Are you engaging volunteers with an eye to the future? Do you know what your volunteer program should look like in 3 or 5 years? Join us as we talk about the fundamentals for creating a strategic plan for volunteer engagement for your organizations. This webinar will include components that should be included as well as ideas for working with organization leaders to include strategic goals for volunteer engagement in your organization's overall strategic plan.

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Developing a strategic plan
for your volunteer
engagement program
To hear the presentation by phone call:
(516) 453-0031
Access Code: 114-570-842
Jennifer Bennett @JenBennettCVA
CVA, Senior Manager, Education & Training
Follow this webinar on Twitter to join
the conversation!
Hash tag: #VMlearn

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Agenda
• Why do you need a strategic plan?
• What can a strategic plan do
• What needs to happen first?
• Creating a vision
• Building a team
• Communicating up and out
• Things to think about

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Why a strategic plan?
What is your vision for volunteer engagement?
• What does your program look like now?
• What will it look like in 5 years if you maintain the status
quo?
• What could it look like?
Have you thought about what’s possible around expansion
of impact, or identify trends in recruitment, volunteers
aging in place, or expanded roles?

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What can a strategic plan do?
For you? Your program? The organization?
• Focus energy and resources.
• Reenergize a static program.
• Allow for innovation to address current and future needs.
• Identify organizational priorities and create meaningful
measurement.

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Where to start?
Identify and gather the information you’ll need to inform the
discussion around strategy.
• Qualitative and quantitative – reports, focus groups,
surveys.
• Identify or clarify the position of your current volunteer
engagement program – SWOT analysis
• Understand how leadership and stakeholders are
involved now – actions, ideas, beliefs
• Determine your timing – is there a busy season or is
your program cyclical?
• Should you engage someone from outside your
organization?

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Creating a vision
What could volunteer engagement look like in your
organization?
• Creating outcomes and the implementation will be
collaborative, but there needs to be a leader.
• Don’t be constrained by history, or funding – get beyond
yes, but – and think big
– What are the opportunities, weaknesses?
• Solicit feedback. Don’t create in a vacuum.
– Remember focus groups and stakeholders needs

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Engage others – create common goals
• What are the outcomes for the organization?
• Who else will be accountable or impacted by the
outcomes?
• Does leadership understand the need for vision and
change? Know how this work impacts mission?
• What work needs to be done – analysis? Evaluation?
– Can it be done by you? Should it?
• Implementation and support should be organization-wide
– Even if this strategy isn’t incorporated into the larger organization
strategy
Use these common goals to share the vision with others
and incorporate solutions.

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Building the team
Who should be involved? Who needs to be involved?
• The team that creates the plan should be inclusive but
not overwhelming.
• Include stakeholders and leaders
– But outcomes must be realistic
• Volunteers need to have a voice as well
• Organization size and diversity of volunteer engagement
can increase stakeholders
– This is not the only opportunity for involvement – committees,
working groups
• Develop a team that can create outcomes and goals

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Communicating up and out
It’s as important to create a plan for communication as it is
to create the strategic plan.
• Not everyone can (and should) be at the table – how will
you share discussions or information about how
decisions were made?
• Focus groups allow participation prior to planning, town
halls, informational meetings, updates can provide
participation after.
– Share work from committees, working groups, task forces
• Share information back to stakeholders and participants.
• Remember to share this work to your community as well.

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Make your Plan a Reality!
The strategic plan is just the beginning
• Create the working groups or committees to begin
identifying the individual actions that will make the
strategic plan outcomes a reality
• Refer your strategic plan and goals back to your vision
– It’s okay to reevaluate where you’re going as the program starts
to evolved.
• Don’t get discouraged
– Tout your successes and evaluate and learn from your mistakes.

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Resources
Learning Center
Find upcoming webinar dates, how-to videos and more
http://learn.volunteermatch.org
VolunteerMatch Community
Ask and answer questions after the webinar – use keywords Strategic Plan, or Volunteer
Management
http://community.volunteermatch.org/volunteer
Related Webinar Topics:
•Creating a Comprehensive and Engaging Volunteer Training Program
•Where Do I Go From Here? Evolving your Volunteer Program for More Involvement
•Walking the Walk: Engage Volunteers in your Volunteer Engagement Program

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Strategic Planning Resources
Below are some examples and a couple of resources for templates. As you can see they
run from very polished to very functional. We've also attached a goal planning document
that we've used in workshops which might help you focus and present your plan.
Colorado Parks & Wildlife Strategic Implementation Plan
http://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Volunteer/VolStratPlan.pdf
American Diabetes Association Annual Report and Strategic Plan
http://main.diabetes.org/dorg/PDFs/American_Diabetes_Association-2012-2015-Strategic-
Plan.pdf
Strategic Planning for Nonprofits
https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/strategic-planning-nonprofits
From Bridgespan, Living Into Your Strategic Plan: Tools and Templates Index
http://www.bridgespan.org/Publications-and-Tools/Strategy-Development/Living-Into-Your-
Strategic-Plan/FeaturedPublications2/Living-Into-Your-Strategic-Plan-Tools-and-Temp-
%281%29.aspx#.UqeZMeLjVCM
#VMLearn

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Thanks for attending!
Join us online:
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www.Facebook.com/VolunteerMatch
Follow us on Twitter: @VolunteerMatch
Visit Engaging Volunteers, our nonprofit blog:
blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/
For any questions contact:
Jennifer Bennett
(415) 321-3639
@JenBennettCVA
jbennett@volunteermatch.org