gdp's Comments

HandsOn Blog : 10 Steps to Giving Your Mom the best Mother's Day Gift of All

Fri, 6 May 2011 15:05:39 +0000

Amanda, Aw, thanks! (and HI!!!) :) Best, J

HandsOn Blog : 10 Steps to Giving Your Mom the best Mother's Day Gift of All

Fri, 6 May 2011 15:05:05 +0000

Thanks, Rusti! (nice to see you over here! ;))

HandsOn Blog : Let Us Turn Our Thoughts Today to Martin Luther King…

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:15:52 +0000

I volunteered with my son\\\'s cub scout pack for MLK Day. They cleared snow and ice from the sidewalks and driveways of a housing complex for senior citizens and disabled adults. I know my two children enjoyed a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that they had contributed to their community. I hope it will be one of their steps towards a lifetime of service.

Socialbrite : Cause organizations

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:51:06 +0000

Well, of course I recommend HandsOn Network. http://www.handsonnetwork.org

WhatGives!? Do Something Good... : HandsOn Network Plays Tag (and it's Family Volunteer Day Saturday!)

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:47:25 +0000

MJ - Thanks for treating me so kindly here and everywhere! You're a great friend and What Gives is a fantastic partner. Best, JK

HandsOn Blog : 10 Kid-Friendly Service Projects

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:43:02 +0000

You\\\'re welcome! We really like your blog too! Would be great to think about some way to collaborate...

HandsOn Blog : Paying Tribute to Our Veterans

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:07:22 +0000

Laine, Thanks for your comment and the link! We added a link to your post at the bottom of this post! Thanks again!

WhatGives!? Do Something Good... : DoSomething.org Does It by the Book

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:08:56 +0000

Nancy and George are such fantastic leaders doing great work!

HandsOn Blog : Gowalla Adds Volunteer and Service Category

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:20:12 +0000

As I've mentioned here before <a href="http:// (http://handsonblog.org/2010/03/29/volunteerism-on-foursquare/)," target="_blank"> <a href="http://(http://handsonblog.org/2010/03/29/volunteerism-on-foursquare/)," target="_blank">(http://handsonblog.org/2010/03/29/volunteerism-on-foursquare/), I think there are a lot of exciting possibilities for geolocation and volunteerism. I'm excited that HandsOn Network is working with Gowalla on this. Imagine the possibilities for volunteer recognition after multiple check-ins! What might it mean to be The Mayor of a service project on Foursquare? How might one earn a "Volunteer Rockstar" pin on Gowalla - and what rewards and recognition could be earned by "checking in" at a service project?

HandsOn Blog : Shop Online While Supporting your Favorite Nonprofit

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:17:09 +0000

Thanks for your feedback, Kevin. Endorse for a Cause is totally new and as of today - 10/29/10 - very much in business.

WhatGives!? Do Something Good... : National Make a Difference Day, Saturday, Oct. 23

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:38:56 +0000

MJ, Thanks so much for sharing this!!! You are incredible!! Best, JK

HandsOn Blog : Using the Social Web to Drive Real-World Social Action

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:09:43 +0000

Thanks, Sue Anne. It was great to meet you and Justin and I look forward to a long friendship!

HandsOn Blog : Using the Social Web to Drive Real-World Social Action

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:09:06 +0000

I didn't know that detail about the #beatcancer campaign. That's totally interesting though! Thanks for sharing it here because as you said, it's totally relevant.

HandsOn Blog : Using the Social Web to Drive Real-World Social Action

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:56:46 +0000

Thank you so much for your comment, for raising these questions and for pushing us! I'm definitely not a guru (that made me laugh), but I have a few thoughts in response to your great questions. First, you're right. These are the basic principals / best practices of volunteer management. I think the internet has changed a lot, but I do think these are still valid and important. The social web has made it possible for anyone to be a "volunteer manager" - it's easier now than ever to share a cause you're passionate about with your friends and ask them to help you do something about it. There's a whole universe of individuals self-organizing change. I do think there's a way that old school volunteer resources managers can quickly share ideas about approach that will help self-organizers be more successful, faster. That said, I would like to explore some of your questions... First, you ask how the social web can extend the message to new audiences. One of the things I've been experimenting with is asking volunteers to serve as online ambassadors for volunteerism. There's a new volunteer job your supporters can play these days in spreading the word about projects and initiatives within their own social networks - many of their connections will be outside of your usual reach. In my work, I've been trying to find the right tone and approach to this - you can see my first attempt at building a crew of interested people by clicking on the "join us" tab under the blog banner. I'm really interested in exploring where that effort goes and in being open to the unexpected places these social volunteers might take the project. Second, you asked how the social web might make volunteering easier. I'm interested in the rise in micro-volunteering and the work of organizations like The Extraordinaries, IfIRanTheWorld.com and others. The idea that many micro actions could add up to significant impact is something I'm following with interest. Can we take the light commitment of the internet and, with scale, make it work for change? I'm excited to follow progress here. Additionally, online tools like Eventbrite, VolunteerSpot and MeetUp make it easier for anyone to organize a project and invite friends to participate. Nonprofits whose volunteer leaders are using VolunteerSpot report a 20% increase in turn out rates. On the other hand, I've heard many nonprofits complain that the volunteer no show rate for events posted to Facebook is really high. It may be that "liking" something in Facebook is so easy and such a strong part of the culture of that space that in transfers into the event acceptance realm. Maybe saying "yes" to event attendance in Facebook, to some, is the same as giving the event a thumb's up. I've heard many volunteer managers say they routinely follow up individually with Facebook RSVPs to ensure they really are going to attend. (And that individual follow up is one of those old school volunteer management basics.) Tools like Crowdrise and other online giving platforms make it easy for individuals to raise funds for causes they care about - I'll ask Robert if he'll talk more about how the social web is changing fundraising. Third, you asked how we can improve conversion rates - getting more people to volunteer than otherwise would. This is a real area of interest for me. Currently, I'm working on linking the Google Analytics results from our website to the social media metrics tool we use (Spredfast) to track where volunteers who took action through our website came from. What social platforms are driving the most traffic, and subsequently action? How can I do more of what I'm doing successfully and try different tactics in social spaces where the engagement is low? Your last few questions asked how the social web might increase the frequency or recurrence of engagement, the reciprocity effect and more inclusive and empowered leadership. I think there are a lot of tried and true best practices for volunteer management and retention that can play out in new ways in the social space. Blogs dedicated to a project or initiative allow community to be created around the project and ideas to be shared between projects. Flickr groups and YouTube channels offer a place for volunteers to share their experiences with each other and with friends. Active volunteers can be engaged in conversation and planning about how a project might progress in a number of ways so that ownership and direction is shared more broadly. Also, opportunities to recognize volunteers for their contributions have expanded exponentially --You can write a blog post about a great volunteer, post thanks to their Facebook wall, Tweet about them, post photos or video tributes, etc. I'm also really interested in the role geo-location might play. What might it mean to be The Mayor of a service project on Foursquare? How might one earn a "Volunteer Rockstar" pin on Gowalla - and what rewards and recognition could be earned by "checking in" at a service project? All that said, I think it's still difficult sometimes to get people to take time out of their busy schedules to volunteer. As more and more individuals use the social web to lead the change they wish to see in the world, the best practices are still important and helpful - applied in new ways through new tools. And that is an awfully long comment reply from me! I'm really looking forward to our session at 12:15 PST today to have this very conversation. I'm hoping the contributions of the session participants, many of whom are leading experimenters with the power of social media, will add tons of great ideas here. (You can follow the session on Twitter at #BWERWA) I'm really looking forward to what others contribute here and super grateful to you for your comment. Thanks for pushing for meaningful conversation around this!!

HandsOn Blog : The Networked Nonprofit

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:18:55 +0000

Thanks!

Amor Ministries Blog : National Make a Difference Day

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:47:15 +0000

Thanks so much for sharing this!

HandsOn Blog : How to Focus a Conversation to Facilitate Volunteer Reflection

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 15:45:23 +0000

Sophia - we're so glad you found it helpful and are delighted that you're sharing it!

WhatGives!? Do Something Good... : Don’t Let it Be “Just Another Day”: Join the National Day of Service on 9/11

Thu, 9 Sep 2010 17:25:33 +0000

Thanks for spreading the word, Kerrie!

HandsOn Blog : 2010 Corporate Engagement Awards of Excellence

Thu, 9 Sep 2010 12:14:17 +0000

The Boston College Corporate Citizenship website might be helpful to you. Their membership page, here: http://www.bcccc.net/index.cfm?pageId=629 lists all their corporate members and, while they don't list the top 50 or 100 in ranked order, this list might give you an idea about what companies are thinking about corporate citizenship, employee engagement, etc.

WhatGives!? Do Something Good... : Is Finding Volunteering Jobs Online a Wild Goose Chase?

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:13:29 +0000

Or this: http://volunteer.truist.com/uwsbc/org/opp/1031584... or this: http://www.slocasa.org/main.asp?id=3