Organizing volunteers, looking for ideas

[Clue]

On our neighboring Ormewood board the idea of finding a tool for organizing volunteers is being talked about as a way to make it easy for neighbors to see projects being worked on by the community.  I like this idea, and have been doing a little research as to what might work best. 

One site proposed was http://www.volunteerspot.com/ which has possibilities but it is calendar based.  It allows for people to view needs by days so if you had a clean-up scheduled on November 16 you could easily sign-up.  This could work if you laid out all projects that need to be done on one day of the month.  However, what wasn't completed would then have to be reentered for the following month.  This could be a way for an organizer to see what has or hasn't been done, but will create the extra work of cutting and pasting to the following month.

I suppose you could trick this to working if you put beautification items on the 1st, public safety on the second, etc. until you listed out all projects that need work.  However, is there something similar to this that isn't date specific, maybe more project oriented?  This way people could pull it up and easily see which projects are needing work.

[Cap'n Ken]

If you can possibly avoid requiring people to use yet another site to make this happen, I think that would be a wise thing. Maybe something within Facebook Groups? More than providing the tool, you will want to put the information in front of people in the easiest way possible.

[Clue]

Just toying around with the idea at the moment.  I have heard from people in the past that wouldn't it be nice to knock out a needed task on their own time instead of having to wait for some type of meeting, planned activity, etc.  Some type of web based checklist if you will. 

I was thinking that even if was a separate site it could be linked to something that people are checking already like...the buzz perhaps. Maybe like when you used to have the links in one of the older formats. 

[MRice]

Just toying around with the idea at the moment.  I have heard from people in the past that wouldn't it be nice to knock out a needed task on their own time instead of having to wait for some type of meeting, planned activity, etc.  Some type of web based checklist if you will. 

I was thinking that even if was a separate site it could be linked to something that people are checking already like...the buzz perhaps. Maybe like when you used to have the links in one of the older formats.

What about a new section on the Buzz or the EACA website labeled Volunteer opportunities (preferably something more clever)?
People could make entries for scheduled or unscheduled tasks. It could be a form or people could be trusted to post all the relevant info. (I'd go with a form.)
Work it so whatever is posted is automatically spun into a weekly e-mail that people sign up to get. You web geniuses can do all that, right?

[Cap'n Ken]

Just toying around with the idea at the moment.  I have heard from people in the past that wouldn't it be nice to knock out a needed task on their own time instead of having to wait for some type of meeting, planned activity, etc.  Some type of web based checklist if you will. 

I was thinking that even if was a separate site it could be linked to something that people are checking already like...the buzz perhaps. Maybe like when you used to have the links in one of the older formats.

What about a new section on the Buzz or the EACA website labeled Volunteer opportunities (preferably something more clever)?
People could make entries for scheduled or unscheduled tasks. It could be a form or people could be trusted to post all the relevant info. (I'd go with a form.)
Work it so whatever is posted is automatically spun into a weekly e-mail that people sign up to get. You web geniuses can do all that, right?

The email / notification thing seems like a good idea. If you have to go around getting people to be involved once to start, you don't want to have to make them remember to come back to someplace every time a new opportunity is there. That's the good thing about Facebook - these things can come into a user's stream (assuming they get on Facebook frequently) without ongoing action required. Same can be said of email to the extent people pay attention to email anymore.

[Clue]

Maybe some type of web based sign up list broken into big and small pieces that people could sign up for and check off, with a link to the list that is reposted on FB, buzz and/or email once a month?

I think I could make that reposting thing work.  I just haven't found a usable site yet that I like the layout.  So far I see calendar based ones.  Before I kept searching I wanted to make sure somebody didn't already know one they had seen or used in the past.  I always go to the buzz minds first. 

[triumph]

On our neighboring Ormewood board the idea of finding a tool for organizing volunteers is being talked about as a way to make it easy for neighbors to see projects being worked on by the community.  I like this idea, and have been doing a little research as to what might work best. 

One site proposed was http://www.volunteerspot.com/ which has possibilities but it is calendar based.  It allows for people to view needs by days so if you had a clean-up scheduled on November 16 you could easily sign-up.  This could work if you laid out all projects that need to be done on one day of the month.  However, what wasn't completed would then have to be reentered for the following month.  This could be a way for an organizer to see what has or hasn't been done, but will create the extra work of cutting and pasting to the following month.

I suppose you could trick this to working if you put beautification items on the 1st, public safety on the second, etc. until you listed out all projects that need work.  However, is there something similar to this that isn't date specific, maybe more project oriented?  This way people could pull it up and easily see which projects are needing work.

Maybe some type of web based sign up list broken into big and small pieces that people could sign up for and check off, with a link to the list that is reposted on FB, buzz and/or email once a month?

I think I could make that reposting thing work.  I just haven't found a usable site yet that I like the layout.  So far I see calendar based ones.  Before I kept searching I wanted to make sure somebody didn't already know one they had seen or used in the past.  I always go to the buzz minds first. 

Just toying around with the idea at the moment.  I have heard from people in the past that wouldn't it be nice to knock out a needed task on their own time instead of having to wait for some type of meeting, planned activity, etc.  Some type of web based checklist if you will. 

I was thinking that even if was a separate site it could be linked to something that people are checking already like...the buzz perhaps. Maybe like when you used to have the links in one of the older formats.

What about a new section on the Buzz or the EACA website labeled Volunteer opportunities (preferably something more clever)?
People could make entries for scheduled or unscheduled tasks. It could be a form or people could be trusted to post all the relevant info. (I'd go with a form.)
Work it so whatever is posted is automatically spun into a weekly e-mail that people sign up to get. You web geniuses can do all that, right?

The email / notification thing seems like a good idea. If you have to go around getting people to be involved once to start, you don't want to have to make them remember to come back to someplace every time a new opportunity is there. That's the good thing about Facebook - these things can come into a user's stream (assuming they get on Facebook frequently) without ongoing action required. Same can be said of email to the extent people pay attention to email anymore.

Just toying around with the idea at the moment.  I have heard from people in the past that wouldn't it be nice to knock out a needed task on their own time instead of having to wait for some type of meeting, planned activity, etc.  Some type of web based checklist if you will. 

I was thinking that even if was a separate site it could be linked to something that people are checking already like...the buzz perhaps. Maybe like when you used to have the links in one of the older formats.

What about a new section on the Buzz or the EACA website labeled Volunteer opportunities (preferably something more clever)?
People could make entries for scheduled or unscheduled tasks. It could be a form or people could be trusted to post all the relevant info. (I'd go with a form.)
Work it so whatever is posted is automatically spun into a weekly e-mail that people sign up to get. You web geniuses can do all that, right?

If you can possibly avoid requiring people to use yet another site to make this happen, I think that would be a wise thing. Maybe something within Facebook Groups? More than providing the tool, you will want to put the information in front of people in the easiest way possible.

[/b]

(sigh)

[MRice]

triupmh, I lost your point?

[Clue]

triupmh, I lost your point?

Me too.