

Create more revenue generating opportunities – to be able to do more for our members

• Advertising in newsletter?
• Raise Lunch and Learn fees somewhat
• Share resources through collaborations
  
  

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Goal 2       Be more connected and responsive to our members and prospective members to increase membership and strengthen retention.

Measurement. Conduct a constituent survey. At the January 2011 Board retreat we will know more about our members and non-members and their needs and behavior.

Next steps.

What:    An interdisciplinary task force (include membership, program, other committees) 

Suggestions.

• Do surveys through e-mail blast to membership, recruiting expertise and people to join the task force. Have in the newsletter, too.
• Take first step and learn about member profile, needs and satisfaction by using member surveys and non-member survey(s) (of volunteer administrators in Dane County and their managers).
• Conduct focus groups, especially of non-members – maybe this can be done after Lunch and Learn programs. Perhaps United Way works with this.
• Conduct “exit interviews” with those who have not renewed.
• Define our benefits more clearly.

Brainstorm ideas.

• Create a membership survey
• Encourage members to get more involved and serve on committees or Boards?
• Enhance Networking
• Membership benefit – Mentors
  
  

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Goal 3      Strengthen web presence

Measurement. Create Web 2.0 committee

Next steps.

What:    Form a Web 2.0 committee that will work on our web presence, social media/networking matters, project management software potential (e.g., central 

Suggestions.

• The committee will more clearly define its scope.
• Use the newsletter and an e-mail blast to ask members for expertise and to join.

Brainstorm ideas.

Consider website a service delivery vehicle.

Goal 4      Continue to provide our high quality training and development opportunities.

Measurement. We will align programming to member input through a general survey. We will survey experienced members about intermediate/advanced training topics.

Background. Within DCAVS we will continue to work to coordinate Lunch and Learn Programs, the annual Conference, our newsletter, and our website. We will also continue to coordinate with United Way on the volunteer manager training series and for peer-to-peer connections.

Next steps.

What:   We need a liaison to the United Way Volunteer Manager Training Committee.

Brainstorm ideas.

• Create a CVA prep group
• Create more advanced training and professional development experiences (link to United Way)
• Can we expand/extend existing training to next step of more advanced level? Give tools people use (computer); Advanced sessions on tools.
• Coordinate a continuum of training across all our training activities.