Build Capacity as a Volunteer Leader

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The American Red Cross Eastern NY Region's Volunteer Leadership Development Program is designed for volunteer supervisors to develop the core, critical skills associated with being an effective manager, while also supporting the Red Cross volunteer engagement strategy. The program’s comprehensive curriculum focuses on every facet of the volunteer engagement cycle - from motivation to orientation, placement, and recognition of volunteers. By pairing standardized national resources with local process, this program aims to meet our goal of improving managerial effectiveness in our volunteer supervisors so, in turn, they are better able to boost engagement, increase retention, and help us deliver strong results on our mission through all of our lines of service.

Prerequisites: Registration as a Red Cross volunteer with the desire to serve in a leadership capacity.

Objectives: As a result of this program, you will be able to:

* Describe the volunteer engagement cycle and roles of Volunteer Services and departments

* Identify ways to build relationships with volunteers as key partners to accomplish the Red Cross mission

* Review the skills, qualities and tasks involved in supervision of volunteers

* Use Volunteer Connection to assist in volunteer engagement and supervision

* Apply interviewing techniques for screening and matching volunteers to activities/departments

* Define and effectively communicate clear expectations with volunteers

* Design effective orientation activities

* Assess training needs and design training to equip volunteers to perform assigned tasks

* Explain the significance of meaningful volunteer recognition

* Apply tools to support mutual performance and process review and improvement

* Develop a work plan including your roles and responsibilities with your department supervisor that meets the needs of that department

* Develop a plan that will expand your capabilities/knowledge related to the services that your department is responsible for

Program Requirements:

* While all in-person sessions will be offered virtually, participants are expected to physically be present for at least 2. Meals will be provided at all in-person training sessions. In addition, you are expected to attend at least 80% of conference calls and Skype sessions.

* We ask that all participants of this program commit to serving at least one year in a leadership role with the American Red Cross following this program. If you are not currently in a leadership role our different opportunities will be shown to you during the course to help you decide where you might best fit in a new role.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO APPLY PLEASE CONTACT LAUREN WHITMAN AT 518-694-5103 or LAUREN.WHITMAN@REDCROSS.ORG