OREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING VOLUNTEER WEBSITE

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Oregon Public Broadcasting




START A VOLUNTEER WEBSITE FOR YOUR VOLUNTEERS
http://www.opb.org/insideopb/volunteering/

Web Site Goals
  • Keep it simple – translate our internal structure to something that makes sense externally
  • Develop the relationship (it’s the start of a conversation)
  • Tool to recruit new volunteers (or to send people to)
  • Provide basic information – an overview of the program (enough to spark some interest)
  • Invite them to join in and provide them the tools to do it
  • Make it easy
  • Show what volunteers are doing – it’s recognition and provides faces
  • Forms automatic – goes straight to volunteer who does the next step who responds quickly
  • More cumbersome – have to go through web team to change anything
OPB Volunteers’ Only
http://volunteers.opb.org/
Username:  volunteers
Password:  opb

Web Site Goals
  • Recruit volunteers already committed to OPB to specific roles
  • Provide more details so volunteers know what they are getting into
  • Provide them with more information about OPB to continue to build the relationship
  • Provide them with choices for engagement
  • Give even more recognition
  • Educate through pictures (all captions give a little bit more info)
  • Vast majority self maintained (blog software)
  • Email all volunteers at least monthly with a summary of what’s going on right now and send them to the website
  • Print out summary document of new info and mail to volunteers not on email or the web
  • One more step for volunteers – have to make sure it’s worth going to
Why did we go in this direction?
  • Communication tool – adds value and saves time – available when volunteers are
  • Limited room in email
  • Provide more information – helped get volunteers more involved
  • Provide choices about how and when to get involved
  • Filled orientation need
  • Information timely and conversational
  • Provide training online
  • Provide more info to leadership volunteers just prior to their shift
  • Include volunteers more quickly in what’s going on
  • Store the information so it’s accessible
  • FAQs (searchable so volunteers can get answers without waiting for a phone call, especially during pledge)
 
Change took a while . . .

Planted seed and made changes over time
  • Email recruitments
  • Email scheduling
  • VIC (computer sign in)
  • Pledge computers
  • Volunteers’ Only Website
  • Next – scheduling online
Included volunteers in planning and testing
  • Provided tutorials – talking some folks through it all
  • Still mail about 20 people monthly a print out from the website
  • Tone of website helps with it being less personal
How can volunteers help with this?
  • Many, many ways – do all of it or none of it – just depends on your station (like with all volunteer roles, need to be clear with your expectations)
  • Writing content (FAQs, compiling policies and procedures)
  • Providing feedback
  • Developing the website or pieces of it, helping to find the right software/system for you
  • Taking pictures
  • Testing it
Some Places to Start for Blogs
  • wordpress.org
  • blogger.com
  • blogspot.com
Some Places to Start for e-Newsletters
  • webemail.us
  • constantcontact.com
  • jangomail.com
  • yahoo or google groups
CONTACT PERSON
Holly Denniston, MPA, CVA
Director of Human and Volunteer Resources
Oregon Public Broadcasting
503-293-1928
hdenniston@opb.org