Welcome to the... CharityFocus Volunteer Orientation

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Overview of the Orientation… Introductions About CharityFocus Volunteer Opportunities Project Process Roles and Responsibilities Question & Answer Session Please expect to spend at least 30 mins for the phone orientation

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Introductions! Name and where you are from Little bit about your background

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… About CharityFocus… CharityFocus started in April 1999 with a group of friends who wanted to put their technical skills to good use by offering free web services to nonprofits and has grown to over 5,000 volunteers in 5 years The original purpose of CharityFocus is still in place today, despite how much we have evolved over the years: To be an incubator of compassionate action We are a volunteer-run nonprofit that is focused on providing positive volunteer experiences, that enable inner change through selfless action

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Services provided by CharityFocus… The three pillars of service that CharityFocus provides are: –Inspiration: inspiring reading, quotes, poems, etc. –Action: volunteer opportunities – ways to “Be the Change” –Support: invest in the change by supporting service causes Programs and Services include: –Service eXchange: services for nonprofits –Pledgepage.org: online web pages to raise money for good causes –Cshops.org: online storefront for nonprofits around the world –InspiringMessages.org: inspiring banners and quotes –Signsoflight.org: positive news from around the world –Propoor.org: online portal for South-Asian NGOs (i.e nonprofits)

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Volunteer Opportunities… Project Advocate: "adopt" a nonprofit from our list, or find one that inspires you, and we'll train you on using the vast array of CharityFocus resources in order to develop a project plan, manage volunteers, and drive the project to completion Technical: create basic and advanced web solutions for nonprofits, teach nonprofits and kids basic web skills, technical writing, and other in-house projects. Graphics/Design: design mock-ups, logos, graphics, and flash animation for nonprofit websites, and support other internal CharityFocus projects. Writing: write inspiring biographies, poetry/stories on service, website reviews, website content, informative articles for nonprofits, and fundraising project proposals Mentor: teach nonprofits how to update their website once the project is completed. Local Events: participate in local service opportunities or organize your own service events and invite others to join through CharityFocus. Creative Collaboration: develop your own volunteer opportunity for others to join or participate in one that others have created! CharityFocus is an incubator of compassionate action that invites you to share your ideas of service with others. Note: Most volunteer opportunities are “virtual” in nature, i.e available and done over the Internet unless the nonprofit and/or the team is local, in which case it is encouraged to have a physical meeting.

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Project Process (part 1)… Log in to my.charityfocus.org and start by updating your availablility and preferences To sign up for a new project, participate in an orientation with a Volunteer Coordintor or online, and visit Volunteer Opportunities to sign-up The Project Advocate is the first team member to come on board a project, and he/she is responsible for organizing the whole project, understanding the needs of the group/organization we are servicing, determining how we can help, and managing a team of volunteers to take the project to completion Once requirements have been gathered, the Project Advocate posts open volunteer opportunities based on the types of positions that are required to complete the project, which typically include: Technical, Graphics, Writers, etc.

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Project Process (part 2)… When volunteers signs up for the project, the Advocate is notified by , introduces the team to the nonprofit, and explains the overall project plan to meet the nonprofit’s needs During the project, all volunteers update the message boards weekly to keep everyone in the loop about the project and its progress and to bring up issues/concerns as they arise If the nonprofit is not being responsive, the Project Advocate s so that the Projects Admin team can follow-up to determine what actions need to be taken Once the project is completed, the Project Advocate marks the project as completed, and the entire team fills out feedback forms to enable CharityFocus to continue to make improvements to our processes

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Roles and Responsibilities: Nonprofit Client Takes ownership for the project as a whole Provides requirements, contents for the website and a clear understanding of vision and goals Establishes good working relationship with the Project Advocate and other volunteers on the team Is responsible for informing Projects Admin Team if Project Advocate is non-responsive.

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Roles and Responsibilities: Project Advocate Primary contact for nonprofit client and all volunteers on a project team Assesses nonprofit’s needs and how CharityFocus can meet them Opens volunteer positions as needed and manages the volunteer team Maintains updated message boards for project Taps into other CF resources as needed, including the Tech Team Writers Team, and Projects Admin Team

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Roles and Responsibilities: Project Teams Project teams are comprised of various roles –Graphics lead, technical lead, project lead, writers, mentor, etc. Volunteer coordinators are the main CF contact for all volunteers throughout their volunteer experience at CF. –Volunteers are oriented to CF by their assigned Volunteer Coordinator –Project Advocates manage the project plan through coordination with project team members

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Roles and Responsibilities: Tech Team, Writers Team, Graphics Team Responds to technical, writing, and graphics related questions that originate from project team members Support all existing projects that need immediate assistance Contact: –Tech: –Writers: –Graphics: –All Other:

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Roles and Responsibilities: Volunteer Coordinators Group of CharityFocus coordinators, who provides support to all CharityFocus volunteers and answers any questions that new volunteers may have Offer orientations to all incoming CharityFocus volunteers Host local events such as help-the-homeless and blanket drives in areas where there are established CharityFocus chapters

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Roles and Responsibilities: Projects Admin Team Group of CharityFocus coordinators, which provides logistical and process-related support to all of the Project Advocates. Manages incoming flow of nonprofit requests, screens requests based on existing CF requirements and provides orientation to nonprofits. Follows-up on projects where the Project Advocate has identified a non-responsive Nonprofit client

CharityFocus Orientation Be the change… Question and Answer Session…. To view responses to FAQs, please visit If you still have other questions that remain unanswered, please your Volunteer Coordinator, who would be more than happy to follow-up with you