Monadnock United Way was honored to be a part of the 2019 High Impact Volunteer Engagement (HIVE) Initiative. Run in partnership by the NH Center for Nonprofits, Volunteer NH, and VQ Strategies, HIVE is an intensive one-year cohort-based program that offers staff and volunteer leaders the opportunity to explore the latest trends and best practices in volunteer engagement and supports organizations to pilot one strategic innovation in volunteer engagement that will measurably build capacity. MUW used the HIVE program to revise and enhance the Investment Process and are happy to report positive results and outcomes.
The MUW pilot vision was to develop a new volunteer position for the Investment Process to act as a team lead, ensuring that Investment Process volunteers had a positive experience in a supportive environment so that they produce high quality funding recommendations and rationales. Our core team consisted of two staff (Kate Cote and Nikki Sauber) and two long-term volunteers (Bea Record and Mike Kowalczyck). The team was assigned a facilitator, Kim Votta of Votta Consulting, who lead them through the process of developing this new position, cultivating volunteers, and implementing new training.
MUW’s participation in HIVE strengthened the Investment Process by improving the experience of both volunteers and partner agencies, results that were clearly stated in post-project surveys. Volunteers reported feeling fully supported by their Team Leads and MUW staff, almost 75% said that they would volunteer for the Investment Process again, and 96% said they feel their efforts made an impact on our community. Agencies also reported feeling much more supported by MUW staff; that volunteers were polite, professional, and knowledgeable; and that communication was greatly improved.
Thanks to all who participated in this year’s Investment Process and the HIVE initiative!