Get Involved
Volunteering with PFF
Partners for Families needs to connect with those individuals, church groups, and other organizations that share the vision and hope of PFF for Norristown. If you are interested in volunteering your time with Parnters for Families please fill out the Volunteer form and we will contact you promptly. Working with Partners for Families will give you the opportunity to reach and work with a diverse group of people involved in many different social service and faith-based organizations in and around Norristown.
Developing the Board
Through a grant awarded by the Compassion Capital Fund, PFF has begun creating a comprehensive plan for expanding its Board, which will provide a stronger leadership framework and will garner more involvement from community stakeholders. The Nonprofit Center at LaSalle University, a consultant group, drew up a Board Development Plan for PFF in March 2006. It raised the following issues concerning the growth of the PFF Board:
1) Diversity – Organizational success depends on Board diversity “along many dimensions.” This entails the diversity of Board members—that they come from broad segments of the Norristown area, with various backgrounds and professional experience, and that they possess various skill sets and forms of expertise. Diversity in these terms will ensure that the Board collectively can provide the numerous forms of assistance, including:
2) Being “Hands On” – The few members on the Board must employ a “hands on” approach to effectively recruit new members and ensure the organization becomes operational before settling in a governing role.
3) Establishing Autonomy – With the Boards of the Norristown Ministerium and PFF sharing members, the PFF Board faces the task of clarifying its relationship with the Ministerium. This will ensure that “the work of PFF is distinct enough to be attractive to a larger pool of potential board members.”
1) Diversity – Organizational success depends on Board diversity “along many dimensions.” This entails the diversity of Board members—that they come from broad segments of the Norristown area, with various backgrounds and professional experience, and that they possess various skill sets and forms of expertise. Diversity in these terms will ensure that the Board collectively can provide the numerous forms of assistance, including:
- Accounting/financial management
- Marketing and publicity
- Fund raising
- Grant-writing
- Special events planning
- Facilities management and maintenance
- Legal advice and/or referrals to other sources of advice
- Ensure effective program operations
- Strong contacts with Norristown Municipality and state government
2) Being “Hands On” – The few members on the Board must employ a “hands on” approach to effectively recruit new members and ensure the organization becomes operational before settling in a governing role.
3) Establishing Autonomy – With the Boards of the Norristown Ministerium and PFF sharing members, the PFF Board faces the task of clarifying its relationship with the Ministerium. This will ensure that “the work of PFF is distinct enough to be attractive to a larger pool of potential board members.”
Volunteer Management
The Compassion Capital Fund grant also funded a Volunteer Management Plan, which was created by the Nonprofit Center of Lasalle University in May 2006. It addressed the following volunteer issues:
1) Limited Staff Time – With only two people on staff, PFF is currently hard-pressed to devote a sufficient amount of time to volunteer recruitment and retention. While other individuals have stepped forward to try to carry out recruitment, this hasn’t resulted in the ongoing involvement of volunteers.
2) A Small Volunteer Pool – Currently, volunteers come from a small pool of churches and three local colleges (Cabrini University, Bryn Mawr College, and Eastern University). Most weekly volunteers come from one congregation.
The Volunteer Management Plan includes the following strategies for establishing a program that ensures the ongoing recruitment and retention of volunteers (considering the small size of PFF’s staff, it would be wise to encourage Board members and qualified volunteers to shoulder the responsibility of implementation):
In addition, encouraging both staff and volunteers to get the word out about PFF will increase the chances that they in turn will become recruiters of other volunteers. It also is an opportunity for those who have received our services and have made advances toward self-sufficiency to “give back” by helping other families in their neighborhood and throughout Norristown.
Successfully implemented, the above plan can lead to great results for the organization, including an increase in programs, the expansion of existing programs, the recruitment of more Board and committee members, increased word-of-mouth promotion about PFF, and more donations.
1) Limited Staff Time – With only two people on staff, PFF is currently hard-pressed to devote a sufficient amount of time to volunteer recruitment and retention. While other individuals have stepped forward to try to carry out recruitment, this hasn’t resulted in the ongoing involvement of volunteers.
2) A Small Volunteer Pool – Currently, volunteers come from a small pool of churches and three local colleges (Cabrini University, Bryn Mawr College, and Eastern University). Most weekly volunteers come from one congregation.
The Volunteer Management Plan includes the following strategies for establishing a program that ensures the ongoing recruitment and retention of volunteers (considering the small size of PFF’s staff, it would be wise to encourage Board members and qualified volunteers to shoulder the responsibility of implementation):
- Expand and strengthen the current role of volunteers
- Lay the foundation for a stronger volunteer program
- Create stronger links and relationships between PFF and its current volunteers
- Expand the number of program volunteers (those volunteering on a weekly or monthly basis)
- Expand organizational support for PFF’s volunteer program, which includes a volunteer database complete with contact information and a volunteer recognition event
In addition, encouraging both staff and volunteers to get the word out about PFF will increase the chances that they in turn will become recruiters of other volunteers. It also is an opportunity for those who have received our services and have made advances toward self-sufficiency to “give back” by helping other families in their neighborhood and throughout Norristown.
Successfully implemented, the above plan can lead to great results for the organization, including an increase in programs, the expansion of existing programs, the recruitment of more Board and committee members, increased word-of-mouth promotion about PFF, and more donations.
Resource Development
Until this point, PFF’s fundraising efforts have been sufficient for the organization to pay its staff and complete its objectives, but to fulfill its capacity-building goals, it is essential to begin diversifying its funding streams. Claudia Stowers, CFRE, on behalf of LaSalle Nonprofit Center, has proposed to Partners for Families a Development Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2007, which includes specific steps in securing funds through contributions from the Board of Trustees, annual gifts from the Norristown Ministerium and its member churches, donations from individuals, and grants from targeted foundations. The creation of an effective development program relies on the installation of the following components:
- Formal case for giving to PFF
- Annual fund brochure
- Mailing list of potential donors
- Computer database for resource development efforts
- System for recording in-kind donations
- Grant-writing plan with commitment to cultivate relationships with targeted foundations
