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, Partners Worldwide, shares its insights on the topics listed below. Partners Worldwide is a faith-based international aid organization that engages American business-people sharing their knowledge to mentor, equip, and encourage small and medium businesses in developing countries around the world. Partners Worldwide’s approach is to grow businesses and create jobs in areas of need through the following activities: develop affiliate partnerships; offer business mentoring; provide access to capital; and advocate on behalf of the poor.
- Importance of Volunteers to Your mission
Engaging American business and professional volunteers to alleviate poverty is the core of Partners Worldwide's mission. With fewer than 10 full-time staff and 72 partnership projects in 21 countries, our volunteer mentors and team leaders are integral for our approach to economic development. Partners Worldwide engages volunteers with the expectation of long-term commitments, personal relationships, and a high-level of involvement with our international business partnerships. Last year more than 200 of our business and professional members served as business mentors and volunteers around the world. One quarter of our volunteers last year took on the leadership role of a “team leader.” Our volunteer team leaders provide leadership and significant time commitments to manage a partnership between one of Partners Worldwide’s international business affiliates and a North American volunteer business group (an affiliate).
- Primary Challenges Facing Your Volunteer Program
- There are economic and culture gaps between our international business partners and our North American business volunteers that can result in miscommunication and misunderstandings.
- Because most of our volunteer positions are unique with few replicable tasks, recruitment and training are not easy. Partners Worldwide has a wide array of partnerships, approaches, and projects that require more intensive recruitment and training for specific skills and leadership roles from our volunteers.
- Steps Taken by Your Organization to Meet Those Challenges
- Developed cultural sensitivity training and resources for affiliates.
- Encourage an initial trip to visit an international partnership before taking on a business mentoring or volunteer role.
- Host monthly team leader calls, to share ideas, resources, lessons learned and inspiration among our volunteer leaders.
- Developed an on-line “Partners Information Network” site with volunteer opportunities, trip planning tools, culture and country specific information, mentoring guides, and many other resources for our volunteers.
- Tips for Creating and Managing Effective Volunteer Programs
- If you want a high level of commitment from your volunteers, provide opportunities and support for a high level of involvement and responsibility.
- Build a support network among your volunteers.
- Honor volunteers publicly as often as possible (we give the President's Volunteer Service Award to eligible volunteers annually).
- Create a way to capture volunteers’ ideas on how to improve the process and programs (we ask each volunteer to fill out a volunteer log with feedback on their way home from an international trip).
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.
|
