Obama Tax Credit

I really enjoyed reading up on last week’s management dilemma about Obama’s Tax Credit. I believe this is a good idea, especially for college students who are trying to make it on their own. It’s difficult taking classes, staying involved, and juggling a part-time job. And trying to pay as you go is practically impossible, so students are left with few options, which are primarily loans. Having a second option for financial assistance is great. This credit will definitely give an incentive for students to give part of their time to the community. I think a lot of students would like to volunteer, but are unable to due to their need to dedicate free time to their job in order to make the rent. This would provide the opportunity to do both.

Big Brothers & Big Sisters

So after todays presentations in class, I became inspired by the gentleman named Wilbur who was noted in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters case statement. Wilbur, a 79-year-old man, volunteers as a Big Brother for a 3rd grader, and the two of them like to build stuff together.  Some of their projects have included hand crafted toys and bird houses. I think it is really amazing how this man is able to connect in a positive way with a child that is 70 years younger than him. This is a perfect example of how someone can truly make a difference in another’s life if they really want to. I think I might actually look into becoming a Big Sister. However I’m not sure if there are requirements pertaining to duration of available time. I’ll be moving in a year when I join the Air Force, but I definitely want to look into it and encourage others to as well. Anybody else interested? Or does anyone have some personal experience as a Big Bro/Sis?

Management Dilemma Recap.

As I was writing my management dilemma for today, I found a website that was pretty much perfect and I thought everyone could find it interesting. The website is http://nationalserviceresources.org/volunteerweek/stories.html and it’s called Volunteering in America: Resources for Retention. This website gives stories that people have posted that show examples of good ways to get volunteers to follow-through with their work promises. There are not a ton of stories on the website yet, but one story written by Ilan S. of Jumpstart was (in my opinion) a really smart way for volunteers to want to come back and help more. This is his story:

“I have had the pleasure to witness the programs that I manage come up with a fail-proof strategy. The Volunteer Coordinator recruits volunteers to help her manage and plan the volunteer engagement program for the year. They form committees, meet once a week and plan the events each semester. They delegate responsibilities and rely on each other to follow through on their tasks. Because of this, those volunteer-based committees represent the community of volunteers thereby influencing the volunteers to come back and follow through on their responsibilities. Eventually, those volunteers who want more of a challenge, or who want to be involved more frequently or on a regular basis will move on to become a member of the planning committee and this cycle will continue year after year.”

I think if more organizations showed what helped them to keep their volunteers coming back, there would be a lot less talk and a lot more action.