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9.3. SR 11-19-2018 ��i Eof lk — - Request for Action River To Item Number Mayor and City Council 9.3 Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by Work Session November 19, 2018 Tina Allard, City Clerk Item Description Reviewed by Volunteer Appreciation Program Cal Portner, City Administrator Reviewed by Action Requested Discussion regarding Council's Volunteer Appreciation Program. Background/Discussion Departments utilize volunteers in a variety of ways and although volunteers work without compensation, volunteer programs are not free. However,the benefits provided by volunteers can outweigh those costs. Benefits include having a greater service impact on the community than otherwise possible such as cleaner parks, assisting kids at the library, etc. Volunteers themselves also benefit by learning new job skills and gaining experience.Volunteering can range from a one-day event to year-round support. Volunteer program costs can include staff program management, supervision, backgrounding, equipment, and recognition/appreciation. The city's volunteering program is fairly young and not in any centralized database for easy statistical analysis and tracking of volunteer activities. Things that could be tracked and of value might include: ■ time to manage volunteers ■ description of activities performed ■ direct value provided ■ department/program receiving the ■ contact information assistance ■ estimate of volunteers utilized • demographics of volunteers ■ estimate of volunteer hours It is important to provide meaningful recognition for volunteer work. This can come in many forms and should be tailored to the needs of the volunteer. Whatever is decided, Council should ask:Why are we doing this? Should the program be formal or informal? Is this something all volunteers will like and appreciate?Who should be recognizing the volunteers?Are we really organizing this recognition for ourselves or is it truly for the volunteers and their supervisors (volunteers may not know Council and would feel more comfortable with more personal appreciation coming from their supervisor)? Formal recognition is generally done for all volunteers equally, on a regularly-scheduled basis. Some agencies recognize their volunteers based on anniversary, some based on hours. Some give a formal banquet; others distribute pins or plaques. Some take volunteers out to lunch on a day they come in to volunteer.There are many ways to recognize and appreciate volunteers. The Elk River Vision A avelcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional p D W E H E D D Y service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity INATUR Staff met with Lisa Braun, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Director (RSVP). Ms. Braun discussed how they recognize their volunteers. RSVP has over 1,000 volunteers and used to host a banquet for approximately 600 attendees. She said guests were not invited because they cannot justify using public funding so they had to pay their own way in advance. Ms. Braun noted as attendance declined more each year, they surveyed their volunteers and found they were no longer interested in a banquet (most said they were too busy to attend another event) and preferred a small token of appreciation. They now offer a Menu of Appreciation. A thank you letter, along with a list of a few gift options is sent annually to each volunteer. The volunteers chose their selection and returned the form. Items run about$5 and have included gift cards,postage stamps, etc. She suggested having the city volunteer coordinator organize the event and create a database of all volunteers. For 2018, the first year of this appreciation program, staff sent out 226 invitations. There were 27 who attended the event.There were 171 who didn't respond either way. Staff also feels there may have been volunteers and some partner volunteers (such as RSVP and Minnesota Off-Road Cyclist) who were missed because the city has not formally tracked the program. Some issues included: ■ Difficulty finding specific individuals who volunteered for the city from group organizations ■ Youth volunteers ■ Volunteers who didn't know why there were invited or what they contributed ■ Youth organizations who require volunteerism to reduce personal costs. Volunteers by department Fimmncc ministration Fire Police Economic Devt Financial Impact Council budget currently includes $2,500 for the appreciation component of the program. The city spent $939 for the 2018 event. Attachments ■ None N:\Public13odies\Agenda Packets\l 1-19-2018\Final\x9.3 sr volunteer Recog.docx