Episode 205 - Digital Transformation as the New Normal - Moving Mentoring Online
Release Date: 10/12/2020
Time + Talent Podcast
Faiza Venzant used to focus on the paperwork and processes of managing volunteers in her work with the YMCA of Greater Toronto. But she doesn't do that anymore - she's shifted how she sees her work and the role she plays within her organization, and it's changed her whole approach to volunteer engagement!
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SOAR365 (formerly the Greater Richmond Arc) was founded 65 years ago by parents determined to find new and different ways to support their children with disabilities. The agency provides a range of services and employment opportunities for people of all ages with a wide range of abilities.
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In the past, Voya Financial’s Employee Volunteer Program was similar to many - legacy events that were uninspired and unfocused. But not anymore.
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Like many organization’s Habitat for Humanity, NYC has faced challenges when tapping into the time and talent of young professionals, but Ricardo Sebastian seems to have found the secret to success!
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Oasis Institute is the largest intergenerational K-3 mentoring program in the nation with 83 school districts and 4000 tutors. I the past, all tutoring took place in person before COVID-19 required a pivot.
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Cedars has been supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1919. Their residential and day programs are known for creating a life-affirming, loving environment in which participants are able to live creative, productive, and joyous lives.
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Metrocrest Services in the greater Dallas Area provides food and support services to 600-800 clients a week. While they had a diverse clientele, volunteers came from the surrounding suburbs and didn’t reflect the diverse community they served.
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After decades as a leader of volunteers for high-profile national charities in the UK, Helen Timbrell switched gears to work as an organizational development consultant and coach.
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What do you get when you interview a slate of talented leaders of volunteers and nonprofits professionals who understand the power of community? You get Season 2 of the Time + Talent podcast!
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In Part 2 of this interview, Dabash Negash from NYC Service shares practical ideas for starting a conversation and setting some goals and practices to help your organization understand and achieve better Board diversity, equity and inclusion. She also shares the ABCs of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. If you missed Episode 108, you can hear her discuss the results and findings from their survey and report on Board diversity in New York City.
info_outlineOasis Institute is the largest intergenerational K-3 mentoring program in the nation with 83 school districts and 4000 tutors. The average volunteer is a 72-year-old woman - many are former teachers, moms, grandmas, or others who have worked with children. They volunteer for an hour a week, and with an average tenure of 17 years. All tutoring took place in person before COVID-19 required a pivot.
With shelter-in-place, they had to reinvent their whole program. Elizabeth worked to understand what volunteers wanted to do, what the school’s policies were, and what might work moving forward. She invited volunteers to come to the table with solutions with how they might feel comfortable continuing to mentor children through distance learning.
By prioritizing safely and inclusion Elizabeth was able to pivot her volunteer engagement strategy to work for both the students and the tutors. She included zoom training for the volunteers that wanted to participate and created a communication plan to keep in touch with the volunteers that didn’t feel comfortable moving to an online platform.
Over the summer, they launched a pilot program with several local libraries and were able to evaluate what worked and where they would continue to innovate to launch their program for the school year.
If you are interested in learning more about Oasis and their Intergenerational Tutoring Program, visit their website at https://tutoring.oasisnet.org/or follow them on Facebook and Twitter @OasisInstitute
If you want to reach out directly to Elizabeth, email her at [email protected] You can also find Elizabeth on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethpawloski/
Guest Bio:
Elizabeth Pawloski, CVA
National Director Tutoring Partnerships and Expansion
The Oasis Institute
In her current role with Oasis, Elizabeth is responsible for the expansion of the Intergenerational Tutoring Program into new markets and the administration of the Senior Corps-RSVP federal grants. Elizabeth came to Oasis in 2014 with over 25 years of Volunteer Management experience. Elizabeth previously served as the Director of Volunteer Services at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Assistant Director of Membership Services for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri. Elizabeth has served as the President of the Metropolitan Volunteer Management Association, member of the United Way Volunteer Center Certification Committee and the University of Missouri System Administrative Leadership Development Program. She is a certified Volunteer Administrator and a prior recipient of the St. Louis Volunteer Director of the Year Award.
Her Bachelor of Science Degree is in Business Administration from the University of Missouri - Columbia and she has completed post-graduate work towards a Master of Education degree in Counseling from the University of Missouri - St. Louis.
She is passionate about volunteerism, intergenerational relationships, and being kind to others.
For More:
For more info on how organizations manage virtual volunteer engagement, check out Season 1 of the Time + Talent podcast, Episode 107: Digital Team Building with Remote Volunteers.