The RSVP program of Boone and Greene County was just announced as a nationally certified Service Enterprise through Points of Light. With this new certification, Iowa now has 12 Service Enterprises across the state in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Ames, Waterloo, Story City, Boone, Ottumwa, and Hiawatha.
Managed nationally by Points of Light and statewide by Volunteer Iowa, the Service Enterprise Initiative is a proven, research-based model that equips organizations to leverage volunteers and their skills across all levels to successfully deliver on their social mission. It also diagnoses strengths organizations can leverage and challenges that need to be addressed in order to achieve sustainability.
The model continues to achieve results nationwide. More than 80 percent of Service Enterprises report they had an increase in skills-based volunteers and a 60 percent increase in volunteer hours.
As a result of Service Enterprise training, RSVP director Michele Hull, said her “staff is now able to spend more time working in other areas of RSVP service to the community.”
RSVP of Boone and Greene County received individualized consulting through Volunteer Iowa to guide their staff and board members through a change management process that included a volunteer-readiness assessment, 16 hours of hands-on interactive trainings, consulting services related to the initiative, and volunteer management resources.
Hull, Boone County volunteer coordinator Sue Pratt and Greene County RSVP advisory council member Tori Riley attended the interactive trainings, held at the Urbandale public library on four separate days.
“Participating in the Service Enterprise Initiative demonstrates an organization’s commitment to organizational effectiveness and efficiency, and shows funders they are a good investment” said Adam Lounsbury, Volunteer Iowa executive director. “One of the best ways to improve volunteerism in Iowa is to empower and equip nonprofits that utilize volunteers to become Service Enterprises” said Lounsbury.
Organizations and agencies that are interested in becoming a Service Enterprise can contact Michelle Raymer, Volunteer Iowa Program Officer, michelle.raymer@iowa.gov, 515.725.3135 and visit https://www.volunteeriowa.org/SEI.
