Dan Bassill does some remarkable work applying his past business experience to his present passion for improving the lives of disadvantaged kids in Chicago through his tutor mentor programs. The mechanisms he sets up for that are interesting, instructive, and relevant to communities of practice which rely on the cognitive surplus of like-minded volunteers.

Dan Bassill, leader of the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC in Chicago will lead a discussion seeking to learn ways educators and non profits are recruiting and utilizing volunteers as tutors and/or mentors in school and non-school programs throughout the world. Dan would like to draw information from participants. Here are some questions that will be asked:

* Where do your find volunteers?
* What are your expectations for your volunteers? Where do you share this information?
* Describe your volunteers. Are they business people, college students, community residents?
* How long do your volunteers stay involved with you? Less than a year? One or two years? More than two years?
* How do you tell your story to show volunteers how and why they should join you? If you use a web site, blog or video, please share links.
* How do  you screen volunteers? What is your interview process?
* Once you have volunteers how do you train and support them?

Dan has posted this set of questions on his blog at http://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2012/08/volunteer-recruitment-discussion-sunday.html

In addition, this is presentation shared volunteer-recruitment ideas that can be applied by any organization seeking to recruit tutors/mentors.http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/images/PDF/recruitmentwkshop2011.pdf

This discussion is also intended to be part of an on-going strategy helping raise visibility and recruit volunteers for the 2012-13 school year.  If you use volunteers and have a recruitment strategy post it on a blog or other forum in advance and then share what you’re doing during this forum. If you’d like to share facilitator role add your name and organization. Invite others who utilize or want to utilize volunteers to participate. Visit this link to see how Dan’s group has been helping mobilize volunteers for Chicago area tutor/mentor programs since 1995.http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/chicagoland-volunteer-recruitment 

Recording: in Blackboard Collaborate (Elluminate)

• https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2012-08-26.0700.M.7AE801FFB697DA460D4BF25AA8C21B.vcr&sid=75
• http://tinyurl.com/2012aug26bassill 

Announcements:

• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evonline2002_webheads/message/29564
• http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/multilit/message/1738
• http://taedtech.ning.com/events/dan-bassill-volunteers

Follow-up from Daniel

Thanks for the opportunity.  I don’t think many leaders, directors or volunteer tutor/mentor people are yet deeply involved in on-line network building or attempts at collaboration. I do a Google search every month or two looking for groups focused on collaboration, capacity building, collective effort, volunteer recruitment, etc. and don’t come up with much. Part of the challenge is that we’re dealing with an issue most people who are on-line don’t spend a lot of time thinking about (poor people) and the people who are leading tutor/mentor programs are swamped with the day-to-day work of running a program, finding volunteers and donors, etc. that they don’t have lots of time for on-line engagement.

I tried to communicate this idea in a blog I wrote recently. http://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2012/08/illustrators-needed-volunteer-talent.html

You might be interested in this article showing  different types of networks.http://scwf12.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/a-perspectve-on-connected-systemic-change-don-tapscott/

My focus on infrastructure and building communities of practice is now shared by many people in the field who are involved in the day-to-day struggles of connecting youth and volunteers in programs that are constantly competing with each other for operating resources.  Thus, my ability to cast a wider net via forums like Webheads is very appreciated.