One of the most frustrating things nonprofits do to volunteers is give them assignments that are poorly-designed, poorly-explained, and under-resourced.  You know how hard it is to attract and energize good volunteers; don’t make this harder by misusing their valuable time and talents.  In this session you’ll learn how to do a needs assessment to uncover and categorize your most important volunteer needs, and then how to convert those needs into specific, achievable assignments.  You’ll also learn tips for explaining assignments to volunteers in ways that increase the odds they will really sink their teeth into the tasks and do an excellent job for you and your clients.

Gil Gordon

Gil Gordon was founder of Gil Gordon Associates in Monmouth Junction, NJ, a management consulting firm specializing in telecommuting-telework-virtual office and other alternative work arrangements, and in strategic employee retention. He is now retired but is busier than ever with various volunteer activities. Before starting his consulting business, he worked for almost ten years in Human Resources with Johnson & Johnson.He has been extensively involved as a volunteer with nonprofits in the greater Mercer County area for more than twenty years as a volunteer and leader. His positions included construction worker and interim construction supervisor at Habitat for Humanity in Trenton, former board member and board chair of VolunteerConnect, board member and president at The Jewish Center in Princeton, board member with Jewish Family and Children’s Service and a member of the “Chore Corps” for its Secure@Home program that enables seniors to age in place, and volunteer and board member of the Cornerstone Community Kitchen at the Princeton United Methodist Church.He also sits on the Biomedical Ethics committee at University Medical Center of Princeton and on the board of NJ Goals of Care (www.goalsofcare.org), whose goal is to strengthen communication between health care providers and patients nearing the end of life to eliminate burdensome care, improve quality of life, and ensure that treatment decisions focus on patients’ goals. His most important volunteer position these days is as grandfather to three of the world’s cutest grandchildren.