Problems getting involved

Sarah,

What each chapter does depends on the number of staff members and the number of volunteer leaders. Some chapters are quite small - like my own, which has only 2 full-time staffers, and 2 part-time staffers. There are only 5 divisions in my entire state, so each chapter's area to cover is immense. These chapters really rely on volunteer leaders to step up and organize family events and things like picnics, craft days, etc.

I don't know anything about the Houston chapter, and I won't start to make excuses for them. I can promise that the protocol for dealing with new volunteers is undergoing a big change (from the top down!). Not responding to a potential volunteer is something we are really working at every level within this organization. There is now a MOD staff position dedicated to exactly this!

I have been where you are - moved to a new area, knew noone, and wanted to get involved. My advice is to be patient and persistent. I'm sorry they have not called back. Don't give up! Getting involved is worth being kindly persistent, I can attest to this.

Your staff members are quite likely just returning from a big training conference where they were given tools to learn how to train and recruit new members. I hope this means that soon, at chapters ALL ACROSS THE US, volunteers will be called back promptly! Since this is one of my jobs in my state, I find this extremely frustrating.

Texas has a *lot* of divisions. I'm counting 22 according to the website (http://www.marchofdimes.com/texas/viewAllOffices.asp). Your office location is:
Houston Division
Address: 3000 Weslayan, #100
Houston, TX, 77027
Phone: (713) 623-2020
Fax: (713) 964-5417

If your chapter doesn't currently have someone to organize and plan those events you'd like to see, ask if you can help do such a thing. That kind of volunteer initiative is what makes this organization great. Another idea is to help make those welcoming phone calls and emails to new volunteers. We need these volunteer positions at every division in every chapter. Volunteers need to be welcomed warmly and promptly... and soon that WILL be protocol.

Can't wait to hear what develops. Keep on pluggin'!
- Darcy (who just happens to be on the National Mission Family Advisory Council, which is working on volunteer development!)

It's been well over a month since I submitted my application and I've been trying to contact somebody in the office to help get me started. All they say is that they will call me back.

I just want to help... do they need help? I just want to be invited to March of Dimes events. I don't know anybody here that is involved in the MOD and I'm having such a hard time getting involved myself.

Why won't anybody call me back? Who else can I talk to? What else can I do to get involved because my chapter won't call me back?

-Sarah

Detective Darcy reporting for duty. I'm going to work on this one, Sarah. I'm so very sorry. You're right, you should have gotten a return phone call... even if there are no summer events planned... just an acknowlegement is appropriate.

As a volunteer, I know that you just want to be contacted. No one wants to feel pushy or aggressive, we just want to be included. Fixing this in all chapters, not just yours, is something that is very important to me. Emails and phone calls need to be returned to potential volunteers. Period.

Again, I'm so sorry that hasn't happened yet. I have the strangest temptation to say something screwball like "I'll have my people call your people." But who am I kidding?! I have no people... but I do have James. And *james* has people!
 

Don't give up! *throws you a tow rope*
Darcy

Darcy-

catches the tow rope and pulls me in*

thank you so much for your hard work. James Soohoo has been working on this one too and yesterday afternoon, i finally got a phone call. Susan, I believe her name was... anyways she was so nice and she apologized that I haven't been contacted. As a matter of fact, I'm on my way out the door right now to meet with her.

I'm so excited!!!! Thank you so much, Darcy! It's caring people like you that make volunteering for the MOD so easy for me WANT to do it. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

-Sarah

Sarah,

Well, I wish I could take credit for this... but James SooHoo, our super-duper community host, did all this for you. It pays to have friends in high places!

I can't wait to hear all the fun stuff going on in the Houston chapter! You're going to be a *great* volunteer, Sarah. You go girl.

Darcy

I hope all goes well!!!

Three Cheers for Sargent Soohoo!!!!

That man works wonders

Well, after Susan got back with me we had a meeting with the rest of the staff and I am so thankful to be a part of this team!

Every last one of them were so kind. I am calling up the Walk America Family teams to try and get their stories as to why they are family teams and it's been great! I love hearing the stories these families have. So many of them are completely familiar because I read all the stories here on Share.... I really was able to connect with one mom. Her baby had many of the same problems Quinn had in the NICU.

I haven't spoken with any family that has had a full term baby in the NICU though. I'm really anxious to hear a story like that. I didn't realize how uncommon having a full term baby in the NICU was.

Well, back to the Houston MoD office... they are all very kind ladies. Susan is helping me out a lot and she is the sweetest lady I have ever met. She calls Quinn her baby too. I just can't believe how they took Quinn and I in with open arms. Susan says I'm just a blessing to the MoD, but I don't think she realizes how much of a blessing she is in my life as well.

She is bending over backwards to help get Quinn some much needed insurance and I guess she can sense how much I enjoy speaking with other families that have had traumatic experiences, like the NICU. I like reaching out. A lot of these families I have talked to didn't know there were people out there that care... and I care a lot. Almost none of them knew about the Share website and I've been referring them to here... watch out because Houston is a big city... we might get an overwhelming amount of people pooling into this website. But the healing this site offers makes it so worth it to bring them in, doesn't it?

Well, this turned out to be much longer than I thought... thank you so much everyone for your support. Thank you James for helping me get involved by contacting someone... thank you Darcy for letting me know that my persistence will pay off and thank you every one who volunteers for the MoD for influencing me into doing this. I would have never known that volunteering would offer so much to my life and if you all weren't happy doing it, I would have never looked into it. THANK YOU!!!

-Sarah

Sarah,

This is great news. I welcome any of "your" Houston families here with open arms. That personal connection may be just what it takes to pull families in and allow them to get connected to your division. It means a lot to families to know that someone cares about them and their stories.

What a great start to a brand new volunteering opportunity! So glad it all worked out. I hope this will motivate other families out there to find the satisfaction and gratification from getting involved with their local chapters, too!

It's the partnership with staff AND volunteers that make this organization so successful. You're a great role model, Sarah!

Darcy

Sarah, if you get a chance, get back to me on this. I just emailed a second time to the Houston office trying to get involved. It's been a little over a month since my initial contact, and as Darcy mentioned, I'm just trying to be patient, since I'm sure there's more on their schedules than most of us are aware. I believe that I have quite a bit that I can offer to our local office, and am really interested in seeing what I can do to help.

Thanks for your help, or anyone else's.
PHILIP (Hudsonsdad)

Philip-

Susan is the one from the MoD chapter that contacted me. But that was after James Soohoo sent her a second email. I had a really rough time getting involved too and I think they are trying to fix it.

email me at: sschmizel@sbcglobal.net

We will swap information and I will forward that to Susan who in return will hopefully get someone to contact you. They are all really nice people and are eager to get volunteers in, so I'm sure it's just a miscommunication error.

It's so nice to be able to meet other Share members who are from my area!!!

I can't wait to hear from you!!!

-Sarah

I just came across this strand. I have been having trouble getting involved as well. I have contacted my local office (Edina, MN)by phone and on the internet. So far I have heard nothing. I'm not giving up but I just don't know where to go next, short of calling more. Is that my best plan? Do they want people like me to get more involved or is it better to just keep to the walk and nothing else? I don't want to end up being more of a pain than help. What do you think?
Kathy

Staffers really do want you to get involved! Really and truly! I also think that this is a relatively new campaign (launched in 2003) and starting slowly since then, and quite rapidly since 2005, there are so many new and interested volunteers. This is a great problem to have!

Unfortunately, the protocol isn't in place (yet!) on the best way to handle all these new callers and emailers. And although everyone, and I mean everyone, agrees that ignoring them IS NOT THE SOLUTION. Yes it is still happening in some chapters. I'm so very sorry about that. Believe me when I say I understand how frustrating that is.

But not for long, I promise this. Some chapters, and some divisions will take longer than others... but the movement, the protocol, the best practices are being put in place, one chapter at a time.

Not since the Polio days has this organization seen such a large, grassroots uprise of volunteers coming out of the woodwork. it's fantastic! it's inspirational! So where do we put them all?! seems to be the echo in halls.

If you lived here in Iowa, I'd have already roped ya' in. Until then, be patient, polite and persistent. Call and ask who is the Mission Family chair, or the Family Team Chair, or the staffer who is the volunteer liason. Ask for a schedule of events, and what you can do to get involved in those events.

A good time to call is now. Try this, "Hey, what is going on for PAD? I know it's on 11/14 and I'd love to get involved and help out in anyway I can, because [insert mission story here]!"

If your division isn't ready, come back here and let me know. I have a great idea for planning an all-out virtual fundraiser that I just learned about last week from my friend, and national staffer Tony Choppa.

Hang in there. Call this week! Let me know what they say about PAD.

I'm rootin' for ya'!
Darcy

I have the same problem, I've been trying to get involve and no one seems to want my help. But I'm in Austin Texas.

Yazu,

Have you called your local division office in Austin?

We have a big event coming up in a few months, WalkAmerica. It's in April in most communities. Perhaps you could call after the holidays and ask how to get involved with Walk America. You could form your own team, or ask about helping on the Walk committee.

It takes a lot of planning to get ready for WalkAmerica. I bet they'd love some help!

Good luck,
Darcy