Peer to Peer Coaching Workshop

Peer to Peer Coaching Workshop

June 27-28, 2014 – Flip Chart notes

Volunteers

Volunteers – Orientation

Forsythe – Virginia Rettig

·  Has a full-time staff Volunteer coordinator, Sandy Perchetti; there are 4 or 5 at Refuges in our region. The Volunteer Coordinator interviews new volunteers and connects volunteers with opportunities.

·  Forsythe has some 200 volunteers. At orientation, they show the Forsythe DVD and also cover FWS and the refuge system.

·  New volunteers are paired with experienced volunteers for on-the-job training.

·  There is a huge retirement population in the area that they try to tap.

·  A suggestion was also made to investigate RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program ) for volunteers. The RSVP volunteers receive recognition from their own organization.

·  Consider hosting a program with partners to recruit volunteers.

Great Swamp – Laurel Gould and Dave Sagan

·  We have a Volunteer Interest Profile form which is available in the Visitor Center and can be filled out in-person or mailed. This makes it easy for staff and volunteers to respond quickly to an inquiry about volunteer opportunities. It is important to acknowledge this quickly. We are planning to put it up on our web site, so potential volunteers can fill it out online and submit it to us that way.

·  Hold bi-monthly volunteer orientation sessions which are listed on our Calendar of Events. Friends and staff do a PowerPoint slide show and then have a one-on-one discussion about specific interests and availability. We cover DOI, FWS, NWRS, Great Swamp NWR, Friends, and volunteer opportunities. Our problem is the need to have a volunteer activity available for new volunteers to get started right away or we lose them. We do an email follow-up after the Orientation.

Other comments

Publicize need for volunteers – promote opportunities. Posters, advertise programs on bulletin board or post in a kiosk with photos of volunteers in action. Develop a wish list of types of volunteer activities and skills needed. Put an “ad” in newsletter.

Volunteers – Training

·  Pair new volunteers with an experienced volunteer – gives experienced volunteer feeling of “ownership” and helps with retention.

·  Forsythe has a printed Volunteer Handbook with job descriptions for every volunteer job on refuge (40+) (Ann Marie has PDF copy)

·  Forsythe sends volunteers to NCTC for training and South Jersey has numerous classes available (the Refuge helps pay for training costs for volunteers.)

·  Karen Leggett mentioned that it was important to include FWS and the Refuge System message in any training.

·  Great Swamp also pairs new volunteers with an experienced volunteer. There is a more intensive training session, usually two or three sessions, with Visitor Center volunteers which includes Nature Shop training, making sales, and a review of the extensive VC exhibits.

·  Great Swamp has a Greeters & Guides Volunteer Exchange meeting, every couple of months, with a presentation on a specific topic (ducks stamps, Wilderness Act) and a round table discussion. We also have occasional Advanced Training Workshops with a subject expert and a pin for completion.

Friends of Forsythe – Ann Marie Morrison

·  Prefers making a phone call vs. email to reach out to volunteers.

·  For Nature Shop training, she asks volunteers to work at least two times per month.

·  The Visitor Center is open 7 days a week, M-F, 10-3 (1 shift volunteer), Weekends 9-4, two volunteers with 3 ½ hour shifts.

·  She has a 1-page “Procedures and expectations” document at the desk as well as a volunteer desk manual with FAQs, phone numbers, and other important information for the volunteers. It’s important to look professional, uniforms with identification.

·  Forsythe’s Master Naturalist program with Stockton State College was very successful, but no longer being offered. A requirement of the program was doing some additional volunteer work. It is important to keep nurturing the relationship with the volunteer beyond class. It was expensive to do. Some states have Master Naturalist programs affiliated with the state university or other organization.

Engagement and Managing

·  Important to continue to teach and learn – even if “unofficial” training.

·  Great Swamp uses Constant Contact to communicate with volunteers; multiple board members have access and the volunteers are in groups so communications can be targeted. We also use an Online Helper Signup for volunteer scheduling at the Visitor Center, for Outreach, and for Walk Leaders; this is accessible from our web site along with a paper calendar for those without Internet access. (www.helpersignup.com)

Recognition

·  Great Swamp has an annual Recognition event, cosponsored by the Refuge and the Friends with milestone awards, table favors, and certificates for all volunteers.

·  Ice cream social in August (Forsythe)

·  Forsythe – annual banquet – pot luck holiday party.

·  Forsythe: Volunteer of the Year – ask refuge staff for “nominations”. Refuge Manager makes final decision. Table favors – backpack, fleece blanket, something special for volunteer of the year. Plaque for volunteer of the year.

·  Encourage all of the refuge staff members to thank volunteers.

·  Ann Marie gives store volunteers additional responsibility to engage them further.

·  Other ideas: birthday cards for volunteers, Refuge pass available for volunteers after each 250 hours, ice cream social (involve everyone), volunteer appreciation by function.

Reporting hours important.

·  Highlight benefits to the Refuge of high volunteer hour numbers.

·  Wertheim is testing the new national online volunteer reporting system; they are in the second round of beta testing. They have a Friends computer hooked up in VC and volunteers can use it there.

Communications

Communications from Washington, the Region, and at the Refuge level: Karen Leggett, Kate Toniolo, Dave Sagan

Resources from Washington – Karen Leggett (A copy of Karen’s notes appears below – these are a few additional comments that came out during the session.)

Refuge Update is published 6x/year and is available online. Feel free to link to the publication from Friends websites. Fr/Volunteers in next issue (summer 2014)

Friends Forward – We will all be added to the list.

Can put a link on our website

Can add all Friends members

Do special issues – also online.

News from Washington comes out (via eMail) monthly. Kate will forward to Friends members.

Refuge Communications from Headquarters – Karen Leggett – Copy of Notes

Contact information: Karen Leggett, Writer/Editor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: NWRS, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (new address for August 2014), 703-358-2375,

Refuge Update – bimonthly newsletter about refuges; online and mailed; to receive mailed copy, write to Bill_O’

www.fws.gov/refuges

Friends Forward – bimonthly newsletter for about about Friends; digital only – http://www.fws.gov/refuges/friends/ or by email via Constant Contact . To be on the email list, or add the names of Friends members or board members, write to

Friends Newswire – news stories suitable for reprinting in Friends newsletters. will forward to Peer to Peer group. Newswire is emailed by but also available online at http://www.fws.gov/refuges/friends/newswire.

Refuges Facebook = http://www.facebook.com/usfwsrefuges

Friends Facebook pages and Web sites = http://www.fws.gov/refuges/friends/find.html

If your Web site or Facebook page is not listed or incorrect, write to

Refuge System Special Reports – environmental education online at http://www.fws.gov/refuges/education/

· 

Friends Special Reports (arts,membership,social media, fundraising) –

http://www.fws.gov/refuges/friends/FF_SpecialIssues_Archive.html

CD mailed to refuge manager of staffed refuges:

·  Refuge Week Toolkit (fact sheets, sample letters to the editor, op-ed, tips on working with the media)

·  Wilderness Toolkit (fact sheets, kids activities, other tools to celebrate 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act – these items are also available at http://www.fws.gov/refuges/whm/wilderness.html “Resources” and “For Kids” in left menu

Banners mailed to refuge manager of staffed refuges

·  These can sometimes be re-sized for use as bus ads or subway ads. These ads can be often be purchased for the cost of installation only as Public Service Advertising. Contact your local transit company. If you need help with images for banner, contact or

Coloring book in English and Spanish - http://www.fws.gov/refuges/kids/

·  For printed copies as available contact

·  Wilderness coloring book should be available by August – watch Friends Forward for announcement

Kate Toniolo – Region 5

Contact information: Kate Toniolo, Visitor Servcies and Communications Coordinator, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035, 413-253-8498,

Topic: What Regional Office communicates and how…

·  Grant applications, Friends Academy, News from Washington

·  Quarterly conference calls – 6:00 Monday evenings, all scheduled ahead. 3 to 4 per year.

·  Has Executive Director/President of Friends’ groups on her distribution list but not limited to just those names. She will put us all on her list. She will send us all “News from Washington”.

·  She gets copies of Friends’ newsletters (mostly online).

·  Friends can plug into Regional resources, for example Kate can help us promote our events or programs.

Topic: Connecting People with Nature – Kate is coordinator, on Region 5 website – www.fws.gov/northeast/cpwn/ Always looking for information on this topic. Send any news stories or ideas to Kate.

VOICES (Visitor Outreach, Interpretation, Communication and Education Services) eNewsletter from NCTC. Again if you have a new program or project for this eNews, let Kate know.

There is a regional Facebook page and a regional Twitter account. Kate will take information from us to publicize on either of these sites.

There is a Regional Flickr site – www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsnortheast/. We can add to the site and use photos from the stie.

Region has a YouTube site – can share our videos.

There is a Blog; they could use information and articles for blog. They will work with us to create a blog for our Refuge.

They coordinate news and information with Washington.

They can help with media pitching and even a little more. Contact is Tyler Green in the Regional office.

FWS Field notes (Accomplishment Reports) – Kate mines this for Connecting with Nature stories. It is also used by senior management. Friends members can use it for ideas and contacts – a great source of information from across the country. Entries done by FWS staff. www.fws.gov/fieldnotes/

Dave Sagan, Great Swamp NWR

Your community wants to know what’s going on.

Use Refuge and Friends Facebook pages – instant updates possible.

Also use Press Releases, newsletters, mailing.

Social Media is a commitment; you are building a social network. Need daily posts.Short-quick facts.

Can use information from Regional/National pages on your pages.

Newspapers – having the “official FWS logo” sometimes helps.

Friends can develop relationships with a reporter.

Tyler Green can help Friends get contact information for local papers or she may pitch it for us if regional or national interest.

Friends Communications

Newsletters, Calendars of events, monthly post card reminders, website, Facebook for instant updates.

Community “Patches” are a way to publicize events locally.

Important to come up with a concise message that you want them to walk away with.

As a nonprofit – ask for a free “ad” – we produce and they might run this.

Tailor your message – look at demographics (Facebook vs Refuge visitors). If it’s a kids event, promote on Facebook. A bird walk, consider the newspaper.

Good opportunity when Relating to what’s in the news (storms)

·  People on your refuge

·  Surprising, counter-intuitive, unusual.

·  Urgent or unexpected threat – monarchs, bats, bees

·  Special festivals

·  Young people – opportunities for young people

·  Photos important.

·  To get into Friends Forward, need Friends connection.

·  Photos important.

·  Put photos – really good ones – on Flickr.

Use Special events calendar on Refuge system home page to list our events. Information is added by Refuge staff at local level.

Use letters to the Editor (working with your Refuge manager, especially for controversial stories or ones with legal implications) for certain stories.

Be sure to keep Refuge Manager in the loop, especially if controversial. CC Refuge Manger and Friends President if you are sending something to Karen, Kate, etc.

All attendees will be added to the email for Friends Forward (Karen will do)

All attendees will be added to the distribution list for other mailings, including News from Washington

Friends Communications

Friends of Forsythe

·  Facebook (Ann Marie does on weekends). Main source of information. Post events, weather/storm closures, rare bird sightings.

·  Free Page Manager APP for Smartphone

·  Uses FWS Refuge Facebooks page – “shares” so the information is the same and consistent; does not recreate or rewrite.

·  Press releases – has retired publicist volunteer who works with Don Freiday.

·  Uses non-profit section of local newspaper – no charge.

·  Uses Patch – check for your local Patches

·  Flyers in V C – uses suction cup holders to put on windows (instead of scotch tape) – Staples

·  Have copies for handout at front desk.

·  Friends and Refuge both have color printers and share cost.

·  Take to Library (volunteers)

·  Audubon Chapter – share flyers

·  Share with “Go Galloway” program

·  Website – going away from websites

·  Too much time to maintain, slow turnaround time

·  Twitter and Facebook much quicker.

·  Number of visitors to web site less and less.

·  No newsletter any longer.

·  Used website for storm recovery

·  Planning to start (website?) all over again.

·  Using Constant Contact.

·  Cheryl – last agenda item on board meeting is to get a volunteer to write the articles, different person each time.

·  Cape May – eNews only.

·  Text messaging to Friends members.

·  Broaden and diversify communications technologies very important.

·  Social media – updated, done regularly is the key to success.

·  Clear communications with Refuge important.

·  Stay away from political hot topics.

·  Set up disclaimer on Facebook regarding photo credits – not Friends responsibility if picture taken from site without permission.

Friends of Wertheim – Bill Kirrell

·  Outreach to business groups – he got a table at the Hauppauge Industrial Association (HIA) free trade show for business and environmental groups and went around to every booth and gave out business cards.