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Your local nonprofit organization wants to host their first fundraising auction, begin a new after-school tutoring program, or start a community garden. With limited funding and employees already engaged in other programs, how can a nonprofit best use its resources for these new initiatives?
As a project manager, you can identify that each of these initiatives is also a project, and you have the skills and tools to help ensure that their projects are executed as efficiently as possible, ensuring that all objectives are met.
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Volunteers offer a workshop for
nonprofit employees |
Recognizing this, the PMI Canadian West Coast chapter has developed a community outreach program, pm-volunteers.org™ (PM-V), to connect skilled professional project managers (PMs) with nonprofit organizations in need.
PM-V assists the nonprofit organizations by helping them:
- identify their project needs,
- write their volunteer position description,
- advertise the open position on PM-V's website and social media network.
Interested PMs then apply directly to the nonprofit organization, who select their preferred candidate. Support is provided to both the volunteer PM and organization throughout the project engagement and PM-V facilitates a valuable Lessons Learned session at project close. Volunteer PMs also deliver workshops to help nonprofits build capacity by developing "in-house" project management skills and practices.
In its short, 2-year history, PM-V's successes include:
- over 46 projects being completed/in progress,
- more than 2300 volunteer PM hours being committed in 2011 alone,
- the April 2012 training sessions filling up in record time (with growing wait lists)
- having 100% of PM-V's volunteer PMs enjoy the experience enough to consider volunteering again.
It is clear that these volunteer PMs thoroughly enjoy working with nonprofits. Many have cited the ability to enhance their skills, expand their network, learn more about the unique challenges in the nonprofit sector, and contribute to the betterment of their communities as excellent personal and professional benefits, all while earning PDUs!
At present, PM-V is only engaging with Canadian nonprofit organizations and volunteer PMs in Canada but is actively exploring ways to offer the program on a wider basis in the future.
However, you too can reap the benefits of offering your skills to nonprofits! Consider reaching out to your local nonprofits and ask them if they have any projects they'd like assistance with or offer to host a PM training workshop using How PM can be Used in Your Nonprofit, or the PM Nonprofit Practicum resources. These programs can be beneficial for all parties involved and are a great way to use project management for social good.
Congratulations to the PMI Canadian West Coast chapter and pm-volunteers.org for their success!
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