Paper outline
Critical evaluation of Minnie’s Food Pantry Volunteer Volunteer program
Introduction
As presented in the interview, Minnie’s Food Pantry was established on April, 1st 2008 (April fool’s day) with the volunteer program being set in October, 2008. The organization offers healthy meals to families that are in need, in addition to educating them to become positive contributors to the community. In order to make this possible, the organization partners with local grocery stores and market to acquire fresh fruits, vegetables and wholesome meals to the families served. Currently, the organization serves thousands of families via its feeding programs. Additionally, the organization offers healthy snack packs to kids coming to the food pantry alongside their parents. The organization’s and hence the volunteer program’s measurement indicators are the families served and the amount of food that is offered to them. Additionally, the organization constantly reviews the growth in number of families and quantity of food that is served. So far, the charity has registered over 17% increase in number of families that are served and so has the quantity of food that is served to respective families.
At Minnie’s Food Pantry, the volunteer program is considered an important element of operations. According to the organization’s website, assuming that a valuation of the volunteer’s minimum wage is done, the volunteers can be considered to have contributed labor worth $154,183 in 2013 alone. The volunteer program at Minnie’s Food Pantry attracts volunteers from different backgrounds and as such creates a passionate and diverse team. Additionally, volunteers come from a different institutions ranging from individual people, companies, schools and churches among others. The organization prides in a great and likable atmosphere for all types of volunteers. For persons requiring volunteering in groups of five or more, it is required that they schedule a day. Volunteer tasks available at Minnie’s Food Pantry include but not limited to sorting of foods, inspection, packaging of grocery and participation in special projects/events. In the recent past, the organization has announced a need for off-site volunteers include food drivers, pick-ups and delivery drivers. Advocates are also required for voluntary services at Minnie.
Analysis
- What are the strengths of the volunteer program? Present two strengths and describe how these are supporting the volunteer program. Use the information you gathered during the interview.
An effective Volunteer program should have clear policy guidelines upon which all its decisions are based. The program should behave to have positive contributions towards the targeted community. As a matter of fact, the best metric for measurement of success of the Volunteer program is through the impact it has on the community. Additionally, a good Volunteer program should lay out what is expected of all stakeholders as well as the benefits that the stakeholders will derive from the program. There are various cost-effective techniques to preservation and development of physical and human resources, which minimize financial losses and liabilities (Savedoff, 2003: 45).
The volunteer program at Minnie Food Pantry is strengthened by multiple factors. Firstly, presence of a full time paid manager’s position with other duties besides other than with volunteers ensures that leadership is provided to the program and as such offer the required management. The full time manager also works under a high salary range ensuring they are committed and motivated to the program. Experience is also an import tool in every organization. The organizations prides in having run volunteer program since 2008, implying over 5 years of volunteer management. In essence, this has ensured the program to be more efficient and focused. Additionally, it should be noted that the organization attracts more than 5,500 volunteers and as such builds on the volunteer program management experience. Its efficiency is further facilitated by reduced costs with only 4 paid staff being involved in the program. This ensures efficient use of donations. The program also draws strength from its diverse volunteer backgrounds spread across all races/ethnicity. Additionally, inclusion of the program in Minnie Food Pantry’s strategic plan further serves to strengthen the program.
Additionally, Minnie’s Food Pantry Volunteer has a carefully planned health and safety management plan as is illustrated in its report/action plan. Its guidelines describe formal management inspection practices upon which the system is built and on which a continuous improvement objective is achieved. The guidelines describe not just actions expected within Minnie’s Food Pantry Volunteer but also describe how equipment should be handled and even tested. Additionally, it details a plan for health and safety initiatives including plan on how to handle Health & Safety Training, management of stress, handling accidents, festivities, and first Aid. The centralized operations of Minnie’s Food Pantry Volunteer allow use of a single centralized system planned to meet the needs of all the faculties in the institution (Buckley, 2004: 34). The Community health and safety policy statement acts as a benchmark for health and safety issues within the institution. The document is a true demonstration of the organization to enhanced health & safety within the organization. According to the policy, the center of the policy approach is building of health and well-being policy based on eight strategic values derived from legislation, guidance, and recognized good practice. The values of which are established in the overarching policy statement, “run operational structures and reflected responsibilities and duties all stakeholders have towards safety, health and wellbeing (Tinsley, 2005;Vinter, 2006; Wilson, 1982).”
B. How does the volunteer program assist the nonprofit in reaching its mission? Give two specific examples.
Non-profit organizations conventionally work with limited resources and income. In many, if not all instances, non-profit making organizations rely on donations. The same is the case with Minnie Food Pantry that operates the volunteer program fully in reliance on donations and volunteers. The volunteers offer donations in form of service. This in essence eliminates expenditures that would result into a smaller percentage of the donations reaching the targeted families. Volunteers are a major asset in the organization and contribute time, energy as well as talents, in addition to generating enthusiasm, offering new skills, improve community engagement, bridge population gaps, augment efforts at fundraisings and complementing word done by paid staff. As a matter of fact, the volunteers are a vital resource for organizations that strain to meet beneficiaries’ need using limited staff and budgets. For instance, the volunteers have ensured that only four paid staff are employed in the program yet still achieve success. Similarly, the volunteers have enabled direction of more resources to the families and such an increase of 17% has been recorded with respect to the number of families that are served. To facilitate increased benefits from volunteers, the organizations strive to ensure positive experience for volunteers through effective management.
- How effective are the basic components of the volunteer program? Refer to TWO of these in your analysis. Use the Texas Quality Assurance Standards. If they are in place how are they helping the volunteer program? If they are not in place how is this hindering the program?
Although unpaid, volunteers programs need to have strong elements that ensure its smooth floor. As a matter of fact, in 1994, The Dallas Association of Directors of Volunteers was formed through a group of volunteer leaders with a shared common vision. The group’s main aim was to enhance professionalism and industry knowledge, learn creative ways of using volunteers and giving volunteers leadership an opportunity to share their experiences and skills. In order to avoid confusion and lack of appropriate work structures, the program has task descriptions for all positions offered to volunteers as well as policies and procedures for the volunteers. Further, the program has a specially designed confidentiality statement and training to ensure service delivery meets the set quality standards. The recruitment process is also designed such respective positions are allocated to qualified volunteers thanks to the large pool from which the program draws its volunteers. In line with the Texas Quality Assurance Standards, there is a training plan to ensure the volunteers are ready for the functions intended for them. There is also a dispute resolution system.
Nonetheless, there are some important elements that are lacking and the program may need to incorporate in future. It is important to note that a volunteer program brings together multiple aspects including management organizational arrangements, such as, planning and review, consultative arrangements, as well as specific program elements which should work together to guarantee health and safety of the volunteers. Elements of interest include hazard identification, risk assessment and control, health and safety, information as well as recordkeeping, and training, among others (Smith, 2003: 39). Although training is well enshrined within the program’s fundamentals, other aspects have been extensively ignored.
- Based on your interview audit, is there any evaluation of the volunteer program taking place beyond quantitative methods (numbers of volunteers and the hours they serve)? If there is qualitative data, so what? If there is not, so what? Based on the information in the course, what you have learned, what is the impact on the nonprofit and the volunteer program of not going beyond collecting numbers and using or developing qualitative data?
According to the interview, the only areas of the program that are evaluated include number of volunteers on a monthly and annually basis , number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization and additional programs that the organization has been able to implement, thanks to volunteer involvement. A good example provided in the interview is the fact that due to a dedicated team of volunteers, the Minnie Food Pantry has been able to undertake delivery of food boxes to senior living center. This delivery is done every month and solely operated by volunteers. In essence, the evaluation extends beyond number of volunteers and number of hours served. Nonetheless, there are still multiple gap areas that need to be addressed. For instance, it is insufficient to simply measure the number of volunteers and the hours they volunteered without considering the effects of their voluntary services to the organization. Lack of qualitative data in areas other than volunteer numbers and hours of voluntary services fails to measure if the programs objectives are being achieved. As a matter of fact, it places emphasis on voluntary services rather than the main aim of the project. It would be a good idea if interviews were held to directly assess the opinions of the volunteers and that of the targeted community with an aim of establishing if the number of volunteers and hours served have a corresponding impact on the targeted community.
The findings from the interview provide interesting results. It is evident that the agency offers enormous support to the volunteer program. As a matter of fact, the study shows substantial involvement of the agency in operations of the volunteer program right from the time of hiring the volunteers. Based on the interview, the organization has provided adequate space to conduct the interview, availed other resources necessary for the program including availability of computers, paper, pencils, phones desks, chairs, and other utilities, additionally, senior management are involved in volunteer recruitment with the executive director being directly involved. In essence, the agency offers support to the program in all areas and as such, the program is directly operated under the agency and with the agency’s brand.
Information you gathered, your knowledge from the course, and then choose THREE of the areas below (these are from the Ellis audit) for your SPECIFIC recommendations. Make two recommendations for each area you discuss. (each area is worth 5 points each for a total of 15/100 points)
Although Minnie’s Food Pantry volunteer program is generally a success, there are definitely some specific areas where improvement and change is necessary if the program is to be considered a success in its entirety. Based on the recommendations touching on the following three areas are made:
Evaluation
Generally in respect to evaluation, there are definitely areas that need improvement. These include:
- Collecting both qualitative and quantitative information in order to match volunteer numbers and hours served to the impact that the program has on the community.
- Interview volunteers on how well they feel the program is being implemented with an aim of bettering the product.
Relationships and supervision
- Although there is 4 paid staff, it might not be sufficient to have volunteers supervise themselves; it is therefore recommended that the number of staff be increased to include supervisors.
- Staff should be increased to create a permanent team that can interact with the targeted population and build long-term relationships.
Planning and resource
Planning is important to each and every organization and hence should be accorded importance. In this respect, it is recommended that,
- The planning team should be expanded to allow creation of enhanced strategies for resource mobilization.
- The organization should explore ways other than donations to increase its income.
Volunteer program logic included in Appendix
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Volunteer Program Logic Model
