Can I come overto your place?Exploring and strengthening community partnerships through site visits and structured conversations.

B r e a k o u t S e s s i o n I I I S k i l l - B u i l d i n gF r i d a y, J u n e 1 3 t h 1 : 5 0 - 2 : 5 0 P MN o r t h w o o d s

Presenter: Mary Mathew Wilson, DirectorUI Community-Based Learning Program

Pomerantz Career CenterUniversity of Iowa

Topics:How the initiative came to life

The interview tool

Selecting the sites to visit

Stop, look, listen and learn

Where the collected data goes

Benefits

Challenges

Planning your own visits

How the initiative came to lifeUI Civic Engagement Program established June 1, 2005 – initially, partners were brought on board by word-of mouth and added to the Volunteer Link website.

A few years later, United Way of Johnson County & 10K proposed a “one-stop” website for community partners: https://volunteer.truist.com/uwjc/volunteer/.

Agencies can self-select into partnership with the UI when registering on the United Way site.

Volunteer Administrators’ Network – provides periodic opportunities to interface with partners and hear about their volunteer needs and challenges .http://www.volunteeradministratorsnetwork.com/members.html

Faculty often looking for service-learning projects and partners if they did not already have them.

Staff and students are continually looking for volunteer project opportunities.

Some community partners give feedback that they are overwhelmed with multiple one-off project requests from various groups and individuals on campus, especially at certain times during the academic year.

The best way to figure out who’s doing what is to go straight to the community partner. It is often difficult to collect this information internally so a visit can be an opportunity to find out.

How the initiative came to lifeRecognized the need to be more intentional about relationship-building and communication with community partners; not just casual exchanges at Volunteer Fairs or VAN meetings or random phone calls when needs arose

Need for strong partnerships – public engagement on the rise across the institution

Vetted idea to a small group of service-learning faculty, including the notion of creating a wish list question that might result in a “repository/clearinghouse” of time-insensitive project ideas

Sought faculty assistance/advice in the development of the interview tool at which time another question was added regarding a recent engagement experience and “what went well and what didn’t” (getting at best practices; also prospecting for exemplary partnerships)

Started making calls to arrange visits with agencies that had self-selected to affiliate themselves with the UI on the United Way website

The interview toolDate, time, and location of meeting – location is usually at the agency, but some nonprofits do not have a fixed location in which case you can meet over coffee at an off-campus location

Agency name and mission and the name and title of the person(s) interviewed

Is the agency already partnered with the Career Center (Hire-a-Hawk)?

Is the agency partnered with the UI on the United Way of Johnson County Website?

Existing/Desired Partnerships with the UI (include name of staff, department/unit, and general details):

--Volunteers (episodic and/or ongoing) --Service Learning--Internships --Practicum/Preceptor Experiences --Work Study--Community-Based Research

Agency’s most recent collaboration – what went well and what did not go well

Projects on the agency’s wish list (large or small but not urgent or time-sensitive)

Stop, look, listen, and learnWhen you “invite yourself over” (best to do by phone), explain and contextualize the visit; tell why you’d like to come over, why you think it is important to have a conversation, and what might be the reciprocal benefits.

Show up on time and to be the listener/learner; if the community partner offers to show you around, do accept the invitation.

Be willing to immerse oneself in a different culture with different norms and patterns of relating; anything can happen (which makes it all the more interesting); ask me about dogs and ice storms!

Explain what questions will be asked and why

Step back and allow the community partner to set the tone, direction, and pace of the conversation; allow trust to build as information is shared and to be sensitive to the partner’s communication style.

Be the scribe; capture information and if something is unclear or unaddressed, seek clarification without interrupting.

You may encounter both extremes of the “talkativeness” continuum, so you will need to use your judgment about when to gently press for more information or when to interrupt to get things back on track.

Collect brochures, cards, etc.

Don’t overstay your welcome.

Where the collected data goes

Where the collected data goes Agencies that participate in visits are listed at the “Get Involved” link on the engagement website developed by the UI’s new Associate Provost for Outreach and Engagement – Prof. Linda Snetselaar http://discover.uiowa.edu

Anecdotal notes are written up and placed in a notebook along with any artifacts that are brought back from the agency – business cards, brochures, etc. I use this notebook frequently during appointments with students, faculty, and staff.

Basic information from the interview is entered into HireaHawk – the Pomerantz Career Center’s online recruiting system: http://www.careers.uiowa.edu/hireahawk/.

Potential internship opportunities are added to a list and distributed to career advisors/shared with students during advising appointments.

Higher level “wish list” items are shared proactively and appropriately.

Some volunteer opportunities are posted on the Civic Engagement Community listserv and also on the CBLP Facebook page.

Benefits to the institutionDevelopment/cultivation of local partnerships for all levels of community engagement (academic service-learning, community-based research, volunteering, internships, philanthropy)

Validated list of potential project ideas based on community partners’ needs

Identifed engagement activities that may have been previously unknown to central administration data keepers (will help us track for reporting purposes)

Findings can inform best practices for campus and community partnerships

Recognition/awards

Current information to share with students, faculty and staff

Benefits to the community partner

Having someone come to them—minimal interruption to their work day; someone they can connect with for future communication

An opportunity to offer feedback and make suggestions for how partnerships can be created or how existing ones can be improved

An opportunity to vent in a safe environment; can point out problems/issues

An opportunity to educate the university about the agency’s mission, strengths, assets, and needs

An opportunity to learn about and develop internships – addresses the problem expressed by some community partners of wanting more sustained involvement from students while also helping students build their resumes and get zero-credit transcript notations (or even take a 1, 2, or 3 semester hour internship course)

Getting their wish list items on someone’s radar

ChallengesGetting the word out

--across campus that this information is available--to community partners to schedule a visit

Tracking personnel changes at agencies already visited and tagging up with the new person in a timely way, then updating records to reflect the new contact

Some of the agencies visited are not close to campus; transportation for students is very much an issue

Concerns about being perceived as disingenuous if partnerships don’t materialize

Deciding how often visits should be repeated and information updated

Deciding how wide to “cast the net” when scheduling visits

Agencies visited by CBLP in 2013-14

Community Health Initiative-Haiti North Liberty Food PantryIowa City Public Library Iowa Valley Habitat for HumanityBig Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County Access to IndependenceARC of Johnson County Friends of the Animal Care FoundationOld Brick Community Center Pathways Adult Day Health CareIowa City Animal Care & Adoption Johnson County Heritage TrustDomestic Violence Intervention Program The Dream CenterStrive for Success Summer of the ArtsMiracles in Motion Johnson County Crisis Center & Food BankThe Englert Theatre Salvation ArmyNational Alliance on Mental Illness Coralville Ecumenical Food PantryFree Medical Clinic Table to TableChildren of Promise Elder ServicesUptown Bill’s UI Pentacrest MuseumsJohnson County Historical Society Catherine McAuley CenterBrain Injury Alliance Iowa Reach for Your PotentialHerbert Hoover National Historic Site VA Voluntary ServicesGirls on the Run Relay for LifeRape Victim Advocacy Program Combined Efforts TheatreHandicare Hospice of Washington CountyNeighborhood Centers of Iowa City Iowa Children’s MuseumOaknoll Retirement Residence UIHC Volunteer ServicesPublic Access Television Shelter HousePaws & More Animal Shelter Dreamwell TheatreIowa City Hospice English Language Learning Program – Kirkwood Comm. CollegeUnited Action for Youth

Planning your own visitsPlease partner with someone and work through the questions on the handout.

In 10 minutes we will reconvene and discuss.

Discussion/Questions

Contact information Mary Mathew Wilson

Director, Community-Based Learning ProgramPomerantz Career Center100 Pomerantz Center, Suite C310Iowa City, IA 52242-7700

(319) 335-7589

mary-mathew-wilson@uiowa.edu

www.careers.uiowa.edu/cblp