Welcome to Partners Corner where Volunteers for Prosperity partner organizations, U.S.-based nonprofits and companies, can exchange useful information based on topics related to international voluntary service. This forum provides VfP partners periodic opportunities to share with others in the VfP partner network insights and perspectives on managing volunteer programs.
This month VfP partner, Cross-Cultural Solutions, shares its insights on the topics listed below. Cross-Cultural Solutions, located in New Rochelle, New York, is a nonprofit aid organization that offers short-term, international volunteer opportunities for American professionals in 12 countries. Project areas include health, education, and women & youth.
Importance of volunteers to your organization's mission
The mission of Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) is to operate volunteer programs around the world in partnership with sustainable community initiatives, bringing people together to work side-by-side while sharing perspectives and cultural understanding.
Internally, our mission pervades everything that we do here at CCS. Every important decision is made against the backdrop of how it furthers our mission.
Externally, our mission serves as a billboard as to what our organization stands for - at the end of the day, it's why we are doing what we are doing.
Primary challenges facing your organization's volunteer program
Cross-Cultural Solutions has been successful in the short-term international volunteer field first and foremost because of program quality. Meticulous attention has been paid to every aspect of the CCS experience for volunteers and to the positive impact we have in the local communities where we operate.
The short-term international volunteer field has grown tremendously in the last decade. As CCS moves towards its 12 year anniversary of running successful volunteer programs, our biggest challenge is how to maintain and improve our program quality as we expand. CCS will send over 4,000 volunteers abroad in 2007, an increase of more than 30% from 2006. We continuously examine our growth in the context of program quality in order to find a healthy balance.
Steps taken by your organization to meet those challenges
In order to address these challenges, we have created a department that specifically focuses on expansion and program quality. Our Programs Department maintains very close communication with our in-country staff and works both pro-actively and re-actively to address program issues across the board. This department sets and reviews in-country policy, capacity, and financial accounts among many other tasks.
Other tools to help us achieve our goals and maintain program quality as we expand are our In-country Operating Manual, Annual Operating Plan - one for the organization as a whole and one for each of our nine departments, and a Five Year Strategic Plan.
Tips for creating and managing effective volunteer programs
Setting up and managing volunteer programs around the world is a monumental task - but one that can be done! Cross-Cultural Solutions started almost 12 years ago by sending just one volunteer to India. When encountering challenges, a key strategy is to go back to the basics. A new organization needs to ask itself four questions:
- What is the local need that the volunteers will address?
- How will the volunteers do this?
- What impact will the volunteers have in the short-term and long-term?
- What mechanisms are in place to monitor program effectiveness and to develop the programs over time?
These questions which prompt self-examination, continuous learning and improvement have served CCS very well!
Note: Partners Corner is not intended to serve as a vehicle for making recommendations to the VfP Office, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) or the U.S. Government. Views on the topics are completely voluntary and help to facilitate a useful exchange of ideas among VfP partners on best practices, challenges, and lessons learned relating to international voluntary service.
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