At the Community Events Web site (www.commevents.com) I just posted an awesome checklist for working with volunteers. Are you detail oriented? Then this list was made especially for you.
Here are a few things I've learned about working with volunteers (in no particular order):
1. Always recruit at least 1/3 more volunteers than you need because there is always a good chance that some of your volunteers will not show up when they said they would. (This is probably the single most important thing I know about working with volunteers.)
2. Provide written instructions -- as short as possible, but explaining exactly what is needed.
3. Recruit them -- immediately send each a thank you/reminder e-mail -- send each a second reminder e-mail a day or two before the event
4. If someone else is doing the recruiting, don't settle for anything less than a list of specific volunteers with names and contact information (people have a tendency to be "optimistic" about the number of volunteers they have recruited).
5. Feed them if you can.
6. Have them sign in with addresses, phone numbers, and e-mails. You want to make sure you have this list for thank-you notes and future volunteering.
7. Send hand-written thank you notes, not e-mail (no one does this anymore and it makes a lasting impression).
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Do it yourself event Web site creation
Over the years, I've created a lot of event Web sites and, no, this is not my forte. Yes, it would be better to have professional Web designers do this. When there is enough money to hire a professional, then I do, but what about when we are on a shoe string budget?
That's what hosting company templates and sitebuilder software are for. When it comes to stretching tiny Web design dollars, these are lifesavers.
As you might guess, there is a wide range of quality when it comes to these things. So here is what I look for when I'm evaluating a new sitebuilder:
1. Peruse the site templates offered by the company. Across the industry, these are getting better, but there are still real disparities in quality. Set aside 20 minutes to an hour to skim the album of templates for a company you are considering. You want to see at least a few that seem really exciting and professional; there are still plenty of templates out there that look do-it-yourself shortcuts, and simply won't satisfy anyone with a discerning eye for Web design (which seems to be just about everyone these days).
2. If there is a free demo of the software, give it a spin. If not, this should be a red flag and it would probably be better to look at other options. During the demo (which might be free for as long as 30 days) you should look for two things. One, ease of use. For my part, I have basically no technical skills, so I need something that the average cat could use. The second thing is the widest range possible of editing power -- too many sitebuilders have huge sections of their templates that can not be manipulated. In most cases, the templates weren't that great to begin with, so this is particularly disappointing.
So far, the hosting company with the best sitebuilder I have used is Homestead.com. It has many, many cool templates and offers incredible versatility in design. For my money, it vastly outpaces Yahoo!, GoDaddy, Hostpapa, Hostmonster, and any of the other services with which I have spent time and money.
That's what hosting company templates and sitebuilder software are for. When it comes to stretching tiny Web design dollars, these are lifesavers.
As you might guess, there is a wide range of quality when it comes to these things. So here is what I look for when I'm evaluating a new sitebuilder:
1. Peruse the site templates offered by the company. Across the industry, these are getting better, but there are still real disparities in quality. Set aside 20 minutes to an hour to skim the album of templates for a company you are considering. You want to see at least a few that seem really exciting and professional; there are still plenty of templates out there that look do-it-yourself shortcuts, and simply won't satisfy anyone with a discerning eye for Web design (which seems to be just about everyone these days).
2. If there is a free demo of the software, give it a spin. If not, this should be a red flag and it would probably be better to look at other options. During the demo (which might be free for as long as 30 days) you should look for two things. One, ease of use. For my part, I have basically no technical skills, so I need something that the average cat could use. The second thing is the widest range possible of editing power -- too many sitebuilders have huge sections of their templates that can not be manipulated. In most cases, the templates weren't that great to begin with, so this is particularly disappointing.
So far, the hosting company with the best sitebuilder I have used is Homestead.com. It has many, many cool templates and offers incredible versatility in design. For my money, it vastly outpaces Yahoo!, GoDaddy, Hostpapa, Hostmonster, and any of the other services with which I have spent time and money.
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