CLIENT

MANAGERS’

GUIDE

2013

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

The GreatConnections Program

Our Vision

Our Mission

How GreatConnections Works

GreatConnections Processes

GreatConnections Organisation Registration and Renewal Cycle

GreatConnections Project Cycle

GreatConnections Volunteer Participation Cycle

GreatConnections: Role of the (Volunteer) Client Manager

LV Operational Support for Client Managers

GreatConnections Client Manager Contact Details

GreatConnections Code of Ethics

Project Description Form (Projects)

Project Description Form (Mentor Request)

Project Description Form (Board Placement)

Volunteer Project Induction Checklist

Sample Correspondence

The GreatConnections Program

Our Vision

Every community organisation utilising transformative, skilled volunteers to build a better Australia.

Our Mission

We support community organisations and causes by engaging community leaders to be transformative skilled volunteers.

  1. Introduction – Our Strategy

This Strategy results from the integration of Leadership Victoria's SkillsBank and Greatconnections activities, into a new program named GreatConnections. The integration of Greatconnections and Leadership Victoria (LV) in 2012 has enabled immediate development of a new model of transformative skilled volunteering for Victorian community organisations.

GreatConnections program framework aims to help build a better Victoria by mobilising skilled and experienced volunteers to support community organisations and leaders. The intended outcome is to enhance the wellbeing of individuals and communities by building leadership skills and organisational capacity thereby creating social impact, increasing community connectedness, enhancing awareness of important issues, and undertaking projects with practical outcomes.

Our vision for GreatConnections is “Every community organisation utilising transformative, skilled volunteers to build a better Australia”. Our mission is “To support community organisations and causes by engaging community leaders to be transformative skilled volunteers”.

To achieve this vision and mission, the Social Impact Program (SIP) will focus on clearly defined strategies, which are articulated in this document. LV has developed a new framework for a "Social Impact Strategy", focusing on the significant increase in the development and deployment of skilled transformative volunteers for Victorian community organisations.

LV's definition of Social Impact is based on that of the Centre for Social Impact, i.e. "the net effect of an activity on a community and the well-being of individuals and families" (Centre for Social Impact 2012). The intent of LV's SIP is to be positive, i.e. to enhance well-being. LV's interpretation of the scope of such activities is broad, including "community sector services but may also include cultural, environmental, and not for profit social enterprises and overseas community development projects. Most LV activities will be in partnership with community organisations which are "charitable" (within the ATO meaning), or on policy areas related to the activities of such organisations.

The model is illustrated in the diagram below.

  1. Our Focus

This framework focuses on building the community sector's efficiency and effectiveness through:

a. Capacity Building Projects andGovernance Support: utilising transformative volunteers to address specific issues in organisations or groups of organisations and supporting the governance of NFPs through appointments to Boards and other forms of governance review.

b. Strategic Mentoring: supporting NFP leaders to address organisational and systemic issues, and supporting specific community members to build leadership

c. Strategic Projects: addressing sector-wide issues in a medium-term timeframe

These programs are supported by individuals and teams of volunteers drawn from LV's integrated pool of volunteers, which include skilled and experienced professionals and the alumni and graduates of LV leadership programs. These programs are the Williamson Community Leadership Program (WCLP); the Folio Leadership Program (FLP, Formerly Experience Bank, EBLP); Ignite Leadership Program (ILP); and the Board Leadership Programs (BLP).

GreatConnections has adopted a model of service delivery that is innovative and reflects best-practice. A key component of the model is an ‘intermediary’ role of support from a bank of Client Managers (volunteers) who liaise with and support volunteers and community organisations and / or individuals. The benefits of this model have been documented in various research papers internationally. A literature review, conducted by C Pedicini for Leadership Victoria in 2012, confirmed the value to stakeholders of the investment in an intermediary and the increased capacity to enhance impact for stakeholders.

  1. Guiding Principles

GreatConnections supports community organisations in Victoria to reach their vision and mission. The program and activities are underpinned by our guiding principles, which include:

  • Effective program design based on research, evaluation and consultation.
  • Informed by and adapted to, best practice models for volunteers and community organisation engagement.
  • Responsive to requests by community organisations that focus on community capacity building, governance and mentoring.
  1. Objectives of GreatConnections:
  • Provide a mechanism for leaders in community organisations to build the capacity of their organisation through the transfer of skills from transformational volunteers.
  • Provide a means to match volunteer capacity to organisational requests seeking support and advice to contribute to strategic outcomes.
  • Provide support, training and professional development opportunities for volunteers to develop skills, expertise and experience in community sector issues and causes.
  • Provide clear pathways for engagement with volunteers and community organisation members.
  • To have a strong evidence base of applied best practice models of volunteering and engagement with community organisations.
  • To utilise tools and frameworks that will lead to improved outcomes for volunteers and community organisations.
  • To provide organisational support to volunteers and community organisations through efficient processes and systems.
  • The program will be managed by LV with organisational support and accountabilities.
  • To implement an expert monitoring and evaluation framework that will measure the social impact of the GreatConnections activities.
  1. Focus of GreatConnections for Community Organisations and Volunteers

The Program will provide the following for Volunteers:

  • Induction, training and development of volunteers to ensure their readiness
  • Quality assurance through considered recruitment and selection
  • Operational and management support for volunteers and Client Managers
  • Evaluate impact of volunteering activities with community organisations
  • Regular communication and events for volunteer development and networking

The program will provide the following for Community Organisations:

  • Induction and learning opportunities for community organisations, “How to make the most of your membership”
  • Organisational support from LV to facilitate smooth and efficient engagement
  • Clear and regular communication from GreatConnections
  • Supported and trained Client Managers who will liaise with community organisation clients
  • Evaluate social impact of volunteer and organisation engagement
  1. Management of GreatConnections

The GreatConnections is the main program through which transformational volunteers are matched to community organisations to address their development needs. It will operate and be managed by:

  • A best practice volunteer program model, including recruitment, selection, matching, support tools, training opportunities and evaluation
  • Clear pathways and processes for community organisations.
  • Program governance will be the responsibility of the GreatConnections program, with accountability the responsibility of the Social Impact Manager.
  1. Key Success Factors

The key success factors for the GreatConnections program in 2013 are detailed below.

Key Success Factor / Process Indicators for GreatConnections
  1. Strategic alignment and commitment.
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  • Clearly articulated areas of strategic focus and desired social impact.
  • Articulated alignment between social impact aspirations of GreatConnections and community organisation (clients).
  • Formal commitment and sign-off from executive level of NFP and GreatConnections, supported by written policies.
  • All volunteers understand and commit to the GreatConnections aspirations

  1. Sustainable business model
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  • Adequate human and physical resources (infrastructure) are allocated to effectively manage, monitor and evaluate GreatConnections activities
  • Impact of monetising service analysed and reviewed.

  1. Client (NFPs) and volunteer stakeholders
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  • Networks and systems are in place to establish and maintain strong partnerships with NFP community organisations.
  • Networks and systems are in place to attract and nurture skilled volunteer talent.
  • Networks and systems are in place to leverage access to opportunities and volunteers through professional membership and organisational peak bodies.

  1. Flexible and skilled relationship management
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  • Resources and systems are in place to plan and manage relationships between all stakeholders. (e.g. CRM, project management systems) for meaningful skills transfer.
  • Systems and processes are scalable to suit nature of engagement (e.g. individual mentoring through to long term strategic leadership projects)
  • Respective project / relationship management responsibilities are clarified and agreed between all parties.

  1. Commitment to continuous improvement and learning
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  • Volunteer engagements are structured to enable transformational change i.e. beyond transactional donating of time.
  • Support is provided to ensure NFP organisations are “volunteer ready” – commitment to capacity building for host organisations.
  • Evaluation of impact on capacity of host organisation is planned and resourced.
  • System is in place for measuring social impact of volunteer effort.

  1. Robust risk management
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  • NFP assessed for organisational and project readiness for volunteers
  • Polices and processes are in place to identify and manage risk.

  1. Integrated human resource strategy
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  • Policies and procedures reflect concept of reciprocity i.e. benefit to volunteer and to community
  • Personal and professional development of volunteer is integrated into program/project design.
  • Systems in place to determine essential skills/competencies required for project.
  • Systems in place to evaluate and match volunteer skills to roles
  • Induction and orientation including volunteer manual and framework.

The result of this activity will be the development of a best practice transformational, skilled volunteer program that will address critical issues affecting capacity of community organisations and individuals in the community sector.

How GreatConnections Works

GreatConnections Pricing Structure

Community organisations are charged an Associate Membership fee: $99.00 per annum. Members receive:

  • A regular digest of information about issues affecting non-profit organisations.
  • acknowledgement of their participation on the Leadership Victoria website
  • Exclusive invitations and concession pricing for special NFP-focused Leadership Victoria events and programs.

Or, if the community organisation would like to access volunteer/s, they can choose Full Membership of GreatConnections:

  • Under $250,000 income:$330
  • Between $250,000 and $1.5M income: $550
  • Income greater than $1.5M: $880

The Associate Membership fee of $99 will be deducted from the fee if an organisation chooses to upgrade their membership. There will be no set limit to the number of requests organisations can make in a year. (For example, an organisation with an income under $250k may seek a mentor, a project, a board member and will be charged $330.00) LV may choose to negotiate alternative arrangements where the projects or requests require unusually high usage of volunteers or LV resources.

If an organisation wants to only list a Board vacancy on the website only and not be assigned a Client Manager there will be no additional charge i.e. the organisation will only pay the membership fee of $99.00. GreatConnections will only provide a listing service (not a matching service) in this case.

If a NFP is of the view they are unable to fund the fee, speak to Social Impact Manager.

Invoicing system:

Membership fees will be charged when a community organisation approaches GC seeking to become a member and / or seeks a volunteer. The invoice for the amount (based on the level of service and size of organisation) will be issued.

Payment options will include:

  • Invoice with LV bank account details and
  • Credit card payment options (payment will be accepted by cheque or on terms, but bank transfer or credit card is preferred).

Membership fees will be due on an annual basis. This means a rolling system of invoices will need to be generated. Where a service package has been taken up in the previous year, the invoice will be (by default) the same service package fee (which includes the membership fee)

Existing GC members

A number of community organisations are currently members of GC and their membership is due for renewal on 1 July. Current members will receive an invoice for membership based on the new fee system (including renewing at the service package fee as above).

GreatConnections Processes

With several stakeholders, the GreatConnectionsProgram operates through threekey interacting processes: the Organisation Registration and Renewal Cycle, the Volunteer Participation Cycle and the Project Cycle. The following flow charts describe these processes in detail.

There are several LV resources that support the GreatConnections program:

  • LV Volunteer Management Framework
  • LV General Volunteer Policy
  • LV Volunteer Policies and Procedures Manual
  • GreatConnections Client Manager Guide

These documents are readily available on our website [insert link to hidden webpage].

1

GreatConnectionsOrganisation Registration and Renewal Cycle

GreatConnections Project Cycle

GreatConnections Volunteer Participation Cycle

1

GreatConnections: Role of the (Volunteer) Client Manager

The GreatConnections Program provides the opportunity for graduates of our leadership development programs and professional volunteers with advanced business skills to apply their experience and leadership to assist community organisations with defined transformational projects that build organisational capacity. In this way our registered volunteers exercise their leadership and skills to engage with community organisations in a way that has a positive and enduring impact.

Client Managers are GreatConnections’ greatest asset.

It is our Client Managers who provide an important point of difference in the volunteer arena: it is their skill in diagnosing the organisational requirements of our Not For Profit (NFP) clients, in the selection and placement of volunteers, and in the relationship provided to both NFPs and volunteers during and upon completion of projects that assure our quality. In short, Client Managers are key representatives of GreatConnections.

Becoming a Client Manager will provide you with the opportunity to:

  • Utilize and strengthen your leadership and management skills creatively across a range of not-for-profit organizations;
  • Build capacity and have a tangible impact within the community sector;
  • Further your connections with fellow GreatConnections volunteers;
  • Network and build relationships with a wide array of professionals; and
  • Further develop your personal expertise.

The time commitment of our volunteer Client Managers varies depending on the number of NFP clients they agree to take on, how active these NFPs are and the time taken to find suitable volunteers for projects listed. Generally, the role can be managed in a few hours a week, at times that suit you.

POSITION OBJECTIVES

The Role of the Client Manager is 3-fold:

  • Liaise with NFPs to define their needs and the scope of projects;
  • Seek optimal matching of volunteer and project request; and
  • Monitor the projects to completion, addressing issues that may arise during the course of the project.

In these roles our Client managers are representatives of Leadership Victoria within the NFP sector and with GreatConnections volunteers;

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Liaise with NFPs to define their needs and the scope of projects

Organisations become linked to the GreatConnections program through paid membership. The initial request is managed by the Social Impact Team. The Social Impact Team provides Client Managers with the names of new member NFPs who have registered with GreatConnections; organisations are also reallocated when a client manager leaves.

Once allocated, Client Managers meet with the member organisations and work together to define the NFP project requests. The NFP must complete a signed form describing the agreed project, and indemnifying Leadership Victoria and our volunteers for matching to commence. No projects will commence without completion of this documentation.

Some sixty organisations are currently members, each with an assigned client manager. Many have continued their membership for several years and each year request new projects. The assigned client manager continues the relationship and is actively involved with each new project request.

Matching the Volunteers to project requests:

The Client Manager will draw on the GreatConnections volunteer pool to match each project with a volunteer. The volunteer pool consists of LV program graduates who have expressed interest in actively volunteering with the Social Impact Program and current GreatConnections registered volunteers.

The Social Impact team provides each Client Manager with access to the LV CRM (Client Relationship Management System) which stores a profile of each registered participant; details may include their career summary, skills and preferences for volunteer projects, last professional positions, and current project workload. The Client Manager makes contact with the most suitable and available volunteers, and the one who is most interested, available and appropriate is selected and introduced to the NFP. Project requests can also be self selected by volunteers through the website and LV Projects.

In some cases the Client Manager may conduct the project or activity themselves rather than match a volunteer to the NFP. This may be done in the case where the Client Manager has developed an interest in the organisation or issue. In such cases, the Client Manager conveys to the NFP their right to contact the LV (Social Impact Team) should any concerns arise.

Monitor the projects to completion:

The Client Manager maintains regular contact with designated NFPs and volunteers, and checks on the progress of the project, by phone, a meeting, email or online survey.

Volunteer interviews:

The office receives volunteer registrations (made from our webpage or after phone enquiries) and those who meet initial eligibility are interviewed by Client Managers, to gain a more specific understanding of the volunteers’ skills, personality and preferences. These are half-hour interviews, usually by 2 Client Managers working as a team, and follow a prescribed format and form. The insights from these interviews are entered into the CRM by our office.