Category Archives: Volunteer engagement

Helping immigrants prepare for citizenship

Posted on by

One of the benefits of being a small business owner is making time to give back to community. We are a nation of immigrants, and I’ve been looking for ways to help immigrants in the South Sound.

Tacoma Community House — Citizenship Classes

Photo of citizenship tool kitI’m proud to help immigrants prepare for their U.S. citizenship interview as a volunteer in Tacoma Community House‘s Citizenship Classes. This weekend I volunteered in a citizenship class for the first time — so inspiring!

I teamed up with another volunteer, and we met with three people independently (three people from three different continents). In reviewing civics questions, I helped them learn more about the U.S. government (for example, what are the three branches of government, what are two major political parties, who is one of your U.S. Senators). At the same time, I learned more about their counties and cultures. It’s a great learning environment for the immigrants and volunteers!

Background — Citizenship Celebration

In working for the Pierce County Auditor‘s Office last year, I learned about the Auditor’s work with Tacoma Community House, the Washington State Sons of the American Revolution and others to hold a Citizenship Celebration. In this celebration, immigrants take the final step in becoming U.S. citizens and are honored in Pierce County. As U.S. citizens, they can vote — something many are excited to do!

The Pierce County Auditor received an award from the Sons of the American Revolution for the Auditor’s work on the Citizenship Celebration. As a social media contractor for the Auditor, I took pictures of the award ceremony. You can see it here:

 

My education and work experience should help immigrants in this citizenship class. I earned a Master’s degree in international relations and started my career working for a U.S. Senator and then a federal agency in Washington, DC (the legislative and executive branches). I’ve made friends from all over the world, and am excited to help make a difference in my community!

For more information

— Liz Satterthwaite, Engage Northwest. EngageNorthwest@gmail.com

Returning a trail back to the forest at Sehmel Homestead Park

Posted on by
Photo of volunteers at Sehmel Homestead Park

Volunteers take care of the trail at Sehmel Homestead Park.

Thank you to the volunteers who replaced an unwanted trail with rocks, branches and trees and planted new plants at Sehmel Homestead Park on Saturday. This “Art of Wilderness Gardening” returned the old trail back to the forest.

Photo of volunteer

Volunteers made a difference and had fun, too!

Great Peninsula Conservancy organized this “trail decommissioning” event and partnered with PenMet Parks, Pierce County Master Gardeners, WA Native Plant Society, and Gig Harbor High School. Thank you for your time and for making a difference in our parks and natural areas!

More pictures of the Nov. 7 trail stewardship day are available on Flickr and YouTube.

Disclaimer: Engage Northwest is a communications consultant for Great Peninsula Conservancy on this project.

Engaging with community on Earth Day

Posted on by

Thank you, volunteers, for your time and effort on Earth Day and throughout the year! You make a difference in our community.

Many people say that making a difference in the community is the reason why they volunteer. Others may want to socialize with friends, learn new skills, or help advance a cause.

Earth Day and events throughout April are great times to encourage community involvement. People can team up with neighbors, family and friends to pull weeds, plant fruits and vegetables, pick up litter, and more. These activities help meet volunteers’ needs and an organization’s goals.

Make sure that volunteers feel appreciated – a simple thank you goes a long way. Other volunteer recognition could include t-shirts, free food, certificates, or acknowledgement in meetings, on a website, or in social media. Flat Anna to the rescue at Ocean Shores-lr

As you participate in Earth Day and similar events, remember to take photos. Or ask volunteers to take photos of themselves. These pictures can generate enthusiasm for the particular event, future events and even your organization. Consider holding a photo contest or sharing photos with a hashtag on social media. Pictures capture the community spirit! Enjoy the day, and thank you, volunteers!

 

Volunteer engagement: “so much wonderful, so much challenge”

Posted on by

Marjorie Trachtman provided great tips on recruiting and keeping volunteers during her volunteer engagement training last week. After asking us to name one word that describes volunteer engagement, Marjorie noted that it has “so much wonderful, so much challenge.”

Photo of volunteer engagement training

Learning more tips on recruiting and keeping volunteers

Some key takeaways:

  • Focus on why people volunteer and develop messages to meet their needs.
  • Have program policies and procedures in place (ie, job descriptions, screenings, and a training process).
  • Match different personalities with different assignments and different recognition.

According to Marjorie, the number one reason people don’t volunteer? They’re not asked. So go for it, and remember that a good volunteer program will lead to success for the volunteers and organization!

Thanks to Alexandra Doty for organizing this free training for ECO Net members!