EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Building on past volunteer generating initiatives, CaliforniaVolunteers (CV) proposes a 3-year program to develop the capacity of volunteer centers (VCs) to deliver relevant, comprehensive & transformative training & support to nonprofits aspiring to achieve the gold standard of volunteer engagement. CV will partner with local volunteer centers, pro bono business employees, & contracted partners to develop curriculum & programming leading to outcomes-based training & systemic realignment of volunteer engagement practices with over 450 California nonprofits in the first 3 years of this project, & eventually thousands more. By engaging senior nonprofit leadership (EDs, board, program & volunteer managers) in 4-6 month volunteer management system redesign activities, participants in this program will realize whole-organization volunteer readiness & receive certification as CaliforniaVolunteers Service Enterprises. By achieving this standard, nonprofits will be in a position to highlight their volunteer readiness to potential volunteers, funders, businesses & community partners while realizing greater investment of volunteer talent, higher programmatic impact & greater operational efficiencies. The (CVSEI) will also strengthen the capacity of local volunteer centers to manage highly skilled volunteers to strengthen their programs & operations, as the VCs themselves will serve as the first pilot group to complete CVSEI curriculum. As a result, the VCs will be held up as CV Service Enterprise models in their communities, demonstrating the best practices they will be teaching to their partner nonprofits. Transfer of this Service Enterprise curriculum to the VCs will begin in year 2 of this initiative. By the end of year 3 the curriculum will be owned by local volunteer centers & will serve as a proven long-term revenue-generating program. Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 1
Narrative Section SECTION 1: PROGRAM DESIGN CaliforniaVolunteers (CV) proposes the 3-year CaliforniaVolunteers Service Enterprise Initiative (CVSEI) to develop the capacity of volunteer centers (VCs) to deliver comprehensive & transformative training & support to nonprofits aspiring to achieve the gold standard of volunteer engagement. BACKGROUND CaliforniaVolunteers, the state service commission, has been responsible for the management of state-direct AmeriCorps resources since 1994. In 2001, programming expanded to improve California s ability to effectively engage volunteers during disasters. In 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Karen Baker, then CV Executive Director, to serve as the nation s first Cabinet-level Secretary of Service & Volunteering. This has given the nonprofit community, & volunteering in particular, a prominent seat in state government, opening a variety of opportunities to expand support of volunteering across the state. Through CV s California Volunteer Matching Network (CVMN), launched in 2006, CV has become a trusted partner of more than 30 VCs across the state. CV has invested over $3.5 million in grants & national service members to build & maintain VCs volunteer management technologies; expand VCs outreach & training capacity; grow their disaster preparedness & response capacity; & collaborate on a variety of other community priorities. At this time, all participating VCs are utilizing standardized online volunteer management technologies to recruit & manage volunteers locally. Since launch, volunteer referrals made by participating VCs are up by over 700% & volunteers registered with the VCs are up by over 200%. CV has also built a highly successful network of more than 35 corporate collaborators through the 2009 launch of the Business Partners Program (BPP) partnerships that will be central to the success of the CVSEI. Many BPP members have stated their interest in helping leverage investment made via the Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) in CVSEI through financial &/or pro bono support. This project reflects the goals of CV s 2009-10 state service plan, by placing a high priority on institutionalizing awareness & support for service & volunteering. The agency will pursue this goal by engaging specific sectors (foundations, BUSINESS, & government) & focusing on selected issues (e.g., disaster volunteering & NONPROFIT CAPACITY BUILDING). (Note while the term nonprofit is used throughout this proposal, public agencies will also be eligible for participation in this project.) THE NEED Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 2
In March 2010, at CV s annual 2-day gathering of more than 30 California VCs, significant time was spent identifying the barriers to VCs success in supporting nonprofits in their communities. Hands-down, the most pressing need is for expanded nonprofit volunteer management capacity, including training & executive support of volunteer programming. Additionally, VCs expressed significant concern regarding their own capacity & sustainability. In 2009 over 1,500 nonprofit leaders were surveyed through CV s Surviving & Thriving During Tough Times nonprofit capacity building conference series. The results were not unexpected: in the six months prior, 82% experienced decreased or flat donations; over 60% were faced with increased demand for services; & more than half said they need more volunteers. As California s economy has continued to decline, the reality faced by the state s nonprofits has deteriorated even further and will likely worsen as additional state budget cuts loom. The net effect will be significantly less funding for already-struggling nonprofits & fewer services provided to hundreds of thousands of California s most vulnerable residents. THE OPPORTUNITY Based on many years experience & the fresh thinking surfacing in part through the Reimagining Service initiative, CV proposes a new approach to strategically build VC & nonprofit capacity through re-focused volunteer management systems to create organizational transformation through increased effectiveness and mission impact. A core challenge of this project will be to identify & address the motivational & systemic barriers within nonprofits to embracing the value of and successfully implementing highfunctioning volunteer engagement strategies. To this end, CVSEI has been designed in partnership with more than 30 VCs from across California, experts in pro bono volunteering, Volunteer Centers of California (the state s VC association), BPP members & other thought leaders. The Project will result in the creation of a sustainable model by investing grant funds in program design & initial rollout making CVSEI replicable & revenue-generating by the end of year 3. Key innovations of this project: Outcomes-based training & systemic realignment of volunteer engagement practices Robust reporting of activities & impact of volunteer engagement, in addition to traditional volunteer program measurements Engagement of senior nonprofit leadership (EDs, Board Members, Volunteer Managers & Program Managers) in training & ensuing activities to ensure wholeorganization volunteer readiness Certification of organizations reaching the CV Service Enterprise standard of excellence, highlighting their volunteer readiness to potential volunteers, funders, businesses & community partners Engaging significant pro bono talent from the business sector in the design, implementation & sustainability of this project Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 3
Strengthening capacity of local VCs to engage volunteers in their own programming & operations Equipping VCs to implement CVSEI through a revenue-generating business model to build the volunteer management systems of their local nonprofit partners This project will not specifically address 2 of the potential focus areas in the NOFA: volunteer management technology & Days of Service. As stated previously, CV has invested significantly in volunteer recruitment & management systems for more than 4 years & intends to continue to do so via state funds. CV s research has shown most VCs in California are engaged in 1 or more nationally-recognized Days of Service. Given the size of California, a statewide platform focusing on a day of service has not been feasible. However, this project will improve the use of volunteer management technology and Days of Service experiences thanks to enhanced overall volunteer engagement practices at participating VCs and other nonprofits. CONCEPT: THE CALIFORNIAVOLUNTEERS SERVICE ENTERPRISE According to Deloitte s 2009 IMPACT Survey, 97% of nonprofits agree they could increase their organization s impact if they could effectively utilize pro bono resources/skilled volunteers. However, Deloitte also reports the top capacity constraints nonprofits face regarding volunteer infrastructure: a lack of infrastructure & resources for supervision/management (20.7%); deployment/placement (18%); recruitment (14%); training (11.3%); & evaluation (10.7%) were the key obstacles identified. These constraints can be mitigated by infusing the appropriate HR & management specialists from the corporate sector to help address these issues. There are thousands of professionals who could be engaged to address each of these challenges, just as they do in their corporate roles. While initially this level of volunteerism requires a higher degree of capability from the nonprofit to effectively leverage the skills-based talent being offered, it offers huge potential in advancing the nonprofits mission, capacity, & community impact. Conversely, the TCC Group reports having a strong HR function is 1 of the top 2 indicators of nonprofits ability to effectively use volunteers. The HR field on the whole practices disciplined, well-defined approaches to recruiting, managing & retaining paid talent approaches with strong potential alignment to managing volunteers. By harnessing this HR expertise & applying it to volunteer management practices, CV & its project partners believe significant systemic change in how nonprofits engage highcaliber volunteers is possible. Moving volunteer engagement from the nice to do to the must do level, Service Enterprises are high-performing organizations that have deeply integrated volunteer roles into their work & infrastructure, & therefore have been able to radically reduce their costs, increase efficiency & scale their work. As defined by Taproot Foundation, Service Enterprises integrate volunteers into the operations of an organization & have a significant number of volunteers; committed business partners & supporters; strong leadership; & robust volunteer management practices. Service Enterprise Leaders Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 4
attract high-quality volunteer talent by setting the vision, while their Management provides the day to day oversight & evaluates the impact/improves engagement of volunteer talent. In short, successful volunteer talent engagement is a wholeorganization endeavor with broad benefit to the organization, rather than a task relegated to a single staff member with limited impact. A number of nonprofits have some attributes of a Service Enterprise, engaging 100 or more volunteers each, but lack the robust volunteer management systems & executive buy-in necessary to engage new & retained volunteers in skills-based, sustainable activities. This is the cadre of nonprofits CVSEI will target. The proposed methodology for developing the appropriate product includes: I. Research Current Volunteer Management Practices of California Nonprofits II. Site Identification &Partnership Building III. Curriculum Development & Implementation IV. Business Modeling for Sustainability V. Development & Implementation of Evaluation Methodology VI. Ongoing Monitoring of Program Implementation Guided by the outcomes of the early phases of the project, future strategies will be refined in response to the needs identified & the demographics of the target constituency. I. Research Current Volunteer Management Practices of California Nonprofits CVSEI will commence with an online assessment to provide baseline information on the current volunteer management capabilities of nonprofits in California. Drawing on learnings from previous research on best practices in volunteer management, CV Service Enterprise organizations, & the Reimagining Service initiative, CV & project partners will create a universal assessment tool to measure organizations volunteer management systems & capacity against CV Service Enterprise criteria. Because we seek to analyze a diverse swath of California s nonprofit sector, active outreach is essential to the program. Outreach will be conducted with local VCs & other partners. This will ensure an accurate read of the state s nonprofit sector. Additionally, by identifying & championing Service Enterprise organizations, a bar will be set for achievement toward which other nonprofits will aspire. II. Site Identification & Partnership Building This project will target 15 communities in the first 3 years. Target communities will be selected based on multiple factors including the interest & capacity of potential project partners. For the program to be successful, a solid understanding of & working relationship with 3 integral players must be established in each community selected: VCs with leadership & bench for local project implementation; nonprofit participants selected through an application process; & the community s HR & other professionals Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 5
who have the skills & capacity to provide pro bono expertise to the project. Once the ideal partners are identified, leadership cohorts will be established in each community to share ideas & build momentum for this project. The professional landscape of each community is crucial to the success of this project. As partnerships are built across the state, identifying local companies with relevant HR, marketing & strategy talent will be critical to CVSEI. This portion of the work presents a unique opportunity to collaborate with corporations who will then become local champions in each community. These professionals will be leveraged to aid in the research, development & implementation of CVSEI curriculum. Further, as on-the-ground stakeholders, they are positioned to motivate & engage their peers to support the continued growth of this program after its rollout. III. Curriculum Development & Implementation The development of CVSEI curriculum is highly contingent upon the learnings & insight gained throughout the initial research & partner-building phases of the project. Development of this curriculum may include, but is not limited to, the following: Identification of the pathways to becoming a CV Service Enterprise Assessment of current volunteer management resources training opportunities, workshops, courses Engagement of representatives from local VC partners to identify key goals for the curriculum Collaboration with VCs & business pro bono partners to develop a multi-course curriculum which can be tailored to meet the needs of nonprofits striving to become CV Service Enterprises Pilot programming to test the modules & evaluate effectiveness; tentatively a cohort of VCs will be the first pilot group to build their own internal volunteer engagement capacity Training & launch of the full program with targeted VC partners Transition of ownership of the program to local VCs CVSEI curriculum may include: Volunteer management courses at advancing levels of complexity, with 101 courses based on existing volunteer management training curriculum as appropriate. Training modules may include focus on engagement of skills-based & pro bono volunteers; creating growth opportunities for volunteers to deepen their engagement & commitment; best practices for inviting volunteers to make financial contributions; & other priorities as identified through the assessment process Creation of a certification program for nonprofits completing the program & demonstrating the attributes of a Service Enterprise Coaching Opportunities (1:1 with pro bono HR & other professional consultants &/or Peer Coaching Opportunities with other nonprofits) Development of a framework for a leadership group for graduates Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 6
It is anticipated curriculum will be rolled out through an initial 1.5-2 day training session, followed by a 4-6 month program to ensure participating organizations fully incorporate the principles of the curriculum into their volunteer talent management practices. Additionally, to ensure whole-organization commitment to & understanding of becoming a CV Service Enterprise, senior leadership (including ED, Board Members, Volunteer Managers & relevant Program Managers) of each participating organization must fully participate in the training & ensuing activities. IV. Business Modeling for Sustainability To ensure project sustainability, program designers will collaborate with pro bono business consultants to develop a business model for the program. Through this process they will help identify potential revenue sources for the project, including grants & earned income opportunities, as well as marketing messages to highlight the need for & effectiveness of this program. Showcasing local CV Service Enterprises will be central to the marketing & recruitment efforts of this project. It is anticipated CVSEI will attract significant additional resources as it rolls out, in support of program design & implementation at both state & local levels, greatly leveraging the investment of VGF resources. Additionally, this project will become a model with national replication potential. V. Development & Implementation of Evaluation Methodology Drawing on best practices in quantitative & qualitative evaluation methods, this project will assess success & ensure continual improvements to the curriculum to enhance impact. Key criteria to be measured in these evaluations are identified in the Proposed Outcomes & Performance Measures sections. VI. Ongoing Monitoring of Program Implementation In the third & final year of the grant period, all deliverables & ownership of the curriculum & its evaluation will be transitioned to the local VCs. CV & contracted partners will serve as a resource & mentor to the VCs, & provide external monitoring & evaluation to ensure the program s efficacy. TIMELINE It is anticipated CV, if awarded a grant, will contract with project partners to implement a large portion of this project, resulting in a January 2011 launch of the project to accommodate time required for contracting purposes. January April 2011: Research current volunteer management practices of California nonprofits, identify sites & build local partnerships January June 2011: Research & develop curriculum & build evaluation methodology July December 2011: Deliver curriculum pilot program & develop business modeling for sustainability July 2011 Ongoing: Implement/maintain evaluation methodology & program improvements Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 7
January 2012: Launch full program January August 2013: Transition program to VCs; ongoing monitoring of program implementation OUTCOMES Volunteer management practices throughout California are evaluated, including a realistic understanding of current resources available & the needs & challenges faced by targeted nonprofits Pro bono HR & other professionals connect with local nonprofits & channel their talent to develop professional quality talent management services within local nonprofits Robust, multi-level curriculum in Service Enterprise development is made widely available, including a certification program to become a CV Service Enterprise Participating VCs have a sustainable revenue-generating volunteer management training program enabling them to transform nonprofit partners into Service Enterprises Participating nonprofits, including VCs, increase volunteer impact, satisfaction & retention; utilize volunteers in a broad spectrum of roles; & rise to the level of CV Service Enterprises. As a result, participating nonprofits realize higher programmatic impact, lower costs & greater operational effectiveness PERFORMANCE MEASURES All nonprofit participants will agree to report their progress in developing their volunteer management systems via their local VC &/or via an online reporting system. The following will constitute measurement of the success of CVSEI: An assessment of the current landscape of volunteer management practices throughout California will be completed Multi-level curriculum & related standards to create a pathway for nonprofits to become CV Service Enterprises will be developed & implemented in collaboration with local VCs, contracted partners & pro bono business talent 15 California VCs will offer CVSEI by the end of year 3 465 nonprofits will complete CVSEI by the end of year 3 (15 VCs + 10 nonprofits per community x 15 communities x 3 cohorts by the end of year 3) Participating nonprofits will realize a 25% increase in the number of new volunteers recruited & placed. The activities of volunteers placed at these nonprofits will also be reported Participating nonprofits will realize a 25% increase in the number of volunteers maintained for more than six months. The activities of these volunteers will also be reported All participating nonprofits will define competency-based volunteer opportunities for high-caliber volunteers & see a placement increase A qualitative assessment of the program from VC, nonprofit, volunteer & business constituents will be completed by the end of year 3 Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 8
Through the engagement of pro bono volunteers, all participating VCs will report improved internal operational & financial systems to enhance organizational sustainability The CVMN statewide & local technology systems will serve as the primary reporting mechanisms for this project SECTION 2: ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY CALIFORNIAVOLUNTEERS: Key CV staff responsible for program oversight are experts in their field & will include: Karen Baker, Secretary of Service & Volunteering, will provide strategy & partnershipbuilding leadership. Karen has more than 25 years experience in the nonprofit & community engagement arena & has served in her current post for five years. Kaira Esgate, Chief of Staff, will provide administrative oversight. Kaira has served in a number of roles at CV for over 13 years, including developing the CVMN. Sarah Mangum, Director of Finance & Administration, will provide fiscal oversight & management. Sarah has been with CV for 3 years, & was formerly with the California Department of Finance. Nancy Olson, Assistant Director of Volunteer Action, will manage program development & implementation. Nancy has been with CV for nearly 4 years, & has over 20 years experience with the nonprofit sector, most recently serving as Director of Hands On Sacramento. She currently manages the CVMN, the BPP, & other programming designed to build the capacity of nonprofits toward expanded volunteer engagement. Jairo Moncada, Communications Manager, will support CV s program marketing efforts, in collaboration with pro bono consultants. Jairo has been with CV for over 2 years. A Program Associate will provide program support as needed. CV will also contract with content experts to develop curriculum & program design, as well as lead project implementation in the field. CV staff & contracted project partners will implement & use self-assessments & continuous improvement systems to provide data & information on the success of this project. CV has a long-standing commitment to the viability of the nonprofit sector, particularly through effective & high-impact volunteer engagement. This is demonstrated through well-established programs including AmeriCorps, Disaster Volunteering & Preparedness, CVMN, & several others. CV s commitment to the development & sustaining of new initiatives is demonstrated through the ongoing success of the Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 9
Disaster Volunteering & Preparedness program, CVMN, BPP, & many other initiatives. These projects have been successful & sustainable due in large part to CV s proven track record of productive partnerships with all sectors related to volunteerism including VCs, thousands of nonprofits statewide, state & national thought leaders, leading businesses, & federal, state & local government partners. For the 2009-10 fiscal year, CV s budget is approximately $29 million. Federal funding represents 97% of the agency budget. This grant would represent less than 2% of the agency budget. The CV Finance & Administration staff is very familiar with federal requirements, with a proven track record of excellent management of federal resources with well-established review & accountability procedures to ensure compliance with federal requirements. These procedures are regularly utilized in the management of federal grants for AmeriCorps, Department of Homeland Security, the HHS Strengthening Communities Fund, VISTA, etc. CONTRACTOR CV will run a competitive process to identify the most appropriate contractor for this project. The contractor selected must have significant expertise in the approach proposed in this application; ability to identify & secure appropriate pro bono talent to achieve project goals; & fiscal, administrative & staffing capacity to meet the demands of this program. The role of the contractor will be extensive in year 1 of this project, & diminish over years 2 & 3 as the VCs take ownership of the curriculum & programming. SECTION 3: BUDGET ADEQUACY & COST-EFFECTIVENESS CV is requesting $484,488 of VGF funding in year 1, to be matched by a minimum of $125,000 in financial & in-kind services. As the largest state in the US, with a significantly struggling nonprofit sector, this level of VGF investment will achieve the most effective program design, greatest impact & real opportunity for replication. Should less funding be available for the CVSEI, CV will readjust program design & outcomes accordingly. The budget presented with this proposal is based on initial conversations with potential partners & will be solidified once contractors are secured. In year 1, approximately $225,000 of VGF funds will be invested in local VCs to support their participation in this project; $200,000 will be utilized for contractor costs for research, curriculum development, business modeling, & program rollout; & the remaining $60,000 will pay for CV s staff management & administration of the project. In subsequent years, contractor costs will diminish significantly, & more funding will be invested to support the VCs adoption & rollout of the curriculum & programming. Conversations are underway with several of CV s Business Partners to provide financial, pro bono & in-kind matching resources, which are expected to exceed the Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 10
$125,000 minimum match required according to the size of CV s request. CV has had real success securing this type of private funding & pro bono support for programs such as the Strengthening Communities Fund Nonprofit Capacity Building Program, the Surviving & Thriving During Tough Times conferences, a May 2010 Cities of Service Convening, & over $1 million in pro bono services from Deloitte to design CV s Disaster Corps & BPP. By the end of year 3, it is expected this program will become a revenue-generating opportunity for participating VCs. Proposal to Volunteer Generation Fund Page 11