ANNALISE MCGRAIL: HILLTOP MICROFINANCE INITIATIVE DAVID CHI: ELMSEED ENTERPRISE FUND TOP STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING A VOLUNTEER-RUN CAMPUS MFI

AGENDA Handing leadership transitions Managing student volunteers Staff recruitment

AGENDA Handing leadership transitions Managing student volunteers Staff recruitment

MANAGING LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS Election/hiring process Relationships Clients Donors Community partners Institutional memory

ELECTIONS/ HIRING NEW LEADERS Elmseed Elmseed elects EDs first, then EDs select executive board Board of Directors involvement EDs are elected by majority vote among senior staff Earlier (~mid-October) is better HMFI The board of directors selects the executive staff (CEO, COO, and CFO) ‒ Application (questions and resume), interview with current executive staff, and interview with board of directors The new executive staff selects directors of departments ‒ Interview with exec staff Transitions occur over the calendar year

RELATIONSHIPS: CLIENTS “I’ll do it during break” doesn’t work Setting clearly defined deliverables that can be done within a semester’s time Letting clients know in advance

RELATIONSHIPS: DONORS/ PARTNERS Making a shortlist of key contacts Ideal case: Executive board/ED successors identified early Meetings/phone calls with successors in advance of or during transition Next best case: introductions at the end of the semester

INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY Earlier transitions are better Prioritizing what’s mission-critical E.g., reporting credit, filing taxes, accounting ED checklist Elmseed hasn’t found transition letters to be very helpful; shadowing is much more useful Keeping “graduated” executive board members around, even informally

AGENDA Handing leadership transitions Managing student volunteers Staff recruitment

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE Clearly defined leadership roles Directors execute responsibilities and management within the department Exec is responsible for managing concerns outside of the specific departments and cross-department initiatives Regular communication loop Meetings: Exec, directors, all-body Coffee chats

ONLINE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT: TASKS Programs Freedcamp Podio Purpose Increase cross-department knowledge Keep track of the responsibilities of each member Manage and track the progress of clients Assessment Most functional when there is a purpose of using the site beyond just checking off tasks Requires students to hold others to a high level of accountability Best when it is possible to apply for free access to full version of programs

ONLINE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT: FILE SHARING Programs Dropbox Google Drive Elmseed computer and yale secure file transfer system Purpose Overcome the barrier to file access due to a lack of a communal physical workplace Assessment Important to ensure that file saving and sharing mechanism is secure Think about how to make the files easily accessible while still maintaining security

ONLINE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT: COMMUNICATION Programs Campus MFI specific addresses Facebook Purpose Maintain regular communication Inform organization about big events, successes, or opportunities Alert organization about relevant news articles Assessment The advantage to these systems are that they are already used, so it is very easy to promote active engagement this way

AGENDA Handing leadership transitions Managing student volunteers Staff recruitment

GETTING YOUR NAME OUT Create a “brand” for your organization within the university Experience Non-profit Business education opportunity Community On campus “family” Opportunity to “break the bubble” Personalize the process Offer to meet with interested people Give out contact information

RECRUITMENT Involve your organization in a diversity of recruitment processes Open house Activities fair Casual meet and greet Targeted approach Commitment Referrals from friends, freshmen, transfer students, limited activities Skills Identify your specific needs Target classes and activities in line with your mission and needs

APPLICATION PROCESS Information sessions and casual meet and greets Application Questions organization on macro skill and parts specific to each department Apply to a specific department Consider making application more difficult in order to limit the number to just those that are interested Interview Behavioral Case

HIRING DECISIONS Factors considered in the decision Expressed interest in the organization History of activities that align with mission Culture fit Range of student types Skill set fits within the needs of the department Commitment level and passion for the mission matter above all else. Skills can always be taught

RETAINING COMMITTED STUDENTS Establish clear expectations at the beginning Active follow up when students don’t meet expectations We do not fire, but students are at times phased out Give students a project they can “own” Mentorship program

QUESTIONS?