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Consultant
to Entirely Volunteer Groups: A Promising New Career Track @
@ -- permission for use-with-acknowledgment
Workshop Outline:
Background:
The talented, dedicated people who have chosen leadership of volunteers as a vocation need more career track options. A promising one, now being studied, would be as a consultant contract operator to a set of entirely volunteer groups. Part-time for each, on retainer or special contract, this ‘volunteer group consultant’ could offer services such as: occasional on-call troubleshooting; technical assistance in planning or other program functions; and actual operation of certain ‘pieces’ of the program, such as newsletter production, membership campaigns, or educational events. (Based on When Everyone’s A Volunteer: The Effective Functioning of All Volunteer Groups, 1992Energize Associated, by Ivan Scheier)Expected Learning Outcomes:
Increased definitional understanding of: a) the entirely volunteer groups, and b) the role of consultant and contract operator in relation to such groups.
Increased understanding of the pros and cons, the potential benefits and drawbacks of the role.
Better grasp of strategies for exploring this role as a professional, without "burning your bridges behind you" (includes search for precedents, full or partial).
Expectations of Process:
Handouts and lecturettes followed by questions and answers will first establish the information base needed for definitional understanding (outcome #1). Learning outcome #2 will be dealt with through an informal dialogue amount the presenters, designed progressively to bring in participant’s experience, questions, comments, and concerns. Learning Outcome #3 will be approached via a case study method in which participants will choose to work on the case study closest to their actual situation.
Consultant to Entirely Volunteer Groups: A Promising New Career Track
ICVA - Boston Session Outline
October 26, 1995Starter Suggestion Only, on Process, is to have mainly a series of interactive panels. Each panel has a lead person who gives perhaps a 5-10 minute presentation. Other panelists then respond with additional input, questions, concerns, etc. Ensuing dialogue hopes then to progressively draw in attendee/participants.
Somewhere in the session, we might also consider an exercise-plus-feedback for attendees. The nature of this exercise (if you think there should be one) is left entirely open for your suggestions.
So, for each panel which follows, please:
1) Add your own input on suggested content;
2) Say whether you’d like to be the lead presenter on this panel. If not, feel free to suggest someone else for that role;
3) Indicate what you see as time limits for each panel;
4) How could wording of the panel titles/questions be improved?**Purposes of this panel and our proposed process? (Lead Person__________________)
**Each introduce him/herself briefly, with special attention to interest and experience relative to Session topic (maybe above two should be combined?)
**What do we mean by 1) Entirely Volunteer Group and 2) Consultant to Entirely Volunteer Groups (make that consultant/Producer). What kind of things would this person do? How is it the same or different than the role of "Volunteer Administrator"? (Lead Person______________________)
**What are the potential Benefits/Importance of the Consultant/Producer Role? For the individual careerists and for the Field in general? Why should anyone bother even exploring possibilities here? (Lead Person________________________)
**Precedent, even partial precedent for the Role? Combine with Above?
(Lead Person__________________________)**How to explore the Role without committing Financial Suicide, e.g., keeping a part-time salaried job at least for a while; operating as a (slight) extension of a currently successful consulting/training practice; starting with a proven base in Association Management or Secretariat Services. (Lead Person_____________________)
**Identifying, then Reaching Potential Markets. Some challenges and possible responses. (Lead Person__________________________)
**Suggestion on Setting Fees. (Lead Person___________________________)
**Other issues participants feel we should try to cover? [Here might be a place for a culminating small group exercise and feedback, on a question such as: Devise an action plan for an individual (yourself?). Getting started exploring this role as a career pathway. Try to take account of all you feel useful in the session thus far.]
**Final session: Where do we go from here? What do you think? Mainly participants rather than panelists. If, and as you see this as worth pursuing further, how do we realistically keep the momentum on this? (Facilitator_____________________)
CONSULTANT TO ENTIRELY VOLUNTEER GROUPS: A PROMISING NEW CAREER TRACK (Session Synopsis – December 1994)
Background: "The talented, dedicated people who have chosen leadership of volunteers as a vocation need more career track options. (Should we examine what other options there are now? What have folks done up to this point? Share some research, findings.)
A promising one, now being studied, would be as a consultant and contract operator to a set of entirely volunteer groups. Part-time for each, on retainer or special contract, this ‘volunteer group consultant’ could offer services such as: occasional on-call troubleshooting; technical assistance in planning or other program functions; and actual operation of certain ‘pieces’ of the program, such as newsletter production, membership campaigns, or educational events." Quoted from WHEN EVERYONE’S A VOLUNTEER: THE EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF ALL-VOLUNTEER GROUPS, 1992, ENERGIZE ASSOCIATES, by Ivan Scheier.
Expected Learning Outcomes:
1) Increased definitional understanding of a) the entirely volunteer group and b) the role of consultant and contract operator in relation to such groups.2) Increased understanding of the pros and cons, the potential benefits and drawbacks of the role.
3) Better grasp of strategies for exploring the role as a professional, without "burning your bridges" behind you.
Aspects of Process
Handouts and lecturettes followed by questions and answers will first establish the information base needed for definitional understanding (outcome #1). Learning outcome #2 will be dealt with through an informal dialogue among the presenters, designed progressively to bring in participants’ questions, comments, and concerns. Learning outcome #3 will be approached via a case study method in which participants will choose to work on the case study closest to their actual situation.Mainly a series of interactive panels. Each panel has a lead person who gives perhaps a 5-10 minute presentation. Other panelists then respond with additional input, questions, concerns, etc. Ensuing dialogue hopes them to progressively draw in attendee/participants. Note: "Lead Presenter" is largely Lead-off Presenter, not a main Presenter.
1. Lead presenter: Ivan Scheier. Purposes of this workshop and the proposed process (panel discussion w/ input from audience). Introduce each panelist and let each tell about him/herself briefly, with special attention to interest and experience relative to entirely volunteer groups. Distinguish experience with entirely volunteer groups vs. experience trying to get this new career track seriously considered and launched. (If and as either experience has been frustrating, we should so state.) (Shoot for 15-20 minutes?)
2. Lead presenter: Ivan Scheier. Define: 1) Entirely Volunteer group, and 2) Consultant to Entirely Volunteer groups, and 3) Producer with Entirely Volunteer groups. (Emphasis distinction between "Producer" and "Consultant" roles). On this one, I hope each participant will have a fairly specific "for instance" description of what this person might do (20-30 minutes?). What kinds of things would this person do? How is it same or different than the role of "Volunteer Administrator"?
3. Lead presenter: Maggi Davern. What are the potential benefits/importance of the Consultant/Producer role? For the individual careerists and for the field in general? Why should anyone bother even exploring the possibilities here? (Finding your niche.) What is the precedent, even partial precedent for the role? What successful precedents do we know of? Let’s be creative here, e.g. I recently met a consultant in Delaware who does the Consultant/Producer thing for groups who might have a part-time staff person, but not in her area of expertise… (15-20 minutes?)
4. Lead presenter: Maggie King. How to explore and continue in the role without committing financial suicide (e.g. keeping a part-time salaried job at least for a while; operating as an extension of a currently successful consulting/training practice; starting with a proven base in Assn Mgt. or Secretariat Services)…(Who do we know who has done this?). Once begun, Determining and Setting Fees; writing contracts, etc. How to handle requests to "do it for free"; What happens when group outgrows need for Consultant/Producer?
5. Lead presenter: Judy Bottorf. Identifying, then reaching potential markets. Some challenges and possible responses. (Do usual marketing principles apply perfectly?)
6. Culminating Activity/Exercise. Lead Designer and Facilitator Jim Bottorf. (Design may vary with size of group. I’ll try to find that out as soon as info is available.) Divide into 5 groups to develop individual action plans, with each panelist acting as a group facilitator/consultant/problem-solver. Each participant will devise an action plan for him/herself to get started exploring this role as a career pathway. They should take into account all the information presented. They can share ideas with each other and get assistance from the facilitator. Allow time for two or three to share their action plans.
7. Where do we go from here? If anywhere? I see this session as needing a good Recorder (on newsprint?) rather than a Presenter. [That’s not me; I don’t hear well or write clearly. Any volunteers?] Ask group to come up with suggestions on if/how/or who this career track development effort could be continued. Where’s the momentum? If and as there’s silence, panelists could fill in with a suggestion or two, but main hope is to get input from participants. Might even propose a first meeting of a planning group at the Networking Luncheon which follows this session…
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Ivan Scheier
Stillpoint
607 Marr
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, 87901
Tel (505) 894-1340
Email: ivan@zianet.comFor comments and editing suggestions please contact Mary Lou McNatt mlmcnatt@indra.com
