VOLUNTEER WORKDAYS

Conducting in-person volunteer days to engage a population with design input sessions.

By: Megan Janssen

Volunteers re-painting the signs at Advantage Behavioral Health Systems for the United Way Day of Caring 2023.

PURPOSE:

Workdays that are conducted face-to-face have many benefits for designers. In the profession of landscape architecture, volunteer workdays with a community can be beneficial in getting design input in addition to getting the community involved with implementation of the design.

DESIGN PHASE:

(highlight in bold are the phase or phases most applicable)

Vision and goals
Site exploration
Program development
Co-design
Design evaluation
Implementation

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Varies based on volunteer project, but for design feedback the following supplies will be required.

Note Taking Materials (pens, paper)
Table and table cloth for set up
Foam / presentation boards with project pinned on it (use binder clips or glue) to act as visual aids for anyone viewing the project
Prepared Handouts / Surveys to get community feedback
Easels to set presentation boards on for ease of viewing
Resources for Travel

TIME REQUIRED:

This engagement format will likely last 1-2 days. Volunteer opportunities may vary in length depending on what the task is that people are helping with. Travel time should remain the same, assuming the volunteer days happen at the same site throughout the whole semester.

SUGGESTIONS:

Be prepared if things don't go as planned on the day of volunteering. It's great to be organized, but there is no guarantee everything runs smoothly.
Be aware that not everyone will want to provide input or participant, especially if you are intruding on a pre-planned event to share your ideas about the design. Some people might just not be interested or have the time to fill out a survey and that's ok!
Be prepared to get involved in the volunteer day. As a designer, we might think the goal is just feedback, but integrating yourself into planting a piece of your design is powerful and show's you are one with the community.

OVErview

Volunteer workdays are specific days or events organized by individuals, groups, or organizations to engage volunteers in various service activities or projects. These events are designed to bring people together to contribute their time, skills, and efforts towards a common goal that benefits the community, environment, or a specific cause. Volunteer work days can take place in a variety of settings, including urban areas, rural communities, parks, schools, or nonprofit organizations.

Design input sessions are valuable for designers to get feedback on the designs that will be eventually implemented into the community. Setting up a design input session during a volunteer day is a great way to get a community involved without having to do additional coordination as everyone is already present for the event and likely wants to be there to help the community, so they should have a strong passion for wanting to help and provide community input.

HOw-TO

Engaging the community on a volunteer workday requires thoughtful planning, effective communication, and creating a positive and inclusive environment. Here are some strategies to help you engage the community successfully: (Note: This is only if you still need to coordinate the volunteer day, and it is not already coordinated in advance!)

Define Clear Goals and Purpose:
- Clearly articulate the goals and purpose of the volunteer workday. Whether it's a community clean-up, a tree planting event, or another project, make sure the community understands the specific impact they will have.
Build Partnerships:
- Collaborate with local businesses, schools, community organizations, and government entities. Building partnerships can help expand your reach, access additional resources, and enhance community involvement.
Promote in Advance:
- Start promoting the volunteer workday well in advance. Use various channels such as social media, local newspapers, community bulletin boards, and email newsletters to spread the word. Clearly communicate the date, time, location, and purpose of the event.
Create Compelling Messaging:
- Craft compelling and relatable messages that highlight the positive impact of the volunteer workday. Emphasize how community members' participation contributes to a better, cleaner, or more vibrant community.
Use Multiple Communication Channels:
- Reach out to the community through diverse communication channels to ensure broad coverage. Consider using posters, flyers, social media, local radio, community newsletters, and word of mouth.
Offer Incentives:
- Consider offering incentives to encourage participation. This could include recognition for volunteers, small giveaways, or partnering with local businesses to provide discounts or coupons for participants.
Provide Clear Instructions:
- Clearly communicate what volunteers need to do, what to bring, and any special instructions. Make sure participants know the schedule, the nature of the work, and any safety guidelines.
Create a Welcoming Environment:
- On the day of the event, create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. Greet volunteers warmly, provide name tags, and encourage socializing. Consider having a brief orientation to explain the importance of the work being done.
Facilitate Team Building:
- If the workday involves group activities, design tasks that encourage teamwork. Icebreaker activities can also help participants get to know each other and feel more connected to the community effort.
Document and Share Success Stories:
- Capture photos and stories throughout the volunteer workday. Share these on social media, community newsletters, or local news outlets to showcase the positive impact and express gratitude to participants.

11. Express Gratitude:

Thank volunteers for their time and effort. Consider hosting a post-event appreciation gathering, sending thank-you emails, or acknowledging volunteers in local publications. Recognition helps build a sense of accomplishment and encourages future participation.

12. Collect Feedback:

- After the event, collect feedback from participants. This information can help improve future volunteer workdays and demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement.

Remember that community engagement is an ongoing process, and building relationships with the community over time will enhance the success of your volunteer initiatives. Regularly communicate the outcomes of volunteer workdays and how they contribute to the overall well-being of the community.

Steps to Conducting an Effective Design Input Session During A Volunteer Workday

Determine the intended purpose and ideal outcome of the input session(s) you are going to have.
If the volunteer workday is already set by an outside party, which in our case it was, double check with the client to make sure you are allowed to survey and collect design feedback on the site as well as go over any remaining logistics that may be unclear.
Once the date has been set and if you are allowed to collect community input on site, prepare all engagement materials in advance (use the materials list to help you get started). If you are not allowed to collect input, feel free to sign up and volunteer, you might find you learn something from the community anyways that is useful for your overall project!
Assign rotational roles to each designer / team member in your group to present the concepts to the clients. While 1-2 people are managing the booth, the other could be coordinating logistics and instructing where plants go on site / assisting in volunteering (i.e. spreading mulch) if this is a planting volunteer day for example.
Allow yourselves plenty of time to arrive at the location for the volunteer event and set up.
Once the event is over, be sure that the next steps are addressed with the client.

Having incentives like donuts and coffee, as well as setting up the engagement activity / design input session in a prominent location is a great way to encourage participation.

There are many different ways to manage a volunteer day. Above is another step-by-step process that can be taken when managing volunteers.

https://www.civicchamps.com/post/how-to-use-the-6-step-volunteer-management-cycle-to-make-your-program-soar

Case Example

Our design team, partnered with Friends of Advantage at Advantage Behavioral Health Systems to assist in the redesign of their outdoor space. Advantage Behavioral Health Systems provides person-centered treatment and recovery support to individuals and families experiencing behavioral health challenges, intellectual/developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases. 19 clinics operate within the 10-county region of Northeast Georgia. The clinic needed assistance with transforming the outdoor areas of their campuses located at 250 Bray Street, Athens, GA 30601, and 240 Mitchell Bridge Road, Athens, GA 30606, into supportive, healing environments that align with their mission of providing person-centered treatment and recovery support. The goal of this design is to create outdoor spaces that enhance the well-being and therapy experience for individuals and families facing behavioral health challenges, intellectual / developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases.

Advantage Behavioral Health Systems main campus, 240 Mitchell Bridge Road, is approximately located 10 minutes from the University of Georgia off of Athens Perimeter, SR 10 Loop. From the beginning of the project, it was implied that any visits that we coordinated with Friends of Advantage would be held in person at either of their two locations previously mentioned, or over an online platform like Microsoft Teams or Zoom. The in person volunteer day clearly had to be held on the main campus, as that is where the volunteer and design work was needing to be done. Our team was notified of this event at the beginning of the semester, so we did not have to coordinate the volunteer day ourselves. All of the logistics on who was getting involved and what was getting done was pre planned, but we did have a team member go with our primary project contact the day of the event and pick out vegetation at a local nursery, Cofer's Home and Garden Showplace, so it could be planted at the volunteer event.

To prepare for the event, we gathered our design input materials, as we knew this volunteer opportunity with the United Way Day of Caring and Friend's of Advantage, as well as the UGA Rotaract Club and members from Caterpillar, plus several others would be a great opportunity for engagement and feedback. We borrowed some easels to display our presentation, and used a table we already had to set up at the event. We prepared our design content and printed it out and used binder clips to attach our designs to the foam boards. We printed surveys and also had a QR code people could scan to do the survey online if they so desired. This QR code, while it seemed like a great idea at the time, was not the best, as many people scanned it promising they would fill out the survey, and never did. In person engagement and standing there explaining our designs while talking to people in the community was a lot more effective at generating responses and collecting feedback. We didn't plan this but it helped us have a bigger crowd, we had donuts and coffee stationed next to our table which was provided by the UGA Roteract Club for volunteers. This tasty treat served as an incentive for volunteers and others at the clinic to fill out the survey and listen to what we had to say.

On the day of the event, we arrived early. It was cold, so we dressed in layers! Be sure to dress properly and be prepared to provide yourself with lunch / snacks. My team helped volunteer in addition to collecting feedback on the designs on site. We planted daffodil bulbs and tulips, and helped to spread mulch. It was great getting to be involved and give back to the community, as well as get to know the community better. I enjoyed being on both sides - a designer and a volunteer / community member for the day. We took a lot of pictures on the day of the event as well for future documentation. It was overall very successful, and we were able to collect about 20 responses from community members as a result of this volunteer day.

Our team is very thankful for and highly recommends setting up or having a volunteer event with engagement opportunities if the project allows!

The survey above was filled out by community members, volunteers, patients, and staff of the clinic, during the volunteer day on October 17th, 2023. The feedback we received provided valuable input when we created our master plan, which was the next phase of our design process.

Two of our team members are pictured here helping spread mulch.

This is the booth that we set up to conduct our engagement and receive feedback on our design options. Two volunteers are shown providing feedback.

Sources:

https://advantagebhs.org/

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