On April 9th, we had our first Volunteer Summit. It was a lovely evening of exchange, with many great questions and answers, constructive feedback, and story sharing.
The themes of our discussions were: 1 – Welcoming volunteers to our space, 2 – Activities and level of engagement at the Roulant, 3 – Roulant Utopia, and 4 – Harvesting your stories.
We have already begun looking for ways to incorporate your ideas into our daily and longer term work. Stay tuned!
Some of the questions which were asked throughout the evening were thought to be of interest to the wider Roulant community. Here they are, in no particular order:
Question: Why do volunteers must sign up for shifts in person or over the phone?
Answer: Volunteers are asked to sign up for shifts in person or over the phone because these methods of engagement are viewed as more reliable than having an electronic signup system. By speaking with a volunteer over the phone or in person, rather than by email, not only do all staff members get to know our volunteers a bit better, but we also feel that this is a more reliable way to ensure volunteer attendance. That being said, the door is not closed to experimenting with an electronic signup system in the future.
Question: How can someone become a client of the Meals-on-Wheels program?
Answer: All new clients must be referred to the service by a healthcare professional (social worker, nurse, nutritionist, doctor, etc…). Our mission is to serve clients who are living with a loss of autonomy. This includes but is not limited to loss of autonomy due to aging, reduced mobility, cognitive loss, social isolation, malnutrition, convalescence, etc… The service can be provided on a short-term or long-term basis, depending on the client’s needs.
Question: How does communication work between the Board of Directors and the staff at the Roulant? What is the governance structure?
Answer: The Roulant’s Board of Directors meets once per month, which is more frequent than most other community organizations. These meetings are generally open to all staff members to attend. On rare occasions, there are confidential points that are discussed and thus only the board members are privy to their elaboration. Nonetheless, the Executive Director is in attendance at all Board meetings. He ensures good ongoing communication between the board and the staff. In addition, staff and board work together on strategic planning committees as well as issues of financial and human resource management. Board members also participate in numerous Roulant events. The Board of Directors supervises the Executive Director, who in turn supervises the staff. More information on the role and responsibilities of the Board of Directors can be found here.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ben, our Volunteer Program Coordinator. We hope to see you at the next Volunteer Summit!