Volunteer Recruitment Workshop Planned

05/21/2014 

SUNY Cortland’s Institute for Civic Engagement (ICE) will host a workshop Tuesday, May 27, on how Cortland County agencies that rely on volunteers can take advantage of a regional recruitment website.

The event, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Main Street SUNY Cortland, located at 9 Main St., is geared for the staff of community agencies, college students and individuals who are often called upon to help others identify and reach willing helpers.

The workshop is free and open to the public. Space is limited, so those who wish to participate should RSVP as soon as possible to Cyndi Guy at cynthia.guy@cortland.edu or 607-753-4271.

Cathy Roosa, the regional volunteer coordinator based at United Way of Central New York, will present the workshop on its www.volunteercny.org website. 

For agencies and organizations, the site serves the purpose of helping recruit helping hands — from among college students or community members — and tracking their participation in its programs.

The site enables agencies to promote different types of opportunities, including ongoing and one-time needs, date-specific and open-ended opportunities, and projects for individuals and groups.

From the perspective of anyone else — community members and students alike — www.volunteercny.org is useful for finding volunteer opportunities. Individuals looking for volunteer opportunities can find projects in different ways, for example, they can search based on skills, interests and project attributes. Or they might view the project calendar to find a project that occurs on a specific date.

ICE Director Richard Kendrick hopes the website will become the hub for recruiting civic-minded citizens from the Cortland community.

“Although it is not intended to replace other ways to recruit volunteers, if we can begin to develop a presence for Cortland on this website, it can become a valuable tool for recruiting and tracking volunteers,” he said.

The site will enable the College to promote “one stop shopping” to its students, to local community members and to others who are seeking volunteer opportunities, according to him. 

“This site also can become an easy way for the campus’ community partners as well as student clubs, campus groups and other organizations to promote their volunteer opportunities,” Kendrick said.

For additional information about using volunteercny.org, visit the website.