Life With FreeNet Volunteers

Gwen Simpson and Keith Gross

Life with FreeNet Volunteers means learning and relearning how to value both the person and the work.

Today we hope our presentation will prompt you to think about the questions and issues you face with volunteers in your FreeNet office, or with your Community Network. We are sharing our experience as simply that, our experience. Much we value and want to keep. Much we want to change as our circumstances change and as we learn more about our FreeNet community and our volunteers.

1. What we do with Volunteers, especially in our office.

2. Examples of office activities.

The List for the skit.

Walk Ins

Membership
Renewal
HELP
"What's a Modem?"
Swamp Fires
User Guides
Hands on Training.

System down
Accurate or inaccurate information about when it will be up.

Office Supplies Delivery
Explanations
Money MC/Visa
Volunteers arriving
New volunteers arriving
Committee projects
Money to the bank
Mail fetching it, directions, instructions
Memberships uploaded to the system
Payment Codes. Working. Not working?
Look Ups to verify and correct problems
Passwords "lost and don't know where to find it ..."
Complaints
Big Complaints
Patient Members
Impatient Members
Where's Gwen?
Ask Gwen
Where's Keith? Can we use his phone line ?
Many sorts of people:

wheelchair
mostly deaf - special phone to work the helpdesk
use of right hand only on the keyboard
forgetful

Drop in visitors
Person arriving with new monitors
Person arriving with T shirts, books
SAS SLIP explanations
help desk

Help Desk
Doing Lunch
Questions
QUESTIONS
No shows- Where is ... ?
Schedule of volunteers
All day, every day ....
Training - hands on, booking
Phone responses - monitoring and correcting
Meeting with Gwen/Keith ...
Writing articles and ads for papers
Trade Shows - Cat lovers? Do we belong there?
Committees, minutes on line?

"Please bear with us.."
Board Room, photocopier, fax, coffee realities.
How soon can we move to a larger space?
Boxes upon boxes...
"How many volunteers are here today ...?
Staff development, Stress workshop?
"Sliding Kermit" request ... Is that a green frog at play?
Gwen, talking to herself, singing to herself.
"badges@" arrives with badges ...
Love and care, what would make it easier?
This is "alive.." growing
"Got to change a couple words on line, they get easily misunderstood."
Stumbling Tripping "Sardine shuffle" - Beverley
Interruptions
Dancing around each other all the time.
"There's a delivery coming! ..."
"Off and running like a herd of turtles ..."
"Let's make this simple. What business are we really in?"
"Need help Keith? No, I need Gwen (and she"s no help!)
"Don't do Tuesday afternoon maintenanace. Nothing works then..."

Clear responsibilities for staff and volunteers
Paper trails for information going out
Paper trails for information coming in
Phone processes
Keith's office and phone
On line data base
Financial procedures. Recording, accounting, banking.
What belongs to Beverly, Gwen and Keith.
Who reports to whom?
Managing Change, Latest News.... monthly, weekly, hourly.

Welcome and acceptance of where people are at.
What skills do you have?
Where do we need you?
Recognition that we do not have a place for everyone.
Orientation to office
Questions are always welcome
Monitoring what they are capable of doing.
More responsibility with time
Daytime help desk
Answering the phone - attitude, accuracy and angle.
Referring to other resources

Where have you seen your situation, your questions or your resources in what we have presented?

What ideas are you taking with you to play with and adapt for your situation?

The process of integration. Context, people, mission, resources, community and action.

The Planning Circle: Mission, Assessment, Goals, Implementing, Evaluating, Mission.

Everything starts and ends with your Mission.

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