MMAPS Final Report

Hands Up Ministries

MMAPSBethany Mulcahy

Matthew SjelinEmily Pumphrey

Isabella ArmstrongJohn Morrow

Executive Summary

Client Summary

Project Summary

Survey

Content Analysis

In-depth Interview

Insights Summary

Recommendations for Future External Communications

Appendix

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Mission StatementPrimary Goals and ObjectivesPrimary Audiences

4

Situation AnalysisCommunication Objective PrioritizedResearch QuestionsResearch Methods

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Method OverviewData CollectionData Analysis

Method OverviewData CollectionData Analysis

Method OverviewData CollectionTime and LocationData Analysis

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10

13

161718

Table of Contents

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Executive Summary

3

Over the course of our data collection process, research group, MMAPS explored the relationship between nonprofit organizations and volunteers. We received feedback from nonprofit group members and volunteers. The key takeaways are listed below:

Inform potential volunteers100% of qualitative responses discuss the importance of having an informative meeting when trying to gain more volunteers.

Cultivate the positive emotions between nonprofits and volunteersQualitative and survey responses express the importance of an emotional connection between a nonprofit and a volunteer, fostering a long-term commitment between the nonprofit and volunteer.

Companies portray volunteerism in a positive mannerQuantitative content analysis shows a significantly higher percentage of positive tones (over negative tones) in articles using the keyword volunteer.

Mission Statement

Primary Goals and Objectives

Primary Audiences

To change lives by providing affordable housing opportunities for Richmond’s under served, with the vision of strengthening families and communities one house at a time.

• To provide an affordable and supportive living environment• To help emply those deemed undesirable in the work place• To circumvent homelessness• To show the benefits of self-reliance• To attain more long-lasting volunteers• To encourage donations for the purchase and renovation of homes• To remind all people that they are worthy of fulfillment• To provide a beginning-to-end commitment for all housing tenants

• Residents/Community of Highland Park• Prisoners• Homeless

Client Summary

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Situation Analysis

Hands-Up Ministries (HUM) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing affordable housing to the underserved in the Richmond community. HUM uses volunteer participation to help restore homes for the underserved to be able to eventually rent-to-own. HUM hopes to gain long lasting volunteers who will best help their organization to better the Richmond community.

Communication Objective Prioritized

The MMAPS Research Group’s objective is to find out what drives volunteers to become loyal participants who stay with a nonprofit organization.

Research Question

What can be done to better relationships between a nonprofit organization and it’s volunteers and interns?

Research Methods

In-depth Interviews - Used in order to learn how nonprofit groups best utilize volunteers in their organization.

Qualitative

Survey - Used in order to learn about individual volunteers and what influences them to pledge their time to an organization.

Content Analysis - Instagram, an online mobile photo-sharing social-networking service, and LexisNexis Academic database were used to analyze media to find out how volunteers and nonprofit organizations are discussed in the media. Keywords: Volunteer & Nonprofit

Quantitative

Project Summary

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Method Overview

This method was used to gain insight on what motivates an individual to volunteer and become an essential part of a nonprofit organization. The online tool that was used to conduct our survey was Kwik Surveys.

Data Collection

Sampling strategy - A non-random sample was created through targeted emails and open participation by sharing the survey link in Facebook statuses. When extending the survey to potential respondents, wording was used to appeal to individuals with volunteer experience.

Participation Recruitment - A list of e-mail addresses were used to target respondents for the first wave of recruitment. Researchers targeted local, nonprofit organizations in the Richmond area through email collection. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, were used in the second wave of recruitment.

Response Rate - The survey collected responses from 34 individuals. The platform in which respondents navigated to the survey is reflected using the pie chart displayed below:

38%

26%

21%

12%

3%

m.facebook.com

l.facebook.com

www.facebook.com kwiksurveys.com

lm.facebook.com

(mobile device)

(link used) (link used with mobile)

Survey

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Data Analysis/Results

The survey questions were constructed to evaluate volunteer’s opinions on philanthropy and community service to gain insight on how nonprofit groups can better the organation/volunteer relationship to create a long-lasting, committed volunteer base.

1. It is important to volunteer within my community.

Agree

Strongly agree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

Agree

Disagree

Neutral

Strongly agree

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Survey

29.4%

67.6%

2.9%

3. I volunteer at least 5 hours per week.

64.7%

2.9%

14.7%

5.9%

11.8%

Commitment & Time Allocation to Community Volunteering - Volunteers make the personal decision of which nonprofits are a high priority to commit and devote their time to.

5. I know that when I volunteer I make a difference.

Agree

Neutral

Strongly agree

6. It is important to feel an emotional connection to the volunteer work I am participating in.

Agree

Disagree

Neutral

Strongly agree

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Survey

50%44.1%

5.9%

2.9%

14.7%

52.9%

29.4%

Emotional Connection - An emotional connection creates a higher level of commitment between the organization and its volunteers.

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Survey

9. I prefer to be on-site versus behind a desk.

Volunteer preferences - There should be an open dialogue between volunteer and organization about individual job preferences and what is expected to support long-term commitment.

2.9%

2.9%

5.9%

26.5%61.8%

Strongly disagree

Agree

Disagree Neutral

Strongly Agree

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Method Overview

Content Analysis was used to determine how the public has mentioned nonprofits and volunteers in traditional media and social media in the past 3 years.

Data Collection

Sampling strategy - LexisNexis Academic was used as a source for traditional media and Instagram was used as a source for social media when collecting data. The keywords volunteer and nonprofit were used to find articles and posts involving volunteers and nonprofit organizations. On the social media platform Instagram the keyword (using a hashtag) volunteer produced 715,986 results and the keyword nonprofit each produced 1,000 article results.

Coding process and inter-coding readability - The traditional and social media results were divided by four researchers to be coded. One researcher was responsible for coding social media Instagram posts that resulted using the keyword volunteer. A second researcher was responsible for coding social media Instagram posts that resulted using the keyword nonprofit. A third researcher was responsible for coding traditional media using LexisNexis Academic articles that resulted from using the keyword volunteer. And lastly, a fourth researcher was responsible for coding traditional media using LexisNexis Academic articles that resulted from using the keyword nonprofit. 100 posts were collected from the social media platform, Instagram. 50 posts were found using keyword nonprofit and 50 posts were found using the keyword volunteer. Posts were taken from the sampling frame of the past 3 years. Since Instagram is constantly evolving and has a mass volume of posts, the majority of items used were taken from a 3 day window from November 11, 2014 through November 14, 2014. The 100 Instagram posts were randomly chosen using systematic random sampling. Each set of 50 posts, from keywords volunteer and nonprofit, were selected by coding every 48th post.

100 articles were collected from traditional media platform LexisNexis Academic. 50 articles were found using keyword nonprofit and 50 articles were found using keyword volunteer. Articles were taken from a sampling frame from the past 3 years. The 100 LexisNexis Academic articles were randomly chosen using systematic random sampling. Each set of 50 articles, from keywords volunteer and nonprofit, were selected by coding the first 12 results on every 10th page.

Content Analysis

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Data Analysis/Results

Content Analysis

30%

68% 2%

Tone of Article - Positive tones in articles compel individuals to participate in an organization’s volunteer efforts.

What is the tone of the article?

Negative

Positive

Neutral

The social media platform Instagram was utilized by searching the hash tagged keywords volunteer and nonprofit. Over half of the posts for the keyword volunteer were posted by individual Instagram users (62%), while only 16% of nonprofit organizations posted the keyword volunteer. When it came to reviewing the keyword nonprofit, 40% of posters were nonprofit organizations and 28% of posters, using the keyword nonprofit, were individual Instagram users.

The traditional media platform LexisNexis Academic revealed that 50% of articles using the keyword volunteer were from “a company directory and profile”. The articles featuring the keyword volunteer used 80% anecdotal information. Also, while using the keyword volunteer the tone of the articles within our parameters were 30% positive, while only 2% of articles had a negative tone.

The keyword nonprofit was also used primarily by “a company directory and profile” (38.77%). The articles featuring keyword nonprofit also used 74% anecdotal information.

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Content Analysis

62%

2%

6%

16%

14%

Instagram Source - The majority of Instagram users posting about volunteers posted from an individual account.

What is the primary source for posts on Instagram using the keyword volunteer?

Individual

For-profit

News Outlet Non-profit

Other

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Method Overview

In-depth interviews were used to determine nonprofit organization member’s experiences with volunteers. In-depth interviews also explained how organizations utilize volunteers and how organizations could better their nonprofits with the help of committed volunteers. Interviews were conducted in person.

Data Collection

Sampling - Our research group reached out to eight local nonprofit groups to set up an in-depth interview with a member of their organization. No nonprofits contacted us in response to our request for an interview therefore we then used our personal connections to individuals who are deeply involved in at least one nonprofit organization.

Description of the Interviews - All three females that we interviewed were qualified to answer our in-depth interview questions because they all are committed to at least one nonprofit organization and work with volunteers. Each interviewee has personal experience with nonprofit organizations and how volunteers are utilized in these organizations.

Time & Location

In-depth interviews were conducted in person at the convenience of the interviewee. Our first interview with Meghan Taylor was conducted at 7:30pm on Thursday, November 20th in the VCU Cabell library in a 3rd floor private room. Our second interview was with Katie Pumphrey at 1:00pm on Friday, November 21st at her Richmond, Virginia residence. Our last interview was conducted with Emily Dimartino at 2:00pm on Saturday, November 22nd in the VCU Cabell library in a 2nd floor private room.

Data Analysis

Overall all of our in-depth interview questions focused on the interviewee’s experiences with nonprofit organizations and volunteers within it. The interviewees had different volunteer backgrounds themselves and worked with different types of nonprofit organizations but all had responses that could apply to any nonprofit, regardless of organization type.

In-depth Interview

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An overall trend for obtaining volunteers included an informative meeting to express a list of expectations and general overview of the nonprofit’s mission statement and organization goals.

Interviewee #1 response: “To obtain medical student volunteers we have an orientation at the beginning of the school year and ask that medical students come and listen about general procedures and about what it’s like to volunteer with the Student Free Clinic at MCV at the Center for High Blood Pressure.”

Interviewee #2 response: “The adults go through the most extensive processes because they are responsible for the kids and overseeing the projects...Our board members are attained through a meeting and an extensive interview in which they explain what they can bring to the table.”

Interviewee #3 response: “First, I reach out to them in chapter meetings. I deliver a personal message - give them a brief overview of the volunteer opportunity. I feel like when the message comes straight from my mouth to their ears it is more successful. Then I send out an email with basically all of the information I already gave them in the meeting.”

Informative Meetings

In-depth Interview

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One component of our goal for our in-depth interviews was to find out about common ties between committed volunteers. There is an overall trend found in all of the in-depth interviews of positive emotion and feelings that come from volunteering.

Interviewee #1 response: “It just makes me feel good [volunteering]…I dunno it puts life into perspective sometimes, it keeps life in balance, it makes you feel balanced.”

Interviewee #2 response: “Once you get past doing something you don’t want to do, the impact is much greater and more fulfilling.”

Interviewee #3 response: “Self satisfaction. Giving some of your time for the people around you is a feeling you can’t beat. Also knowledge because every experience is a learning experience. You can gain a lot of perspective from community service, especially if you are going into rougher parts of the community.”

Positive Emotional Reward

In-depth Interview

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One of the greatest challenges during our research process was getting into contact with nonprofit organizations. Our research group reached out to 24 nonprofit groups in the form of a survey in the hope that higher ups in the organization would pass along our survey to their volunteers. Only 8 nonprofits responded to our e-mail, which included a cover letter explaining the goals of our research. We also discovered that many nonprofit’s websites listed contact information that was no longer in use. A few nonprofit organizations that we were able to get into contact with said that they did not have time to contribute to our research project by passing our survey along to their volunteers.

After having a difficult time communicating with nonprofit volunteers affiliated to specific groups, we decided to reach out to our peers who have a wide range of volunteer experience. Individual group members posted the link to our survey on facebook and directed peers that have volunteer experience to fill out the survey. Our peers were very helpful in providing us information about their philanthropic experiences and opinions.

We faced the same difficulties of not being able to get into contact with nonprofit leaders when it came time to complete our in-depth interviews. Again our group looked to our peers and found individuals who were integral parts of facilitating volunteer participation in one or more nonprofit organizations. As a research group, we hoped that we would have been able to obtain greater participation levels from executive level members of nonprofit organizations so that we could learn from a range of experiences. Despite the fact that our original plan to use executive level members of nonprofits as our target audience, as a research group, we are satisfied with the choice to utilize our relationships with our peers who have volunteer backgrounds and large roles in nonprofit organizations.

Insight Summary

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The data collected from our survey, content analysis, and in-depth interviews has provided us with insight into volunteer’s experiences at various nonprofit organizations. In our research, we detected similarities in responses which show trends that have influenced our recommendations for nonprofits, like Hands Up Ministries. These recommendations will better the nonprofit’s experience with long term volunteers. A recommended tactic for building strong relationships between volunteers and nonprofits is to hold an informative meeting for potential volunteers. Through our in-depth interviews we learned that every nonprofit discussed held an informative gathering which expressed the goals of the nonprofit and provided both parties with an understanding of what is expected.

Potential volunteers have specific opinions on their preferred method of participation, therefore being upfront about what your mission statement is and how volunteers can support ensures that the nonprofit and the volunteer are a good match. For example, 61.76% of volunteers would like to work “on-site” while volunteering. If “on-site” work is clearly expressed as a needed position in the organization, then volunteers know that they are working with the right nonprofit and are more likely to stay with that nonprofit.

Once there is a mutual understanding between a volunteer and nonprofit organization, the next step is to establish an emotional bond. 52.94% of volunteers agree that they are more likely to remain committed to an organization if there is an emotional connection.

MMAPS recommends that a nonprofit’s message to its volunteers includes a positive undertone, so that the volunteer feels compelled to participate in the organization. In our LexisNexis content analysis, we found 68% had a neutral tone, but 30% of the company profiles contained a positive tone about volunteerism.

Overall, creating informed and emotionally connected volunteers will supply a nonprofit organization with more loyal group of volunteers. Having volunteers that are invested in the nonprofit will help the organization accomplish their goals more easily.

Recommendations for FutureExternal Communications

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Appendix A

Survey Questionaaire

Dear Participant:

We are a public relations research group, MMAPS, at Virginia Commonwealth University under the supervision of Dr. Rowena Briones. MMAPS is interested in how nonprofit organizations can build long-lasting relationships with its volunteers/interns. MMAPS is conducting interviews that allow us to gain insight on what motivates an individual to volunteer and become an essential part to a nonprofit organization. Our hope is that you might be willing to share your thoughts with us for this project, as well as forward this email to your philanthropic peers. The following survey was developed to ask you a few questions regarding your opinions on philanthropy and community service. Your participation in this survey is completely voluntary, and you will not be penalized in any way for declining to participate. If you do choose to participate, your answers will remain confidential and your name will never be used in any reporting of findings you choose to do so. In addition, your responses will be grouped with other participant responses. Below is the link to our volunteer survey. If you have any questions about this project or about our research group, please feel free to call us at (703)-409-2946 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Thank you very much for your time and consideration, your help is greatly appreciated.

http://kwiksurveys.com/s.asp?sid=mhz1eafjq3s9kvw441085

Sincerely,

MMAPSPR Research Group

Appendix

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Survey Directions & Questions

The following statements concern your opinions about philanthropy and community service. Please indicate the strength of your agreement with each statement, utilizing a scale in which 1 denotes strong disagreement, 5 denotes strong agreement. In the boxes after each statement, click a number from 1 to 5 from the following scale:

1. Strongly disagree2. Disagree3. Neither disagree nor agree4. Agree5. Strongly agree

Please select the number that closely reflects your views of each statement; there are no “right” and “wrong” answers. Take your time and consider each statement carefully.

1. It is important to volunteer within my community.2. I volunteer frequently within my community (once a week or more).3. I volunteer at least 5 hours per week.4. I like the feeling of accomplishment I get when I volunteer.5. I know that when I volunteer I make a difference.6. It is important to feel an emotional connection to the volunteer work I am participating

in.7. It is important for an organization to have long-term volunteers.8. I volunteer my time with more than one organization.9. I prefer to be on-site versus behind a desk.10. I’m more likely to volunteer within groups that are nationally established.11. I prefer to give back to local organizations.12. When donating money, it is important to me that the organization is well-established.

Demographic Questions & Measures:

What is your gender?• Male• Female

What is your age?• under 17• 18-24• 25-34• 35-44• 45-54• 55+

Appendix

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In what state/province do you currently live?• What is your zip/postal code?• What is your ethnicity origin (or race)?• White• Hispanic/Latino• Black/African American• Native American/American Indian• Asian/Pacific Islander• Other

What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed? If currently enrolled, highest degree received? • High school graduate or the equivalent (Example: GED)• Some college credit/no degree• Trade/Technical/Vocational training• Associate’s degree• Bachelor’s degree• Master’s degree• Professional degree• Doctorate degree

Marital Status:• Single/never married• Married/domestic partnership• Widowed• Divorced• Separated

Employment Status: Are you currently….?• Employed for wages• Self-employed• Out of work and looking for work• Out of work but not currently looking for work• A homemaker• A student• Military• Retired• Unable to work

What is your yearly household income?• Less than $24,999• $25,000 to $49,999• $50,000 to $74,999• $75,000 to $99,999• $100,000 or more

Appendix

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Survey Demographics Data

Gender:Female 100%

Age:18-24 85.3%25-34 8.8%35-44 2.9%55+ 2.9%

Ethnicity:White 91.2%African American 2.9%Hispanic/Latino 2.9%Asian/Pacific Islander 2.9%

Highest degree or level of school completed:High school graduate/GED 8.2%Some college credits/no degree 63.6%Associate’s Degree 3.0%Bachelor’s Degree 9.1%Master’s Degree 6.1%

Marital Status:Single/never married 90.6%Married/domestic partnership 9.4%

Yearly Household Income:Less than $24,999 60.6%$25,000 to $49,999 3.0%$50,000 to $74,999 6.1%$75,000 to $99,999 3.0%$100,000 or more 27.3%

Appendix

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Appendix

Appendix BContent Analysis- Social Media (Instagram) Coding ManualA. CoderB. ID NumberC. Instagram Handle of UserD. Bio ExcerptE. Date of Instagram postF. Number of Instagram postsG. Number of FollowersH. Number FollowingI. Instagram Source 1. Individual 2. News Outlet 3. Nonprofit Organization 4. For profit Organization 5. OtherJ. Video or Photo: 1. Video 2. PhotoK. Link included 1. Yes 2. NoL. (If link provided) Link connects to... 1. Organization Website 2. Article 3. Blog 4. Other Social Media Outlet (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.) 5. OtherM. Caption included 1. Yes 2. NoN. (If Caption included) Number of Hashtags used in post caption 1. none 2. 1-5 3. 6-10 4. 11-15 5. 15+O. Number of “Likes” 1. none 2. 1-30 3. 31-60 4. 61-90 5. 91- 120 6. 121+

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Appendix C

Appendix

A. CoderB. ID NumberC. Publication NameD. URLE. Date of Article: From date articles were gathered - or can click on link to find date.F. Number of times Volunteer/nonprofit is recognizedG. Type of Information Provided in Article 1. Statistical (More than 75% of article contains info on nonprofits/volunteer as a whole) 2. Anecdotal (More than 75% of article focuses on specific organization/volunteer) 3. Both (50/50 split of article content)H. Source Categories 1. Newspapers 2. Company Directories & Profiles 3. People Directories & Profiles 4. News 5. Newswires & Press Releases 6. Law Reviews & Journals 7. Magazines & Journals 8. Industry Trade Press 9. Legal News 10. Web-based Publications 11. OtherI. Effectiveness of Article 1. High Effectiveness 2. Low Effectiveness 3. NeutralJ. Tone of Article 1. Positive 2. Negative 3. Neutral 4. Ambiguous

K. Purpose of Article 1. Persuasive 2. Promotional 3. Informative 4. Recruitment 5. Donations 6. Awareness 7. OtherL. Demographics Targeted 1. Religious Group 2. Age 3. Income Level 4. Education Level 5. Race 6. Combination 7. Other 8. N/A

Content Analysis- Traditional Media (LexisNexis) Coding Manual

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Appendix DIn-depth Interview #1

Appendix

Katie PumphreyVP of Community Service for the Medical Student Government at VCU School of Medicine & President of the Student Free Clinic at MCVMedical School Major, 2nd Year of Med. School

Can you please state your name and what your position in your group is?

“Katie Pumphrey, I am a current 2nd year medical student, the Vice President of Community Service for the Medical Student Government at VCU School of Medicine and the President of the Student Free Clinic at MCV, which partners with the Center for High Blood Pressure. The Center for High Blood Pressure is a nonprofit organization.”

As an individual, what is your own volunteer background?

“I’ve always volunteered growing up. Most recently I traveled to Honduras for a medical brigade and this past summer also volunteered for a muscular dystrophy camp. I was asked to be the President of the Student Fee Clinic at MCV after being the chair of the VCU School of Medicine Charity Golf Tournament last year.”

Why do you volunteer?

“It just makes me feel good…I dunno it puts life into perspective sometimes, it keeps life in balance, it makes you feel balanced.”

As a nonprofit, what is your mission statement?

“The student free clinic at MCV, I’m not sure if we have a direct mission statement but we partner with the Center for High Blood Pressure to hold monthly or by monthly clinics with medical students, physicians and pharmacists, and target uninsured or underinsured individuals in Richmond who have chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, in order to prevent those diseases from progressing into an acute event which will send them to the emergency department.”

How do volunteers fit into this goal?

“Usually there is just one pharmacist and just one physician working at the clinic, volunteers with the student free clinic at MCV, and then about 12 medical students who volunteer who see patients, do physical exams, get initial histories and report back to the physician or pharmacist about what they found, and then the physician or pharmacist does the final prescription or write up.”

Appendix

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And those are all volunteers at the clinic?

“Yeah, we all volunteer at the center via the Student Free Clinic at MCV.”

What is your nonprofit’s step-by-step process for obtaining volunteers?

“To obtain medical student volunteers we have an orientation at the beginning of the school year and ask that medical students come and listen about general procedures and about what it’s like to volunteer with the Student Free Clinic at MCV at the Center for High Blood Pressure. For finding the physicians, we use the networks at the MCV School of Medicine to reach out to physicians who we think would be interested in working a shift.”

What are the different sects of volunteer opportunities that your nonprofit provides for individuals/groups?

“Through the Student Free Clinic at MCV you can either volunteer at the night clinics at the center for high blood pressure and work with patients and physicians, you also have the opportunity to be a leader and run the VCU school of Medicine Charity Golf Tournament which benefits the Center for High Blood Pressure, both those opportunities are strictly for medical students. For medical students or anyone else, they can also just volunteer for the Center for High Blood Pressure on their own. They can apply online to volunteer.”

What do you expect volunteers to accomplish for themselves and for the organization?

“For the volunteer to accomplish for themselves, is a teaching opportunity to be at the center for high blood pressure. It’s a clinical experience for the medical students, so they will learn from the cases that they get to see and work on their clinical skills. To accomplish for the Student Free Clinic at MCV and the Center for High Blood Pressure, they give back by donating their time so that the clinic can have an evening clinic and then those that run the golf tournament they volunteer their time to raise money to give back to the center for high blood pressure.”

Where can volunteers make the greatest impact in a nonprofit organization?

“Specifically for our group, the Student Free Clinic at MCV, we have volunteers who volunteer at the Center for High Blood Pressure and having them allows the center for high blood pressure to have nightly clinics but with expertise …the students who volunteer with the VCU School of Medicine Charity Golf Tournament they’re raising money, in our situation because the expertise needed to actually see and practice medicine, they may be more beneficial by raising money than actually the students who come to the clinics at night.”

How would you characterize a “great” volunteer?

“Because the Student Free Clinic at MCV is a medical group a “great” volunteer for us would be someone who is informed, organized, honest, and treats the patients with respect.”

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In working with your organization, have you had a negative experience with a volunteer? (If Yes, What was your process in dealing with this problem and how did you correct it for the future)?

“Regarding negative experiences it would be a volunteer who did not show up for their shift and in that case we ask that that volunteer not come back and we don’t invite them back.”

What positive contributions have volunteers made in the past?

“Volunteers donate their time and their intellect when seeing the patients and helping the patients be seen by the Center for High Blood Pressure and they also donate their time when running the VCU School of Medicine Charity Golf Tournament to raise money for the Center for High Blood Pressure.”

So you would say time is the most important contribution?

“Mmhmm, yeah and resources, like calling drug companies for extra medication or donations such as refrigerators, blood pressure cuffs, scales, gauze… or anything you could use in a clinic.” If you could add an additional volunteer to the nonprofit, what would you have them do?

“For the Student Free Clinic at MCV running medical clinics out of the Center for High Blood Pressure the volunteer we would need more of is just more physicians the patients sometimes get bottlenecked and you need experts in order to see more patients so we could do more good if we had more experts at the clinic.”

How could you use an intern to improve your nonprofit’s platform?

“For the Student Free Clinic at MCV we could use an intern because the student interest group is 100% run by medical students so we often don’t have time to email or reach out to other groups which we could help so an intern could reach out for us, find groups that we could have a blood pressure screening drive with and set up all the ground work, and we could just show up and it would help us do more good but we don’t always have the time to be the middle man and organize it but we can show up and do it.”

Appendix

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Appendix

Emily DimartinoCenter Director and Board Member of Impact RichmondSenior, Homeland Security Major


“My name is Emily Dimartino. I am the center director and a board member of Impact Richmond. I have been with the nonprofit for 11 years, 7 years as a volunteer and 4 years as a board member. We work with middle and high school students around Richmond to do face work on houses. We are basically trying to teach these students how to become the hands and feet of God without preaching the ministry if that makes sense. The Bible verse that got us started was 1 John 3:18 which says ,”dear children let us not love in tongue or words but with actions and in truth.” Our goal is to spread God’s love while serving others. It’s not about what we get out of it, but what the kids and homeowners get out of it.”

As a nonprofit, what is your mission statement and how do volunteers fit into this goal?

“Our mission is to spread God’s love while serving others. We heavily rely on our volunteers that come in, which are usually students from the 6th to 12th grade. We house, feed, and do activities with these people who are our main volunteer base. We also have a parent volunteer base that comes with the kids. For every 6 kids there is 1 parent. There are also outside volunteers who come help prepare the food, oversee building arrangements and pray. We also have a group of donors that help us with our projects. Volunteers are a huge factor in pushing the organization forward.”

What is your nonprofit’s step-by-step process for obtaining volunteers?

“We go through an extensive volunteer search. Most of the time we receive requests from churches seeking youth trips. The adults go through the most extensive processes because they are responsible for the kids and overseeing the projects. Adults will receive a sheet in which they fill out their expertise or lack thereof (building, painting, power tools, cooking, etc.) then are placed in their proper areas. A lot of the work we do is foreign to people, so it often pushes parents out of their comfort zones. Our board members are attained through a meeting and an extensive interview in which they explain what they can bring to the table.”

What are the different sects of volunteer opportunities that your nonprofit provides for individuals/groups?

“We are in the middle of changing or program. We usually don’t have college students attend but are introducing a new program this summer in which they can attend. This is so we can have extra people helping at our various worksites. There’s usually about 11 sites with 9 kids and 2 adults at each. We want to add one or two college students at each site to help out and oversee the projects. Our goal for bringing in college students is to help relieve the stress of the adult

In-depth Interview #2

Appendix

29

leaders. We try to mix the middle and high schoolers at each site so the older kids can kind of take the younger ones under their wing. Our sections and volunteers are very broken up.”


“The main goal throughout the week is to obviously finish the project. Group members are given a list of things to accomplish the night they arrive, and the biggest goal is to finish the list at the worksite. The main goal results in homeowners living a less stressful life. We want to get our tasks done to the point where homeowners can be at a state of ease. Again, the ultimate goal is to teach these kids to love selflessly and give back to the community while pushing themselves out of their comfort zones. We want kids to get the most out of this as they can. We also want kids to have the desire to come back to our program and do more without forcing it onto them. Through their own selfless actions they realize their impact and value on society.”

Where can volunteers make the greatest impact in a nonprofit organization?

“I honestly think it depends on the organizations itself. In our organization, obviously it’s the work that we do throughout the week, but it varies for each organization. For example, if it’s an organization that works with animals its finding a forever home. A lot of nonprofits are looking for donations to keep their business running. We were lucky enough to get 7 federal grants over the spread of 10 years, and are currently in the process of applying for another grant that is specifically designed for nonprofits working throughout the community. So I think the greatest impact someone can have is to serve their community while expecting nothing in return. Once you get past doing something you don’t want to do, the impact is much greater and more fulfilling. The biggest impact a volunteer can have is volunteering, because without them it would never happen.”

How would you characterize a “great” volunteer?

“That’s a hard one. It’s important to not put yourself first in a situation, especially if you are serving people. It’s important the people come first because at the end of the day, your life is a lot better off than those you’re helping. So I definitely think that putting others first is the biggest thing when it comes to a great volunteer. The next thing is patience because a lot of these people are very closed off and will not open up to you. It’s important to remember to serve with love and compassion. There is nothing you can really show a stranger other than the kindness that you give.”


“We have absolutely had negative experiences. With me being center director I have 4 staff members under me and 2 interns. Not only am I dealing with their stress but also 100 kids and adult volunteers who also have problems. We get about 3 hours of sleep a night, if that, and the kids and adults get 6 to 8 depending on if they stay up or not. Lack of sleep can result in serious

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tensions between adults and kids, so it’s important for us to stay positive when things like this happen. In negative situations, it’s all about patience because if you are as stressed back in response it solves nothing. I am much younger than most of the adult volunteers, so it’s important for me to stay calm and respectful but also lay down the law while understanding both sides of the situation.”

What positive contributions (to the nonprofit) have volunteers made in the past?

“There is a lot of things. I think one of the biggest things is the experience I’ve gotten out of it. I’ve met some awesome people who have opened up to me and my staff and told us their life’ story and why they came out for the week. I think the most positive contribution a person can have is bringing their own personality to the table because having a group with different personalities can be one of the best experiences of your life, especially with young people still in school. These kids and the week that we put on for them is probably one of the best weeks of our lives because we get to sit back and watch their lives change in only a week. We get to positively see them affect our community, and for many it’s the very community they grew up in.”

If you could add an additional volunteer to the nonprofit, what would you have them do?

“The biggest thing our organization is looking for is an onsite nurse at all times. There are accidents that happen all the time and we try to avoid them, but if a nail goes through a shoe, a nail goes through a shoe. With the old buildings and power tools we work with, it’s imperative to have a health specialist present at all times. I think it needs to be a permanent position in our organization.”

How could you use an intern to improve your nonprofit’s platform?

“We do actually have 2 interns every summer. They do kind of take the stress off the staff. Usually we have 3 or 4 staff people under me, this year we will have 5. We send our interns with staff personnel every day to learn their position. They often do Lowe’s runs and oversee projects. Again, they take some of the stress off staff members. They are mainly here to learn, but also bring fresh ideas to the table which I think is imperative for an organization to do that just turned 10, 11 this summer.”

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Appendix

Meghan TaylorPhilanthropy Coordinator, Alpha Gamma Delta FraternitySophomore, Biology Major


“I am involved with Green County Primary School during the summer as a Teacher’s Assistant and also for one period out of the day during the school day. Then I am also the Philanthropy Coordinator within my sorority, which involves coordinating volunteers for multiple charities and keeping track of service hours.”

Is it easy to get your sisters to remain involved in volunteer activites?

“Alpha Gamma Delta’s philanthropy is the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation and through that we support JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). We partner with the local JDRF chap-ter in Richmond to put on their 5k walk and gala. It is something we do every year so sisters are expecting it. They also know that they are required to log at least 10 hours of community service every semester.”

What is Alpha Gamma Delta’s mission statement?

“Inspire the woman, impact the world.”

How do volunteers fit into this goal?

“Whenever you’re doing something, you need to be selfless about it. If people were all about themselves, the world wouldn’t be what it is today. Community outreach, inspiring yourself and individuals.”

So how do you get sisters involved? What is your process?

“First, I reach out to them in chapter meetings. I deliver a personal message - give them a brief overview of the volunteer opportunity. I feel like when the message comes straight from my mouth to their ears it is more successful. Then I send out an email with basically all of the infor-mation I already gave them in the meeting. It’s also good for sisters who weren’t able to hear my first announcement. We have mandatory service hours too so I remind them of the repercus-sions. If AGD as an organization promised to be somewhere we want to make sure we show up. So we fine sisters for accountability.”

In-depth Interview #3

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AppendixWhat are the different sects of volunteer opportunities that your nonprofit provides for indi-viduals/groups?

“JDRF gala, JDRF walk, monument 10k, richmond marathon, BARK (volunteering with another org and clean kennels and walk dogs), cemetery clean ups, giving links to volunteer for fresh market that also coordinates with JDRF, scottish rite friends dinner.”


“Self satisfaction. Giving some of your time for the people around you is a feeling you can’t beat. Also knowledge because every experience is a learning experience. You can gain a lot of perspec-tive from community service, especially if you are going into rougher parts of the community.”


“People that show up for volunteer hours that don’t do anything. It’s all about a positive mind set. You’re wasting my time by being negative. Life is short be happy about doing something within your community. There are worst things that you could be doing. I just try to remind everyone the impact that they are making and that there are people who appreciate them for the time they are sacrific-ing.”

Any last thoughts about volunteer programs?

“I guess with my personal experience volunteering at MCV I have seen the importance of structure and hands on experience. I want to apply to the nursing school so I need a lot of community service hours. I get annoyed when volunteer programs don’t allow students to have the hands on experi-ence they need to learn. I know some people who volunteer at the hospital but don’t actually do any work. Sure, they are able to log the hours that they need, but they aren’t able to take anything away from it. It is a waste of our time as students and their time as well. I mean don’t give a volunteer op-portunity when you are not accepting of the age group you rely on. They might not have the experi-ence level, but you have to let them make those mistakes in order to become what you want them to be… At least this applies in the medicine world.”

Documents

MMAPS Final Report