9.3. SR 11-19-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Staff met with Lisa Braun, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Director (RSVP). Ms. Braun discussed how they recognize their volunteers. RSVP has over 1,000 volunteers and used to host a banquet for approximately 600 attendees. She said guests were not invited because they cannot justify using public funding so they had to pay their own way in advance. Ms. Braun noted as attendance declined more each year, they surveyed their volunteers and found they were no longer interested in a banquet (most said they were too busy to attend another event) and preferred a small token of appreciation. They now offer a Menu of Appreciation. A thank you letter, along with a list of a few gift options is sent annually to each volunteer. The volunteers chose their selection and returned the form. Items run about$5 and have included gift cards,postage stamps, etc. She suggested having the city volunteer coordinator organize the event and create a database of all volunteers. For 2018, the first year of this appreciation program, staff sent out 226 invitations. There were 27 who attended the event.There were 171 who didn't respond either way. Staff also feels there may have been volunteers and some partner volunteers (such as RSVP and Minnesota Off-Road Cyclist) who were missed because the city has not formally tracked the program. Some issues included: ■ Difficulty finding specific individuals who volunteered for the city from group organizations ■ Youth volunteers ■ Volunteers who didn't know why there were invited or what they contributed ■ Youth organizations who require volunteerism to reduce personal costs. Volunteers by department Fimmncc ministration Fire Police Economic Devt Financial Impact Council budget currently includes $2,500 for the appreciation component of the program. The city spent $939 for the 2018 event. Attachments ■ None N:\Public13odies\Agenda Packets\l 1-19-2018\Final\x9.3 sr volunteer Recog.docx