The 2019 Care Net National Conference has been over for several months, but we are revisiting some of the highlights through a series of Director's Chats recorded there live. In this Director's Chat, Care Net President and CEO Roland Warren interviews Melanie Miller, Executive Director of Ashland Pregnancy Care Center, about how incorporating Caring Foundations in her center's onboarding process transformed her center and helped her find stronger, more committed volunteers.
Before Melanie found Caring Foundations, one of the "weakest parts" of the center was finding strong volunteers, she told Roland. As a result, the responsibility for meeting with clients was falling on just a few staff members, creating strain in how her center functioned.
Since adopting Caring Foundations into her center's volunteer onboarding, however, Melanie's center is able to find and screen dedicated volunteers more easily.
"You can tell right away - people that are really excited and ready to start serving, start that right away and finish it. And then there are those you have to follow up with, and its still months and you're kind of wondering what the motive is," Melanie said.
Caring Foundations is a self-paced course covering the history of the pro-life movement in the U.S. along with the history of pregnancy centers and Care Net. Additionally, it gives learners a solid foundation in the Christ-centered, compassionate care provided by Care Net pregnancy centers.
When Caring Foundations first launched in 2016, Melanie had a few staff members and a potential volunteer test out the course. That's what began the process of incorporating Caring Foundations into volunteer onboarding, Melanie said.
Now whenever a potential volunteer contacts the center, they are set up with a Caring Foundations login as soon as their references check out. Because Melanie set up a group for all her center staff and volunteers to take the course together, she is able to monitor the progress of potential volunteers, which gives her valuable insight.
Being able to view learners' progress also helps bring out areas in which a potential volunteer may not be a good fit for certain types of involvement, especially working face-to-face with clients. Melanie shared that through watching one individual navigate Caring Foundations, she realized that although this person was a very effective supporter of the center, they would not be a good fit volunteering.
You can watch the whole Director's Chat here:
Caring Foundations is part of the Centers of Excellence platform - Care Net's online courses for pregnancy center personnel. Other online courses include Client Care Essentials, a 12-week course for Client Care leaders, and Client Marketing Essentials, a moderated and self-directed three-unit course on effective client marketing.
If you enjoyed this Director's Chat, check out the rest of them here on the Affiliate Portal! Director's Chats are leader-to-leader discussions for Care Net affiliates by Care Net President and CEO Roland Warren, covering topics like effective leadership, personnel management, and building vision in your center.
If you aren't yet a Care Net Affiliate, apply today to access these chats and all the other benefits of Care Net affiliation!
