The autumn is the time when Boards learn how to work with each other, and by the spring, they will have accomplished many projects that helped the Centre succeed!
Now that spring is here, and summer won’t be far behind bringing with it the end of another school year, it is time to start thinking about the job descriptions for the members of the Board of Directors.
Each out-going Board should review and where necessary, update their job descriptions so that they leave behind a legacy better than what they received! (If your Board needs assistance updating their job descriptions, please visit the PCPC website (www.pcpcontario.org/members for PCPC member centres) or contact the PCPC office at info@pcpcontario.org.
It is also a great time to invite any member who will be at the Centre next year, to a meeting so that they can observe and see how the Board works and entice them to want to be a part of the elections that may occur soon, in the spring, or at the beginning of the next school year!
Getting enough of the right people is the most basic challenge of working with volunteers. Recruitment is an ongoing concern for every Centre; a constant turnover of volunteers is inevitable (as families grow and move on from the Centre), as people’s circumstances and their ability to volunteer change over time. An increasing number of Centre’s are now looking for people to help them on a voluntary basis, at the same time as the demands on individual’s free time are getting greater. While it is true that volunteering rates have dropped slightly over the past few years, it has to be remembered that most people who currently do not volunteer would consider doing so if they were asked!
You need to be clear-sighted, creative and determined if you are going to be successful. It is essential to think strategically and to be prepared. You need to know:
It is helpful to involve as many people as possible in the recruitment process and it may be appropriate to set up a Recruitment Team or Committee. It is essential that you involve current volunteers in the recruitment process.
It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day activities that you lose the ability to express what you do, or even why you do it, to people who do not know about your work. Never assume that people know anything. You must learn to take into account the potential volunteer’s perspective if recruiting is going to be a success. Putting yourself forward as a volunteer can be daunting. Organizations should make it easy for people to volunteer, by being as approachable, undemanding and un-bureaucratic as possible, and not to expect too much too soon. If you give people the opportunity for a trial period, or give them an easy job before progressing on to something more demanding, people are less likely to be scared off. It is important to remember that people volunteer for different reasons. If you can tap into what motivates different people, you can ‘segment’ the potential pool of volunteers and adapt your recruitment message accordingly.
Always keep the message as clear, simple and upbeat as possible. Whenever you recruit, you should aim to impart the following information:
There is no one correct technique; creativity is the key and the limit is your imagination!
Once you have implemented your chosen recruitment methods, you will start getting some enquiries. It is important that you follow these up quickly and professionally. Consider having an information pack ready, perhaps containing background information, details of the voluntary work and if required, an application form. Try to meet with potential volunteers as soon as possible after they first make contact.
Evaluate the success of your recruitment campaign so that you can learn for the future, what was and was not successful!
Tough times force hard choices, and these are rapidly becoming the toughest times most of us have ever seen. Even for non-profit leaders who are accustomed to ‘making much of little’, the repercussions of the unfolding economic downturn are likely to pose unprecedented challenges. It’s hard to imagine that many (if any) in the sector will escape unscathed.
So what to do? Not surprisingly, there are no easy or even particularly novel answers to that question. Learning from what others have done before in the face of less severe financial crises can be extremely useful!
Seven Steps to Managing Tough Times will be outlined in this newsletter as well as the next two because the information is valuable, and to shorten the content might lose some important information… stay tuned to learn what your Centre can do in the face of a financial crisis…
Acute anxiety tends to provoke one of two responses: unthinking activity or deer-in-the-headlights paralysis – both are understandable, but neither is helpful. The challenge is to be both fore-thoughtful about the decisions you will need to make and fleet-footed in implementing them at the appropriate time.
In the current climate, this means taking immediate action; to manage costs aggressively; to do away with nice-to-haves (both because they are easily expendable and because of the signal it sends to the whole organization); and to delay undertaking new initiatives. It also entails developing explicit contingency plans, even if your Centre is not yet feeling any pain. Waiting to get specific until the wolf is really at the door will not make the choices any easier, but it will sharply increase the likelihood that the available options will be fewer and more draconian.
Recessions are a time to keep up hope, and to plan, quite explicitly, for the worst, recognizing that troubles may unfold in fits and starts. Having Plans B, C, and D in place and knowing when to move to each mean the difference between pacing your organization through a marathon and a slippery slide into financial and organizational exhaustion. How to craft contingencies? Many organizations start by asking themselves what they would do if they had to cut their budget by 10 percent, by 20 percent, and even by 30 percent. They also specify the tripwires that would cause them to move from Plan A to Plan B, C, or even D; an ‘X’ percent fall in fee-for-service revenues, for instance, or a ‘Y’ percent drop in donations, or foundation funding, or a ‘Z’ percent decrease in the Centre’s cash reserves.
For example: A community-based after-school program with multiple sites might establish contingencies that called for renegotiating rents immediately; reducing staff and filling positions with volunteers as Plan B; consolidating one or two sites as Plan C; and consolidating to a core site as Plan D. Painful as each shift would be, both for clients and staff, the pacing signals clearly that the organization is doing all it can to preserve services and to keep the core of its mission alive.
The bad news is that financial constraints may mean that you cannot pursue all of your current activities. The good – or at least the less bad – news is that not all of them are equally essential in terms of impact. Now is the time to allocate your discretionary dollars and best staff to the activities that make the greatest difference in your ability to achieve and sustain results: the programs and services that have the greatest impact on those you serve; and the organizational infrastructure required to support them. It is also the time to consider whether you need to cut back or discontinue less critical activities – and to ask yourself, ‘If not now, when?’
Acting on this advice requires clarity about the programs and services that matter most, and about where your discretionary dollars are currently going. Your organization’s leadership may already be clear about what the most important priorities are. If they aren’t, it is strongly recommended to bring the Board members and key staff together to wrestle with three critical questions that can help to create clarity:
Until everyone has agreed on the answers to these questions, it will be hard to develop a real consensus around which programs and activities are truly core and which ones, however reluctantly, can be let go.
It’s that time of year again – national opportunities to say thank you to your volunteers. Take some time to raise awareness within your Centre that volunteering is an activity widely valued!
A few quick ideas for those volunteers:
Contracts presented to new and returning staff members should be signed by the end of April.
According to the Employment Standards Act ,your Centre needs to give the staff notice in lieu of salary if you are not renewing their contact – in the case of long-term contract employees, they may need to be given up to 8 weeks notice.
Please visit the Employment Standards website (http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/) for specifics regarding termination of employment and other labour related issues.
This wonderful list of the top ten perks of being a director came across the PCPC desk from www.childcareexchange.com and we knew that we had to share it with all of you… enjoy!
April 22nd is Earth Day! Visit the Earth Day Canada (EDC) website (www.earthday.ca) for more information about programs and events happening in and around your community!
Fundraising Ideas – Remember that all of these fundraising ideas, and many more can be found in the Governance Series Workshops (Member’s Only Section) of the PCPC website www.pcpcontario.org/members
Bingo: Bingo is a game of chance with a broad appeal. It is primarily a social event and can be played almost any time. Prizes can be either cash or merchandise. Bingo can be played with sophisticated makers, bingo chips, or even jelly beans!
A Bingo Lottery License is required from your municipality to conduct a bingo. It may take up to eight weeks to process a municipal bingo license, so it is wise to obtain this license before you begin organizing this event.
Roasters Foundation
Address: 1 Place Ville Marie, Suite 2221, Montreal, Quebec, H3B 3M4
Contact: Rachel H. Renaud, Executive Director
Telephone/Fax: (514) 878-9443 (telephone); (514) 878-4541 (fax)
Email/Website: rachel@tngcorporation.com and http://www.fondationroasters.com
Funding Interest: Special Education; Child Development; Children
Granting Region: Ontario
Grant Information: Proposal must include mission statement, purpose of funds requested, present and past donors, financial statements, list of staff and Board of Directors, and any available marketing materials
Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation
Address: 435 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 770, Chicago, Illinois, 60611
Telephone/Fax: (312) 222-3512 (telephone); (312) 222-3523 (fax)
Email/Website: rrmtf@tribune.com and http://www.rrmtf.org
Funding Interest: Early Childhood Education and Development; Child Development; Children
Granting Region: Canada
Robins, Appleby Charitable Foundation
Address: 130 Adelaide Street West, Suite 2500, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2M2
Contact: Ronald Appleby, President
Funding Interest: Children
Granting Region: Toronto Area
The world’s youngest parents were 8 and 9, and lived in China in 1910!
Some of you will read the following tips and strategies for both energy and fuel conservation, and think – I do this already! If that’s the case, congratulations; and if not, see how many you can incorporate into your lifestyle…
Ontario residents can soon drop off unwanted computers and assorted electronics at more than 100 new sites, as part of an industry-funded program dedicated to diverting more electronic waste from landfill sites.
Some 17 municipalities, select retail chains and Salvation Army Thrift Stores have been certified to collect junked computer-ware, television sets, and printers and fax machines to bolster existing recycling programs.
The program, run by the Ontario Electronic Stewardship industry association aims to divert an extra 160,000 tonnes of electronic waster over the next five years! About 91,000 tonnes of e-waste is collected in Ontario each year, but only 25 percent is managed appropriately.
For a location near you, visit www.dowhatyoucan.ca, and click on ‘Electronics’.
Maternity RECE Contract Position For Toronto Nursery Co-op Required
Position Available: Maternity RECE – 1 year
Location: Dufferin/St. Clair Bears Nursery Co-op
Position Commences: August 24, 2009
We are a vibrant and well established Nursery Co-op for children ages 2.5-5. We offer a morning, lunch, afternoon and extended program. We are seeking an RECE whose skills set includes:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to Shaza Asanovski by e-mail to: sasanovski@yahoo.ca. No phone calls please.
Closing Date: May 1, 2009
PCPC: Parent Co-operative Preschool Corporation
1571
Sandhurst Circle, PO Box 63512, Toronto, ON • MIV 1V0
Tel 416-410-2667 (Toronto)
E-mail info@pcpcontario.org
Website www.pcpcontario.org or
www.pcpctoronto.org
Terms and conditions
PCPC is a registered charity. You can make a donation
by credit card via PayPal here.
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e-newsletter 25: Bill 168, preventing violence in the workplace · June 17
Free seminars on Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) · May 18
e-newsletter 24: Full Day Learning · May 18
Full-Day Learning Act passed: update and links · April 29
PCPC centre featured in Star article · February 8
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Going Green 23 · January 15
Going Green 22 · December 17
Going Green 21 · December 4
Going Green 20 · November 20
Going Green 19: A Brief Overview of “Green IT for Dummies” · October 27
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