Engage Volunteers in SNAP
Outreach To hear this presentation by phone dial (702) 489-0008
Access Code: 431-436-165
Jennifer Bennett, CVA, Senior Manager, Education & Training
Matt Wallace, Senior Associate, Nonprofit Relations
Follow the conversation on Twitter! Use #VMLearn
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VolunteerMatch Overview “VolunteerMatch strengthens communities by making it easier for good people
and good causes to connect.”
94,518 nonprofits… 78,350 Active Opportunities…. 7,080,351 referrals since 1998
• VolunteerMatch has been around for 14 years, and is the top-ranked website for online volunteer recruitment and employee-volunteer programs
• Our Learning Center offers over 20 webinar topics focused on volunteer management and VolunteerMatch tools, serving an audience of over 6,000 attendees each year
VolunteerMatch & Walmart: Fighting Hunger Together
What are our goals?
• Support nonprofit organizations that are working to end
hunger in local communities.
• Provide hunger relief organizations with the resources
they need to deploy, manage and expand their volunteer
engagement program.
• Support, train and share best practices for engaging
volunteers, and creating a multi-faceted relationship with
volunteers – donors, advocates.
• Increase visibility of the need for volunteers at hunger
relief organizations.
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Agenda
• SNAP – What does that mean?
• Who would be good at SNAP outreach
• Recruiting SNAP volunteers
• Creating a training and support program
•Things to think about
•Questions
What is SNAP?
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program
• Used to be called “food stamps”
• Now an EBT card – like a debit card
• Funded by Congress, implemented by each
state
• Funding currently threatened by passage of House
farm bill
• Each state has their own application/process – may
be delegated to county level
• Learn more http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap
The history of SNAP
• Food assistance started in the Great Depression, was
resurrected during Johnson’s presidency and grew
through the 70s.
• In the early 80s food stamps (and welfare) received
significant cut backs and by the mid 80s food insecurity
was wide spread again.
• Became SNAP in 2008 now 47.8 Million people receive
benefits
Why focus on SNAP outreach?
SNAP outreach and enrollment activities can
• Provide your current clients with more consistent
support.
• Free up support for emergency needs
• Shift the work volunteers do from stop-gap work to a
more long term solution
• Provide new opportunities for volunteers
• Create a different type of relationship with your
clients and community
• SNAP outreach concerns
• Suspicion from clients
• Has been an entry point for scams/identity theft
• May be viewed negatively by community
The right volunteers
• Who are the right people?
• Comfortable with clients or target community
• Engaging – able to create relationships or break
down barriers
• Logical and detail oriented
• Capable of knowing what they don’t know
• Calm in difficult situations or under pressure
• Who are they?
• Lawyers, law students, legal professionals
• Social workers, accountants, HR professionals
• Individuals with the rights skills and characteristics
What should they know how to do?
• Activities and responsibilities
• Approaching clients and building rapport
• Understanding and explaining SNAP program and
eligibility
• Filling out forms correctly and finding answers and
information on government sites
•Know the policies in your state/county
• May need to register or apply as an organization
• Applications for individuals may be done online
• Stay up to date on changes in eligibility or
application processes
Create the right training
• Two primary components
• Interacting with clients and understanding the
qualifications and filling out the forms
• Interacting with clients
• Ask clients to share their feelings, concerns.
• Ask volunteers to “walk in client’s shoes”
• Role play and create mentors or shadow
relationships
• Consider teams – experienced/new,
engaging/analytical
Create the right training
• Know the eligibility/know the forms
• Create support materials and in person/online
trainings
• Create job aids or just in time training materials –
Web page or wiki with quick links
• Review before volunteers meet clients – don’t
forget…
• Make sure volunteers know who to call if they can’t
solve a problem/answer a question on their own
Things to Think About
• If this is a different type of volunteer engagement for your
organization
• Consider a pilot program
• Set reasonable, accomplishable goals
• Create an internal and external communication plan
• Create evaluation points – early and often
• Evaluate from both the client and staff prospective –
both paid and volunteer
• Stay up to date on changes or policies that affect this work
• In your community and state/federal actions
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Resources
Fighting Hunger Together
http://blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/fighthunger/
Learning Center Find upcoming webinar dates, how-to videos and more
http://learn.volunteermatch.org
VolunteerMatch Community Ask and answer questions after the webinar – use keywords Fighting Hunger Together,
Volunteer Management
http://community.volunteermatch.org/volunteer
Questions?
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Thanks for attending! Join us online:
Like us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/VolunteerMatch
Follow us on Twitter: @VolunteerMatch
Visit Engaging Volunteers, our nonprofit blog:
blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/
For any questions contact:
Jennifer Bennett
(415) 321-3639
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