Online volunteer signup feedback request
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Topic created by kent on Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 9:41 amI'm about ready to roll out a new admin page for Event Directors and Course Setters. This page will permit them to configure the list of volunteers needed for their event, create their own news article for the home page, select the precise marker location for the Google maps, and file event reports that will be saved and made available for future event directors and course setters at that park.
Before rolling this out, however, I'd really like to get some feedback/suggestions regarding the online volunteer signup pages. Those pages have been in operation for about a year and a half, but I've been somewhat disappointed with their use. I figured it's use would be a no-brainer, but there have been quite a few Event Directors that haven't used it for their events, and often not many people sign up. As a result I'm not sure how effective it has been in lining up volunteers for events.
I'm looking for feedback and/or suggestions regarding it's usage, how to make it better, keep it/dump it? Have you used it? If not, why not? If you've directed an event and used it or didn't use it, why or why not?
You can reply to this message or contact me via the email tool if you'd rather keep your comments private. -
Reply by kathyu on Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 10:59 am
I'm one of the few who uses the online signup and I'm discouraged -- I feel pretty dumb hanging out there all alone. I have noticed that the best way to round up volunteers is to look them in the eye and ask. This works really well when you have helped at their event. To get the ball rolling, perhaps the event director could tell volunteers to go to the online signup to confirm their participation. This would help because it is possible to sign up on-line and on the day of the event, find that position all staffed and you are not needed.
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Reply by Vadim on Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 12:11 pmYes, it's true, Volunteers Sign up page is NOT so popular than personal "look into eyes and ask". However, what I kind of see, it was a bit not clear how to activate Volunteers Page because only few of us had access to administration page. Also, maybe not every ED knew that it's possible and there is no magic behind the process.
Technology is our current and is our future. It should help us with most of the tasks.
As Kathy mentioned, you can ask volunteers in person ahead of your event and then just confirm their tasks by signing them up at Volunteers Page. That way you as ED can keep track how many volunteers you have, what tasks are still open, and others can see also what tasks are available and not filled completely.
I encourage all of you to keep using Volunteers Signup page which helps with event(s) logistics.
Perhaps more education is necessary to introduce wider range of members to all the features we have on the web-site. And annual winter meeting is the right place to get familiar with available technology.
Vadim. -
Reply by DaveUrban on Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 3:32 pmAs a volunteer - I don't like the phrase OLD Pro. How about "very experienced" or something like that.
As an ED I think this feature is the way to go. After a look in the eye - I ask the potential volunteer
to "sign up" via the online system. I can see a potential of using the sign up from this as tracking data
for volunteers. -
Reply by Steve on Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 5:03 pmAs a helper, I don't like to commit any more than I have to. Although I attend 25 or 30 events a year, I always reserve the right to go someplace else. Maybe it is raining, maybe a friend has tickets to a ball game, whatever. Once I am there, I am always willing to run an errand or man a table.
As an event director, I am spoiled. When I first started, I would make phone calls for a month. Then I started to get lazy and realized that DVOA'ers are always there for me. I guess I have a few favors owed to me for helping at other events, but I probably owe a few too. Any way, I have never had a problem finding help at the last minute, so I don't make a big deal about it.
To all that it applies to through the years, THANKS.
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Reply by FredR on Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 10:24 pmSteve makes a good point. I'm a big supporter of the on-line volunteer system and use it fairly often, but it does concern me to sign up too early when my plans (or health) could change that would incline me to skip an event if I weren't already committed. I've talked with some people before about this, and my recommendation was to consider "signing up" as not an absolute guarantee, but rather a "best effort" sort of commitment. On the other hand, some ED might not see it that way when his/her epunch setup person doesn't show up and everything grinds to a halt until a replacement can be found. A different ED with Steve's perspective would consider drafting someone on the day of the event business as usual, and anyone that signed up and showed up would be "gravy."It seems that there ought to be some middle ground of expectation that allows people to comfortably indicate well in advance their willingness to help out while retaining the small possibility that something more important may keep them from fulfilling the intent. At the same time, EDs would have to see the benefit of getting plenty of volunteers (and earlier)--with some small chance they might not all show up--as opposed to few volunteers they can absolutely rely on.Kent's present design and pending improvements are great and I would hate to see them not used to their full potential. But to do so, it seems we should confirm and/or refine our collective sense of what it means to volunteer in advance of local events. (A events obviously take on a whole different context...)
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Reply by DaveUrban on Sun Oct 24, 2010 at 8:59 amAs an ED, I consider the Volunteer Signup, look-in-the-eye, handshake,.... to be a good faith effort to
fullfill that committment. Stuff happens and we have to be flexible on event day. I would like to encourage
new volunteers - some of the older more experienced are getting worn out. We tend to look the same people in the eye thereby avoiding newer potential volunteers. I did see some new faces behind the tables this year - thumbs up! -
Reply by BobF on Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 9:42 pmI think the web volunteer signup should be maintained, even though it's use has been kind of spotty so far. I think the ability for ED's to tailor the volunteer lists to their specific needs will help. I agree that it is often best to use direct personal contact to obtain helpers. But I like the idea of using the web list to document everyone that has volunteered, so that others can see who is helping and what positions are still vacant.
