Screening Online Mentors and Volunteers

Friday,July 30,2010

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Screening Online Mentors and Volunteers

There are a number of goals in screening, on or offline, volunteers that are going to work directly with others at or through your organisation:
   You want to make sure the volunteers have the skills, capacity and commitment to take on the volunteer assignment successfully.

   You want to make sure they truly understand the program and its goals, the commitment they will make as a participant, and all expectations.

   You want to make sure, if they are going to work directly and unsupervised with people you serve (clients, the public, children, etc.), if they are going to have access to sensitive information or systems, or if they are going to represent your organisation, that they do not have a criminal or personal history that would make them inappropriate as a participant in your program.

Don't think of screening as a tool only to prevent predators from becoming involved in your program; harmful situations, as well as disappointing or frustrating ones, can also arise from an unqualified or overwhelmed person participating as a volunteer in a mentoring program.

The best screening methods are combined with training: as volunteers go through the screening process, they should also be getting an idea of what working with you and in this program is like.

What kinds of screening must you do for online volunteers working directly with students, other volunteers, clients, or others served by your organisation? We have created the following suggestions to help you.

At minimum, these applicants should:
   express interest in participating via e-mail or an online form. Those who call or send in a postal mailing to express such interest should be directed to the online method. Otherwise, you have no proof that this person really, truly does know how to use basic Internet tools, or that this person has a reliable Internet connection.

   complete an online application. Doing so shows that they know how to perform the basics of web navigation; again, this is another test of their online abilities. It also shows their attention to detail, and how well they express themselves online.

   meet a deadline for submitting information via e-mail. Some programs have followup questions that are sent immediately upon receipt of a completed online application, or require applicants to subscribe to an electronic update, with a deadline for the volunteer to answer. This will demonstrate the volunteer's commitment to timely communications.

It's one thing to answer "yes" to the question "do you reply promptly to e-mails and follow directions well" on an online application. It's another to SHOW it. This further screens out people who might not be appropriate for an online program.

   be subjected to a reference check. These should be personal references that can talk about how well a person works with others, how well they represent themselves online, etc. We have a list of sample reference questions for potential online mentors here on our web site. For other kinds of online volunteers, use questions similar to those you use for potential paid staff or volunteers who work in face-to-face situations, as appropriate.

You might also want to consider online role-playing, such as sending the applicant sample e-mails and asking the applicant how he or she would respond to each.