Give 5 Stars to PMD’s American Express Project Entry by 6/17!

Former founding PMD board clerk, Nancy Goldberg, and I have developed what we hope will be a winning proposal for a project that is
  • Innovative (i.e., people often ask PMD/me and Nancy for advice for bar/bat mitzvah and confirmation projects after they are unable to locate useful information online)
  • Achievable with $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 due to PMD’s and Nancy’s experience and networks, and
  • will certainly have a lasting and broad, positive Impact.

See project description below.

If you are an American Express card holder, please show your support by awarding five stars to #03770 Tried and True: Plans for Teens to Save the World and participate in the message board as soon as possible before June 17, 2007.
 
Like many online community contests, it’s all about spreading the word among people we know and getting them to vote, so any help you can provide would make a real difference, much the way awareness about PMD spread beyond the board’s and my friends after the first year. You already know that PMD has integrity and is all about doing a great job helping others–Now that we’ve had 3,503 people volunteer for 628 PMD projects helping 107 charities, and they’ve told us how we can do better each time, we’re sharing our knowledge base to help others do a great job, too.
A project of this scope would enable PMD to help many young people make a real difference to local charities, going far beyond offering lists of possible project ideas or standards of excellence for volunteers, volunteer group leaders, and charities (that I’ve helped co-develop) to providing practical plans useful for all stakeholders so that teens’ volunteer projects successfully
  • Produce appreciable results and generate tools and materials while conserving recipient charities’ limited resources,
  • Educate volunteers about broader issues, and
  • Bring people together to make a difference.
Last year, Nancy and her daughter, Liesl, learned about homelessness and poverty, selected a local women’s day shelter to support, collected what they said they needed and made innovative centerpieces, as well as volunteered together with PMD at that charity to see how their contributions would be used.

Project Idea #03770

Tried and True: Plans for Teens to Save the World

Unedited project description below. Rules limit online descriptions to

1,000 words and do not let us name People Making a Difference (PMD).

Although many teens have the time, interest and inclination to engage in meaningful community service, it is very challenging for them to do so. Most volunteer programs aren’t geared to teens’ abilities or availability. Despite the many obstacles, some teens, teachers, youth group advisors, etc. have succesfully found ways to engage teens in making their communities a better place. We propose building a web site where teens and those who love them can share their sucessful blue prints for volunteer projects that really work. The project tasks, timeline, cost, and other crucial information would be available to those around the world to replicate in their own communities.

To obtain and to share a wide variety of community projects of all sizes

and scopes, we will conduct a massive outreach effort to synagogues, churches, other faith-based groups, youth group leaders, teachers, etc. So that we can obtain useful, detailed, and complete information, we will offer a donation the 501-c-3 charity served by the project, in honor of the teen or adult organizer, as an incentive for sharing unique community projects.

© 2007 Nancy R. Goldberg & People Making a Difference through Community Service, Inc.

What, Why & How volunteers should learn

When people volunteer and connect to a charity, its clients, and/or an issue, they typically become more committed and likely to participate again and are less likely to check off their involvement as “volunteer with PMD” alongside “pick up dry cleaning” and other tasks that they complete and never think of again.

How do volunteers make these connections? PMD incorporates learning opportunities in its project descriptions, info packets, and during every service project.

Although PMD shares key facts, links to charity web sites, and/or current news articles about the relevant topic, the truth is that few people do more than skim written materials in advance. Most often, people-to-people interactions during their volunteer experience make the difference: when a project manager repeatedly articulates that the completion of these specific tasks enables this charity to carry out its mission of helping some needy group, and when charity representatives describe their missions, answer volunteers’ questions, and share their personal stories about how they came to be involved in this work.

Most charities don’t have enough staffing to spend time with each volunteer or group, so I think that video is becoming increasingly relevant when people want to develop a greater understanding beyond their individual volunteer experiences assisting people in need. To fill this need, PMD has used excerpts from MonkeyRay Productions’ Growing Old documentary (now available on DVD!) to encourage people to consider aging and its challenges by watching relevant conversations with elders, professionals, and doctors in Greater Boston and learning about key trends.

If you or your group volunteer with elders, I recommend integrating viewing of this documentary to provide important context to the direct services you provide to individual elders. It is also a great starting point to discuss these complex issues.

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