CHAPTER 4: PLANNING THE VOLUNTEER EFFORT

Chapter Highlights Head Start policy does not require programs to develop volunteer plans. However, volunteer coordinators are strongly encouraged to develop such plans. The steps in developing a volunteer plan are: 1. Gather informatIon. 2. Hold a planning sessIon. 3 Develop the plan. 4. WrIte the plan. 5. Incorporate volunteer orientation and training into the training and technical assistance plan.

Head Start directors and staff know the value of a carefully developed program plan. The plan reflects the best thinking and knowledge of the program staff and participants. It focuses on both local program needs and resources. Plans are designed so that they can be adapted to changing community and program needs.

The volunteer plan, like the volunteer advisory committee, is not mandated by policy. It is, however, strongly suggested that program operators develop a written plan. The process suggested here is similar to that used in other Head Start components. Staff should feel free to adapt the process to meet their program's specific needs. The planning process described below is based on the selection and active involvement of a volunteer advisory committee. (See Chapter 3: The Volunteer Advisory Committee.)

GATHER INFORMATION

The volunteer advisory committee and others involved in the planning process will need certain information in order to plan the volunteer effort. Specifically, they will need to know:


• What is required by Head Start policy.
  
  
• What occurred in the program last year.
  
• What community resources are available.
  
  
• What the program needs are.
  
  This information forms the basis for the volunteer plan and shapes the types of volunteer positions, corresponding job descriptions, and recruitment strategies needed. The plan thus reflects both the program needs and the resources available to meet those needs.
  
  The information needed can be gathered by program staff and then presented to the volunteer advisory committee, or the committee and volunteer coordinator can gather the information together.
  
  HOLD THE PLANNING SESSION
  
  The planning session will last at least several hours depending on the size of the group, individual schedules, and the amount of work to be done. It is helpful to conduct the session where there will not be interruptions. Some programs serve refresbments or a meal at the planning session.
  
  Planning sessions may include individuals who are not members of the volunteer advisory committee. People who are interested in the program but do not have time to become involved may lend additional ideas and perspectives. Some programs choose to have an outside consultant lead the planning group, while others rely on the volunteer coordinator.
  
  DEVELOP THE PLAN
  
  Developing the volunteer plan involves several steps. Each of these steps is necessary for the development of a plan that is both effective and realistic. These steps are discussed below.
  
  Develop a Mission Statement
  
  The mission statement of the volunteer plan is simply a statement that describes why the volunteer program exists and what it hopes to accomplish. The statement should be broad and flexible enough to be revised in response to changing needs. A sample mission statement for a Head Start program might be:
  
  

The XYZ Head Start's volunteer effort was established to expand the range of volunteers involved in the program, to enhance the image of the Head Start program in the community, and to strengthen the provision of services to children and families.

GATHERING INFORMATION FOR PLANNING THE VOLUNTEER EFFORT 1. What Is required by Head Start policy? The publication, Head Start Policies: Volunteer and Community Resources contains information about Head Start policy requirements. Federal standards are usually minimal; the Head Start Bureau has always encouraged programs to exceed the national standards. After reviewing the policy requirements, the volunteer advisory committee identifies both requirements that are being met and areas for improvement. 2. What occurred In the program last year The latest Self Assessment Validation Instrument (SAVI) may help committee members identify areas of program noncompliance in volunteer matters. However, the SAVI does not have a separate section on volunteers, and the committee may need to seek additional information from parents, staff, and former as well as current volunteers. 3. What community resources are available? Every Head Start program is required to conduct a community needs assessment as part of its grant application. Information from this assessment that may be useful to the volunteer effort includes the following: Characteristics of the population being served Names and special programs of local colleges and universities Lists of agencies with a specific focus on volunteer programs Community resources available, including formal agreements with service agencies, doctors, dentists, clinics, or school districts. Head Start staff and parents may identify additional resources as well. 4. What are the program needs? The best way to identify program needs for volunteer services is to talk to staff, parents, and volunteers who have worked with the program. The planning group may want to ask these individuals about the following: How volunteers can help in each component area Things that staff would like to do but never have time for Children's needs that staff want to address more fully Areas of program noncompliance in which volunteers might help Services that are difficult for families to obtain.

After explaining what a mission statement is, the volunteer coordinator asks the group for ideas about what should be included in the mission statement. This can be done in small groups or as one large group. It may be helpful to ask participants these questions:


• What will volunteers do for Head Start?
  
  
• Why do we need a volunteer effort?
  
  
• Who will benefit from the volunteer program?
  
  
  

Brainstorming Tips Provide a short introdcution to the topic to help particpants begin thinking of ideas. Accept all ideas as being of equal value. Enforce a short time limit. Make sure ideas are written down as stated.

Writing each idea on large chart paper allows all participants to see what has been suggested.

When this "brainstorming" activity is finished, the group must narrow or combine the ideas. The end product is a shorter list of ideas approved by the entire group. It is best to get a general sense of the group's intent and allow a smaller team or the volunteer coordinator to arrive at the final wording of the mission statement.

Develop Goals

After the concepts for the mission statement have been developed, it is time to begin the process of making them operational. Goals show how a program will achieve its mission statement. Participants are basically responding to the question, "How can we accomplish our mission?"

Goals usually start with such general terms as "enhance," "develop," or "build" and identify the specific area of focus. A goal for the volunteer program might be "to enhance the quality of volunteer efforts" or "to improve the attitude of staff toward volunteers."

The group uses the brainstorming process again to generate ideas in either small groups or one large group. The coordinator supports the group in arriving at consensus on which goals to keep. It is best not to have too many goals. Five or six will be sufficient. Again, the group should not be concerned with specific wording. That task is left to the volunteer coordinator and other staff.



Consensus Building Steps 1. Combine similar ideas from brainstorming. 2. Ask each member of the group to select three ideas (or whatever number is the final number desired). 3. Ask the group to share their preferences; cross out those ideas that no one selected. 4. Repeat the process; eliminate those ideas chosen by less than three people. 5. Repeat Step 4 until the desired number of ideas is achieved.

Develop Objectives

An objective tells specifically how, when, and by whom a specific goal will be accomplished. If possible, objectives should be measurable so that staff can evaluate accomplishments. For example:

GOAL: To improve the attitudes of staff toward volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: The volunteer coordinator will conduct a sensitivity
workshop addressing staff bias toward volunteers for
all staff by October 1.


Objectives should be concrete and understandable to those responsible for their achievement. They should be accepted by the group involved and specifically by the person responsible for implementing them.

The group should focus on ideas rather than specific language. The staff will be responsible for shaping those ideas into a workable plan of action. Having the group develop the final wording may become tedious and make the session too long.

Develop Tasks

Next the group identifies the tasks needed to accomplish the objectives. Usually there will be three or four tasks needed to accomplish a given objective. For example, the tasks for the objective specified above might be:

Task 1: Identify the biases that staff seem to have (for example, poverty, cultural differences, family status).

Task 2: Identify a trainer.

Task 3: Working with the trainer, design the session and followup activities.

Tasks should be specific and narrow in focus.

Identify Resources

The next step is to identify resources for achieving each goal. If expansion of recruitment activities to new groups is a goal, participants will brainstorm about groups that should be targeted for recruitment and strategies that may be used. If volunteer training is a goal, participants might name possible training topics and workshop leaders.

Assign Tasks

Because the group has participated in formulating the plan, it also should assume some responsibility to work with the volunteer coordinator in
accomplishing the objectives. The group should be asked to volunteer for those areas in which they will lend support. The volunteer coordinator must follow up with the volunteer participants to ensure that they remain active. For example, one committee member may take responsibility for identifying church groups to help the program. The volunteer coordinator should periodically check on progress, praise accomplishments, and provide all resources possible.

Plan an Evaluation

The final step in the planning process is developing an evaluation of the volunteer program. The group needs to respond to such questions as:


• Will some of the group members participate in an evaluation?
  
  
• How will ongoing monitoring be conducted?
  
  
• How will evaluation be conducted?
  
  
• What types of documentation are needed to verify that staff are following the plan?
  
  Evaluation of the volunteer component should also be integrated into the program's annual SAVI process.
  
  

Summary of the Planning Process

One of the strengths of using the group planning process is that all the key players are involved. The volunteer coordinator who will be responsible for implementing the plan is present. The staff who will be affected by the plan content have an understanding of why and how the objectives were developed. They have, by virtue of group consensus, approved the content of plan. The director and policy council have, through their participation, endorsed it.

Important linkages with the community, policy council, and staff have been initiated and should be cultivated. The information gathered from the process must be incorporated into the final volunteer plan. The volunteer coordinator is responsible for staying in touch with the planning group members and keeping them involved.

WRITE THE PLAN

Using the information generated at the planning meeting, the coordinator writes the volunteer plan and submits it to the committee for review and approval. The plan is then submitted to the policy council for approval and adoption.

The committee should not be expected to develop the written plan itself. Its job is simply to develop the direction of the volunteer effort. Writing should be left to the program staff.

Format

Head Start programs use a wide variety of planning formats. Generally, the coordinator will use the same format as that used for component and administrative plans.

Content

The plan should include the following:


• Mission statement
  
  
• One or two paragraphs describing the planning process used
  
  
• List of participants in the planning meeting, with their signatures and the date they approved the final draft of the plan
  
  
• Plan
  -- Goals
  -- Objectives
  -- Tasks
  -- Time frame for accomplishing the objectives
  -- How to verify or determine that each objective has been achieved
  -- Who is responsible for achieving the objectives
  -- Cross reference to relevant policy or other component plan
  
• Minutes and sign-in sheet reflecting review and approval of the policy
  council.
  
  

INCORPORATE VOLUNTEER TRAINING INTO THE PROGRAM'S
TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PLAN

The volunteer coordinator should work closely with other component coordinators to incorporate volunteer training into the program's training and technical assistance plan. The plan is the basis for spending program funds on training.

Some staff and volunteer training may be combined. Combining staff and volunteer training supports their working together as a team and ensures that everyone receives the same information. Participation in the same training will assist staff in knowing how to support and reinforce volunteer learning. For parent volunteers, combined training reinforces their partnership in the program. Required training for Head Start volunteers is discussed in Chapter 11: Volunteer Training.

In working with other component coordinators, the volunteer manager will also ensure the integration of specific staff training in the training and technical assistance plan. The staff training will support staff in working with volunteers.

OBTAIN STAFF SUPPORT OF THE VOLUNTEER EFFORT

A key ingredient in the success of the volunteer effort will be the effectiveness of the staff directly supervising and working with volunteers. Most Head Start program staff have been trained to work with children, not adults. In developing training plans, it is important to include sessions that will provide staff with the skills and infonnation needed to work successfully with volunteers.

Some of the topic areas that programs need to address with staff are:


• A basic orientation to the entire volunteer program.
  
  
• An overview of the roles and expectations of staff.
  
  
• The stages of adult needs (such as those defined by Maslow) and how these stages affect motivation and growth.
  
  
• Providing on-the-job training and support.
  
  
• Positive communication strategies and appropriate feedback techniques.
  
  
• Observing and evaluating the volunteer.
  
  
• Developing sensitivity to cultural and economic differences.
  
  
• Providing ongoing recognition of volunteer efforts.
  
  

POLICY REFERENCES

Policy references related to planning the volunteer effort may be found in the following sections of the publication, Head Start Policies: Volunteers and Community Resources:

Section 1: Authority for the Volunteer Program
Section 2: Recruitment of Volunteers
Section 5: Orientation/Training of Volunteers

DOCUMENTATION CHECKLIST Required Documentation: Training and technical assistance plan reflecting volunteer training in all components Recommended Documentation: Volunteer plan Minutes and sign-in sheets from planning meetings Approval of the plan by the volunteer advisory committee