RECRUITING TALENT

FOR VOLUNTEER-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

If you agree that it takes a village to raise a child, then your volunteer recruitment
strategy should be to fill all of the volunteer needs of the community.

At the 2008 National Conference on

Volunteerism and Service, held in
Atlanta, leaders of many corporations
talked about ways to mobilizing the
pro bono talent of their employee
volunteers.

Instead of just focusing on the soft

side of volunteerism, the CEOs aim to
focus on the talent needed to support
the infrastructure of a volunteer based
organization.

A presentation of Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Tutor/Mentor Connection

Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present); Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net
 (few youth organizations have money to hire talent to fill all these roles)
Sample Non Profit Organizational Chart
Board of
Director/CEO Directors
Recruitment and
Development
Admin Secretary
analyst

Tutor/Mentor Program Marketing and Information Human Facilities Mgr.

Operations Development Technologies Resources

Legal &
Accounting
Student Volunteer Board Communications Database Policy
Recruitment Recruitment Development Manager Development & Development
& Support and Training Maintenance and Training
Manager
Grants Newsletter (print
Coordinator Manger and email versions Web site Staffing/
School and for development & Training
Community tutor/mentor Maintenance
Liaison sessions Special Public
Events Relations Employee
On-line Records
Supply/Food Events & Documentation
Service Activities Web Site Systems
Direct Mail
Payroll and
Security College & Internal On-line e- Benefits
Career Annual Communications learning (for Management
Readiness Report staff, students,
Transportation volunteers)
Database mgt
Business
Liaison/ Internal
Vocational Network and
Training Server set up
and HSBC
Computer maintenance Computer
Learning Technology
Center Center
Hardware & At Cabrini
software Connections
Data upgrades
Collection (technology
and Analysis plan

Technology
Support

Every Youth Org In City Needs This Technology

Training

Every box on this chart represents a role that a corporate volunteer with specific talents and experience could
fill in a volunteer-based tutor/mentor organization. Every box needs to be filled if the organization is to provide
effective service to its community. Similar charts should be developed to show the organizational structure of different
types of charities and service organizations.

Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net

Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net
In a big city like Chicago, hundreds of non-profits have similar
organizational needs. Few are adequately staffed.

Since every shaded area on this map

needs a variety of comprehensive
Corporate tutor/mentor programs, the
Leadership needs Tutor/Mentor Connection leads a
to draw volunteers, public awareness campaign aimed to
talent and donors to draw dollars, volunteers, and
t/m programs in all training directly to tutor/mentor
poverty programs in every part of the city
neighborhoods, not and suburbs of Chicago.
just a few visible
places. We’d like to see this strategy
duplicated at the national and local
level by leaders in every industry,
and by leaders of the Points of Light
Foundation.

Chicago
See maps like this at:
Shaded Areas have http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com
poverty levels of 20%
or greater. Dots on this
map are poorly
performing public
schools.
Pg. 4
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net
How Can Business & Public Leaders Help?
• Create advertising campaigns that use charts like on this power point to illustrate all of
the roles volunteers can play in tutor/mentor programs. Develop case histories to show
how volunteers from different industries volunteer time in each organizational role. Share these
on the Internet and in marketing.

• Teach corporations the profit values of employee volunteerism using research that
shows how volunteerism improves diversity within a corporation, or improves essential skills of
employees.

• Use MAPS to illustrate all of the places where volunteers are needed. Link to
organizations like the Tutor/Mentor Connection who are piloting uses of this technology so we
can find volunteers to help with this role in our organization.

• Develop a Corporate Volunteer Council Recruitment Strategy that draws regular attention
to volunteerism and service, and points potential volunteers and donors to maps that they can
use to make their own decisions on where to get involved. Do not choose for volunteers the
programs they might support. Learn from employees what programs they are already
participating in and work to help those programs get the additional volunteers and resources
they need to effectively serve volunteers and clients.

• Develop templates of Internet eLearning and Collaboration portals that companies can
use to connect employee volunteers to each other, to the community, and to on-line learning
that can help make them more effective.

• Advocate for a comprehensive form of volunteer-based tutoring/mentoring that focuses

on strategies that mentor youth through school and toward jobs/careers
Pg. 5
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net
 Corporations and Military Leaders build strategies to distribute resources to many areas.
Teams of volunteers could take this role to help make tutor/mentor programs available in all
high poverty neighborhoods of Chicago and other cities.
Feed & Equip Analysis
Our army better Of enemy
than enemy Strength &
weaknesses

We need to feed, cloth, arm Understand needs &

and re-supply our troops plan resource
and logistics providers for allocation, e.g. strategic
Public as long as war is in planning
Commitment progress.
To sustain effort and
recruit troops Recruit Organize Forces
& Retain & Train Direct
How do we educate and
Enemy
US forces US forces engagement
inform public so we can sites
maintain support for
revenue needed to How to replace forces that What resources do we
support war effort? are lost with new solders need to implement the
trained and ready to pick plan? How to prepare
up from where previous them?
left off

Revenue Logistics
To support To get forces in
these efforts place
This is Forces Poverty
a supply How do we raise money How do we distribute
Include tutors
& mentors
in city is
needed to pay for this needed resources and enemy
chain issue. entire effort? troops to multiple
locations where they are
needed?

Solving social problems benefits corporations, too. What’s the missing link? Pg 5
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net
 A non profit cannot reach into a corporation often enough, or at
the right level, to create understanding, or motivate new business
practices. Teams already within the company have greater
potential to do that.

Multiple
Industries
Corporate Teams
Supply & Talents
Consulting firm volunteers
Chain Working in Chicago and other
Model. cities, with tutor/mentor, and Multiple
other social benefit sectors Locations
And causes

Serving every high poverty

area in Chicago
And other cities and states.

Build corporate teams who serve as intermediaries between

Goal: Tutor/Mentor Connection and the corporation. Define and Map a
Supply Chain Model that meets infrastructure needs of non profits
helping inner city kids move to jobs and careers

Read Role of Leaders: http://tinyurl.com/TMI-RoleOfLeaders

Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net Pg 7

Marketing Teams
Target Messengers
2 3 1. seniors a) RSVP, Senior Corps
2. faith groups b) Faith Leaders
1 3. business, hospitals c) Company, Trade Group,
c
4 4. youth CEOs
b
5. civic, fraternal and d) Service Learning, clubs,
6 5 social MySpace
6. college e) Members
a f) Campus Compact, etc.
d

f
e In addition to…
• Public leaders
• Celebrities
• Specific non profit
organizations
• Local and national groups

Internal teams who understand T/MC goals are better able to deliver messages targeted
specifically within their area of influence, with all messages pointing to maps showing
where services are needed, and to databases which volunteers and donors can shop to
choose where they want to get involved.
Pg 8
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net
Learning circles build understanding; focus on solutions.
1

2
KNOWLEDGE
LIBRARY

WITH MAPS
SHOWING
WHERE
PROGRAMS
NEEDED
4
Form
YOU!
Learning
Circle

3
LEARNING
CIRCLES

A learning circle is a group of people with a common background, or interest, who meet regularly to learn about an
issue, and discuss ways to incorporate what they learn into their lives. Churches do this weekly when groups of people
gather to discuss scripture. To solve problems of poverty and poor schools, such circles need to be in business,
churches, hospitals, and in affluent areas, as well as high poverty areas.
Pg 9
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net
 Teams of Volunteers
can connect with
teams from other
companies, and
other cities.

Collaboration platforms exist:

http://debategraph.org/mentoring_kids_to_careers
Pg 10
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net
 Use volunteer
support to help
build infrastructure
supporting long-
term, mentor-rich
programs in
locations
throughout a city or
state.
This graphic illustrates the many
functions that must be filled for a non
profit to operate as an effective
business of delivering tutor/mentor
and learning services on an on-going
basis. Volunteer teams can help
innovate ways to provide these
services in more places and/or at a
lower cost per program.

Pg 11
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net
Using Internet connections, volunteer groups within the same company or industry can learn from others,
and with groups in different places who focus on the same problem. By working toward common goals these
groups can generate volunteer and donor support to each tutor/mentor program in the district.

Every time one leader

LAW FINANCE talks about tutoring/
Religion mentoring, they need
to end by pointing to
the map of Chicago
and saying, “we

Hospitality &
need good
Engineers,
Entertainment Architect
programs in
every poverty
area”
Web
Hub
http://www.tutormentorconnection.org Hospitals;
Politics
Health
Care

Universities
& Publishing
Tutor/Mentor Technology, Communicat
Connection Science ions, Arts,
Media

Pg 12
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net
 Bring Out the Best of America

This AmeriCorps website shows reasons to build employee

involvement – https://www.americorps.gov/

Company teams using ideas provided by Tutor/Mentor Institute,

LLC, and maps showing their own business locations, can
mobilize more talent and resources to support tutor/mentor
programs that help kids to careers, and expand employee talent
and informal networks.
Pg 13
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net
Learning Circles can share resources from Tutor/Mentor Institute,
LLC website, while connecting with others doing similar work.
The Tutor/Mentor Connection*, based in Chicago and on the Internet, is already modeling these
concepts. Visit http://www.tutormentorexchange.net http://tutormentor.blogspot.com

Connect on these social media platforms: https://tutormentorexchange.net/social-media

The Tutor/Mentor Connection was created in

1993 as part of a small Chicago non profit site
based tutor/mentor program by Daniel F.
Bassill and six other volunteers.

In 2011 Dan created the Tutor/Mentor Institute,

LLC to continue to support this strategy in
Chicago while helping similar intermediaries
grow in other cities.

Contact Dan:

Tutor/Mentor Connection
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Twitter @tutormentorteam
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/TutorMentorInstitute