Stiemke: New Promise requirements will flood nonprofit groups
“We are thrilled with the Promise Volunteers! They are eager to help, energetic and just plain wonderful kids,” writes Jeannette Huetson of On Angels Wings.
MCC Promise students have been a great asset to our community. Organizations are getting extra help with projects, facilities are getting spruced up, and client care has been impacted.
Since the program went public, one of the more frequent comments is “the students should have to do more volunteer service.” Currently, MCC Promise eligibility requirements include 16 hours of volunteer service a semester.
In a recent Northwest Herald article, it was announced that the number of volunteer service hours for Promise students will rise to 32 hours a semester. This sounds great on paper. However, it is doubtful that students will be able to fulfill that commitment inside a semester.
Within the 234 member organizations that are eligible to engage MCC Promise students, there is an annual countywide need of about 46,000 volunteers. This number makes it sound like there should be plenty of places for students to access volunteer service. The reality is that a good portion of the annual need already had volunteers in place before MCC Promise. Keep in mind also that organizations need to have a certain mix of volunteers to accomplish their goals. They can’t have projects that are completely run by students.
McHenry County organizations appreciate the help of MCC students. They are creating avenues that are great matches for students within their organizational mission. They want these students involved and learning about their programs. They like the idea of planting a seed for future volunteers. On the other hand, most are having trouble keeping up with the load of volunteers referred to their organizations.
Every day the Volunteer Center receives phone calls from students and parents. The common theme is that students are not getting call backs from organizations. We explain that the load is heavy on the organization’s part. Many organizations don’t have the manpower to take on so many volunteers in such a short time period. Last year, the Volunteer Center sent out 1,695 volunteer referrals to organizations. Since July 1, 2009, we already have sent out 3,240.
Nonprofit organizations developed missions to manage the places within our society where resources were lacking. To expect a nonprofit program to modify how they accomplish their mission so they can accommodate volunteers at the rate of 32 hours a semester, which MCC Promise will require, does not seem like a realistic approach.
MCC Promise is great for the community. It will impact our economy, raise the average education level in McHenry County, and serve as a tool to help the missions of local nonprofits. The Volunteer Center would like to encourage MCC to continue tweaking the Promise program so the service aspect generates long-term successes.
• Rebecca Stiemke is the director of United Way McHenry County Volunteer Center. She can be reached at 815-344-4483 or rstiemke@volunteer mchenrycounty.org.
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