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Volunteer Toolkit: Practical Equipment for Effective Volunteer Management

   

      VOLUNTEERS RESOURCE  

Volunteer Toolkit: Practical Equipment for Effective Volunteer Management

Volunteers are a valuable and necessary human resource for faith-based nonprofits. While volunteers don’t carry employee status in the organization, they do need careful management and training in order to be truly effective in their volunteer tasks.  This toolkit features informative articles, printable forms and resource lists to help the nonprofit volunteer manager recruit, train, inform and equip volunteers for successful volunteer work.1.     Articles

Project Development Tools
These articles contain insightful information for developing and streamlining your volunteer program.

  1. The 12 Basic Needs of Every Volunteer
    Volunteers and volunteer leaders are most likely to succeed and to stay on target if 12 basic needs are met. Use this checklist to determine whether your organization’s volunteers are fully equipped for their work.
  1. Promising Practices for Volunteer Management
    Encourage and aid your volunteer team to succeed at their given tasks by adopting these 12 sound volunteer management practices.

Project Implementation Tools
This section includes informative articles related to volunteer management, and downloadable forms for distribution to your volunteers.

  • Sample Volunteer Application/Questionnaire
    Nonprofit volunteer managers can use this simple questionnaire as a preliminary application for prospective volunteers.

  • Sample Job Description Worksheet 
    This tool will help volunteer managers work through and finalize the details of an individualized volunteer job description, including tasks, responsibilities, qualifications, goals, training and volunteer benefits.

Project Evaluation Tools
Download these printable resources for use in your volunteer management practices.

1. Volunteer Feedback Form
How well are your volunteers equipped to carry out their assigned tasks? Distribute this form to your volunteers to gather their task-related feedback, which will help you to enhance and strengthen your ministry’s volunteer effectiveness.
Additional Resources
Need more help managing your volunteer program? These recommended resources will help you find the information you’re looking for.

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Related Articles
Promising Practices for Volunteer Management
Three Steps to Correcting Actions of Problem Volunteers
Questions to Determine Problem Behavior
Related Books
Handling Problem Volunteers
Volunteers, How to Get Them, How to Keep Them

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Youth Leadership Development Toolkit


      YOUTH RESOURCE  

Youth Leadership Development Toolkit

 

Leadership development is a hot topic among urban practitioners. The resources in this toolkit can help FBOs design effective youth leadership development programs that emphasize both skills and character. This toolkit provides information to help urban youth workers get oriented to the topic of youth leadership development, offers a taste of some of the leading curricula, and includes helpful forms that can be used in program evaluation.

 

 

Project Development Tools

 

Does Your Organization Have the “DNA” Required to Start a Youth Leadership Development Program?    

 

 

Use this self-assessment checklist to determine whether your FBO is ready—in terms of your organizational culture—to launch a youth leadership development initiative.       

 

Do Your Volunteers Have What it Takes to be Part of a Youth Leadership Program?

 

 

This checklist focuses practitioners on issues they should look for in evaluating whether current volunteers are likely to be effective helpers in a youth leadership development program.

 

Getting Oriented: Choosing a Youth Leadership Development Curriculum

For those new to the field of leadership development, this short article introduces the main types of curricula available.

 

 

Project Implementation Tools

 

10 Steps for Implementing a Youth Leadership Development Program

The name says it all. This guidance document will help practitioners in designing and planning a new youth leadership initiative.

 

Teaching Youth to Identify Essential Qualities of a Leader

Adapted from a sample lesson, this tool will help teachers lead a focused and hands-on discussion of the key character traits of effective leaders.

 

Helps for Teaching Youth Effective Listening and Communication Skills

Youth leadership development programs often emphasize skill-building. This article will give program directors key tips on training youth to be good communicators.

 

Active Listening: A Self-Test 

Use this tool with students in the leadership development program, so they can begin to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses as listeners.

 

Helping Youth to Develop Tolerance and Appreciation for Diversity

In our increasingly diverse society, youth need to develop an ability to interact well with those who are different. These exercises will help youth grow in that skill.

 

Ten Steps for Preparing a Great Speech

Effective leaders are effective public speakers. The ten steps and additional helpful hints offered in this short article will help youth strengthen their ability in this area.

 

Gender Differences:  A Worksheet on Leadership Styles 

This worksheet will stimulate lively discussion, as it compares and contrasts the pro’s and con’s of modern versus traditional leadership styles.

 

Conflict Resolution 

Learning how to resolve conflicts peacefully is an essential skill, especially as urban youth are enmeshed in racially and culturally diverse environments, where values and perspectives differ. This exercise offers practical guidance for students to defuse tense situations and manage conflict. It also includes an 8-step “process of atonement” for achieving reconciliation. 

 

 

Project Evaluation Tools

 

Youth Leadership Pre and Post Test

These forms will help youth leadership development program directors to assess where their students’ level of understanding and practice of various leadership skills and qualities stands at the outset of the program and at its conclusion.

 

Lessons Learned from a Veteran Youth Worker About Developing Indigenous Leaders

 

To what extent does your youth leadership development program, and your style as a program director, incorporate these key elements proven effective by one of the country's most successful urban youth leaders?

 

Sample Program Evaluation (for Program Participants)

Leaders of youth programs can use this tool to gather participating students’ feedback on the youth leadership program. Armed with this information, program managers can make adjustments to strengthen future programs.

 

Self Evaluation for Youth Leaders

Use this tool to help students evaluate their skills in several key areas such as communication, observation, problem-solving, and managing emotions.

 

Additional Resources

 

Check out these organizations and web-sites for further helpful tools, information, and resources.

 

Faith-Based Resources:

 

St. Mary’s Press

SMP, a Catholic organization, features over 50 trainings manuals, books, resources and publications on Hispanic Youth Ministry, Retreats, Games and Activities, Religious Education Curriculum, Leadership Development and other published youth development resources. SMP also offers workshops for both youth leaders and their adult mentors upon request.


Hispanic Ministry Center/Urban Youth Workers Institute

HMC, a partner organization of the National Network of Youth Ministries, hosts the largest Christian urban youth workers conference in the western regional United Stateseach year in May. The event gathers over 1,200 urban leaders from numerous denominations and ethnicities for training, networking, and refreshment. HMC provides year-round training and mentoring following the conference through their staff and resources provided on their website.

 

PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values

 

PANIM’s Center for Jewish Leadership provides programs for youth focused on leadership skills, empowerment and social justice programming

 

Jewish Institute for Youth and Families, Inc.

JIYF has a curriculum kit for Jewish educators on Becoming a Mentsh, a series of four teen-parent workshops which teach teens and parents to creatively apply Jewish ethical values to today’s problems and decisions.

 
 International Board of Educational Research and Resources (IBERR) 

IBERR has a Muslim Youth Leadership Guide for developing, implementing and evaluating a Muslim Youth Leadership program.

 

National Study of Youth and Religion

NSYR has a listing of links to 27 Youth Ministry Centers, Programs and Organizations that are helpful to those involved in youth ministry.

 

Youth Leadership Training Resources

Tomorrowspresent.org provides several Youth Leadership Development resources from a Catholic perspective for teens that are tailored to different faith traditions in addition to training materials encouraging interfaith dialogue.

 

Secular Resources:

 

Youth Leadership.Com

Youth Leadership.com has a library of youth leadership publications, listing of journals and magazines, organizations and websites, conferences and programs as well as professional development opportunities related to youth leadership development.

 

The Search Institute

The Search Institute offers training sessions on Youth, Money, and Assets, Service-Learning, Youth Leadership and Youth Empowerment in Your Community.  The Search Institute has a variety of printed resources available for online purchase.

 

 New Light Leadership Coalition

 NLLC provides a curriculum outline, training modules and an extensive list of recommended readings to correspond to the curriculum. NLLC also hosts Youth Leadership Development Trainings Program for schools and organizations upon request.

 

Effective Communities Project

This is a model for developing a community-based youth leadership development program. The website is organized around: program evaluation, organizational effectiveness, strategic grant making and capacity building.  ECP also provides Leadership Skill Development training for youth, staff persons and volunteers.

 

Fire Starter Youth Power Curriculum

As a free online tool, The Firestarter Curriculum works with young people to educate, engage, and empower this generation of social change leaders.  The website also includes excellent resources and links to how-to sites that can help youth take action and change their communities.

 

Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

The Academy for Educational Development is a wonderful resource for information about youth development trends, best practices, toolkits and other related publications.

 

The Innovation Center

The innovation center has a wealth of practical materials—training programs, tool kits, and other vehicles—to strengthen organizations, advance the field of youth development, and promote social justice. 

 


Related Articles
Lessons Learned from Veteran Urban Youth Worker Wayne Gordon

Related Books
Leadership 101: Developing Leadership Skills for Resilient Youth

Related Links
Youthleadership.com


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Ex-offender Reentry Programs Toolkit

 
      EXOFFENDER REENTRY RESOURCE  

Ex-offender Reentry Programs Toolkit

In light of high recidivism rates, many faith-based organizations are realizing the need to get involved in providing help to ex-offenders. This toolkit draws on materials from a variety of proven ex-offender reentry programs to provide advice, information, and practical implementation and evaluation tools for faith leaders interested in launching their own aftercare programs. 

Project Development Tools

1. Basic Steps In Starting an Ex-Offender Ministry

 

This brief checklist provides a quick overview of the essential steps in launching a new outreach to ex-offenders.

 

2. Steps and Timeline for Starting a “Meet Me at the Gate” Program

 

This article provides a listing of the activities necessary for a church to undertake in developing the Koinonia House National Ministries (KHNM) style of post-prison ministry of biblical discipleship for Christian neighbors coming out of prison.

 

3. Issues to Consider Before Launching an Aftercare Center for Ex-Offenders

 

This checklist of questions will help practitioners hone in on key issues to think through before starting an after-care facility.

 

4. Checklist for Preparing to Develop a Housing Program for Ex-Offenders

 

This list of questions will help FBO leaders “cover the bases” when pre-planning a potential housing outreach for ex-offenders.

Project Implementation Tools

Mentoring Ex-Offenders

1. Needs Form

 

This form will help ex-offenders think through what their immediate needs upon release will be and will serve to communicate these needs to the mentors and/or mentor organization. 

 

2. Sample Mentor Application

 

This is a useful sample application for those desiring to become mentors.  It will enable mentor organizations to get important information about the prospective mentors as well as screen for potential problems.

 

3. Do’s and Don'ts for Mentees

 

This short list of guidelines can be given to ex-offenders who have joined a Christian mentoring program. It will help them set realistic expectations for the relationship and understand pitfalls they can avoid.

 

4. Sample Release Form for Mentors

 

This is a sample Release of Liability for mentors. It helps to provide liability protection for the mentor organization. 

 

5. Sample Mentor Reference Form

 

This is a sample form for references of prospective mentors to recommend or not recommend the mentor applicant for participation in the mentoring program.

 

6. Curriculum Review of Mentor Training Manual for New Mentors

 

The manual provides practical training and instruction for Christians who will be entering mentoring relationships with offenders, either during or after their incarceration.

 

Life Skills Programs for Ex-Offenders

7. Developing Positive Leisure Activities 

 

This form is designed to help ex-offenders think through their habits and leisure activities, pinpoint those that cause problems for them, and find habits and activities to substitute. 

 

8. Curriculum Review of Preparing for Success on the Outside

 

This article overviews a four-month Biblically based course to help inmates prepare for release from prison. The curriculum covers topics including attitudes, finances, employment, and goal setting.

 

9. Review of As Free As An Eagle: The Inmate’s Family Survival Guide

 

This guide is designed to help inmates avoid returning to prison by taking responsibility for their actions and repairing or improving their family relationships.

 

*10. Curriculum Review of Continuing to Cage Your Rage Series

 

This curriculum helps inmates learn to manage their anger and avoid aggressive actions.

Jobs Programs for Ex-Offenders

11. Do’s and Don’ts of Cover Letters

 

A easy and quick read, this excerpt will prepare ex-offenders for their job hunt by orienting them to cover letters – what works and what should be avoided.

 

*12. Self-Evaluation Profile

 

Ex-offenders can use this questionnaire to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses on a variety of job-related skills.

 

13. Curriculum Review of I Need a J-O-B!

 

This provides an overview of a faith-based resource designed to help ex-offenders prepare for the difficult task of finding a job following their release from prison.

 

14. Curriculum Review of Putting the Bars Behind You Workbook Package

 

This is an overview of a curriculum from Jist Publishing that helps ex-offenders develop life skills, identify their strengths and skills, develop job search and job retention skills, and network and interview for jobs.

 

15. Answering Questions About Your Criminal Record (permission pending)

 

This short article offers ex-offenders practical tips on answering the toughest question they’ll face in a job interview.

Project Evaluation Tools

1. Sample Mentoring Relationship Evaluation Form

 

This form helps mentors consider and record the status of their relationship with their mentee in a variety of areas.

 

*2. Sample Participant Evaluation Form from “Meet Me at the Gate”

 

This form allows leaders in the program to think critically about the ex-offender's progress in the Meet Me at the Gate discipleship program after the orientation period and decide whether or not it is appropriate to move him or her to the next level. 

 

*3. Sample Participant Self-Evaluation Form from “Meet Me at the Gate”

 

Ex-offenders participating in this program use this form to self-assess their progress at various intervals during the course of the program

 

 



Related Books
Meet Me at the Gate

Guide for Developing Housing for Ex-Offenders
99 Days and a Get Up
The Real World of Restorative Justice Ministry: Today’s Inmates ARE Tomorrow’s Neighbors
When Prisoners Return
Related Links
Koinonia House National Ministries
Conquest Offender Reintegration Ministries
Transition of Prisoners, Inc.
Prison Fellowship

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Community Technology, Missions and International Development Resources

TechMission has compiled the following training materials and links for international community technology organizations.

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FASTEN Toolkits

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Safe Families Press Kit

Press Kit

Current Press Release

Black Pastors Call for an End to Online Slumlords and Applaud MySpace Parental Notification

Black pastors from across the country are calling for an end to online slumlords. Bil Mooney-McCoy, a Black pastor and Director of the SafeFamilies program explained the issue, “Urban communities are always the first to be preyed upon. When social networking sites create an online community without adequate concern with safety, they are the online equivalent of slumlords. Slumlords make a profit while fostering unsafe communities that become a haven for drugs, gangs and perpetrators; online slumlords create online communities that are havens for perpetrators.”

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