Volunteer Plain Talk Meridian Swift

In the conclusion to part 1, Wes, who began his new job as manager of volunteer services in December 2019 and as the new head of volunteer services, had to almost immediately send volunteers, ones he didn't get to know well, home. In part 2 of this interview, Wes chats about his experiences, including:Difficult conversationsThe hardest thing he's had to do as a volunteer manager. (and it's not what you might expect)Rounding on volunteers, building that relationshipDiversity and InclusionExamp...

Wes began his new job as manager of volunteer services in December 2019 and as the new head of volunteer services, had to almost immediately send volunteers, ones he didn't get to know well, home. In part 1 of this interview, Wes chats about his experiences, including:That initial shock.The suspension and not knowing what would ultimately happen.How do you introduce yourself and say, "Hi, BTW, stay home."Nurturing the personalities you've not gotten to know yet.Am I the bad guy?Involve the vo...

In this second part of my conversation with Laura Rundell, we chat about:Inspirational volunteers who support people knowing they cannot change circumstances.Volunteer appreciation-do we need a luncheon or even a week? Where should our focus be?Evolving volunteer recognition.Team nomination vs. volunteer of the year.No one, including staff gets there on their own.Person of the year? What's the point?Volunteer voice of descent-why we should listen.Grumpy volunteers-just grumpy, or do they have...

Laura Rundell and I chatted last year about resilience in episode 15. In this episode, Laura and I get back together and chat about today's volunteering landscape. What has changed? What is the same? Laura discusses:Are volunteers returning?Change means an uptick in needsPaid staff are scarcePre-pandemic models vs. post pandemic modelsWhere does the program go moving forward?Navigating a shifting landscapeGetting volunteer buy-in upfrontMaking volunteer roles definableWhat is sustainable-can ...

In part 2, Paul Falkowski, PHD discusses his vision for designating volunteers as essential workers. He touches on:The workloads of nursing home activity directorsHow family members are pushing to be designated essentialThe toll isolation takes on nursing home residents and the surprising statistics Risk vs. gainTraining for essential volunteersVolunteer creativityQuirky interview questions that reveal characterIs reimbursement an answer?How creating individualized volunteer help can inc...

In part 1, Paul discusses how he began his journey to designate volunteers as essential workers. Paul shares how he became a champion for volunteers in nursing homes through a nonprofit he built from the ground up. Paul discusses the importance of team, volunteer education and training, skin in the game, and navigating volunteer management challenges. In the next episode, he discusses his ambitious plan to designate volunteers as essential workers. Dr. Paul Falkowski is dedicated to serving t...