Posted
Dec 03, 2014 04:05 PM
Many newborn children in our area are introduced to this world without adequate food, clothing, beds, or safety equipment. Since 1990, Eastside Baby Corner has been ensuring that children can get a healthy start in their lives.
Many newborn children in our area are introduced to this world without adequate food, clothing, beds, or safety equipment. Since 1990, Eastside Baby Corner (EBC) has been ensuring that children can get a healthy start in their lives.
With more than 100 volunteers coming through each week doing things like sorting donated items and organizing wardrobes, EBC knew they needed to improve their volunteer program. After enrolling in the King County United Way VIP 360 program, EBC now feels like they are doing a better job at nurturing their committed volunteer base. United Way has partnered with 501 Commons to deliver this program.
"We are doing a much better job at tracking, acknowledging, and understanding the huge impact our volunteers have on our ability to fulfill our mission," says Madeline Fish, operations manager at Eastside Baby Corner.
One visible change they made was creating a "wall of fame" inside their building to illustrate the impact their volunteers have on the children and families they serve. EBC has seen many positive returns from publicly thanking their dedicated team of volunteers.
What EBC really needed was a professional "outside" perspective who was willing to work with the organization, become familiar with their culture, and find creative solutions to their problems. Fish says the consultants who worked with Eastside Baby Corner did just that."The professional overview and input provided by VIP 360 was extremely valuable," Fish says. "Their unique and fresh perspective on our organization was thought-provoking and appreciated."
Learn more about how you can "power up" your volunteer program and use volunteers in new ways.