ExcelleShare Teams and Projects

Vision Council

A Vision Council guides the overall direction, development, implementation, and evaluation of ExcelleShare, and is comprised of community volunteers and staff members from the Center for Excellence in Aging & Community Wellness.  The charge of Council is to:

  • Develop a new vision for the engagement of volunteers by non-profit and public agencies which recognizes past experience, current ability to offer leadership and desire for a fulfilling experience
  • Operationalize this vision by creating and growing community partnerships with local non-profits
  • Generate transferable knowledge opportunities
  • Work with the Center’s staff to locate the resources to sustain this vision.

The Council meets regularly and has established a work plan guided by the results of the community ExcelleShare Reflection Event held in November, 2007.

Project Teams

One of the unique aspects and a significant strength of ExcelleShare is the use of volunteer teams for many projects.  Project proposals received from community non-profits are reviewed by the Vision Council to determine if there is capacity to perform the requested project.  Once accepted by the Vision Council, ExcelleShare members “volunteer” to serve on the project team.  In most cases, teams consist of two to six members, with the number serving on any given team dependent on the complexity of the project.   ExcelleShare volunteers also help non-profit partners to develop projects by consulting with organizational leaders requesting the assistance of ExcelleShare volunteers.

Project Activities

Some of the activities in which ExcelleShare community impact volunteers are currently involved include:

  • Development of volunteer recruitment and management policies
  • Development of a volunteer handbook
  • Planning support for a local advocacy group seeking governmental funding
  • Development of  orientation and training materials for agencies utilizing volunteers
  • Program support for health promotion activities
  • Program evaluation support for a child mentoring program
  • Business plan develop for a local non-profit

Project Evaluation and Dissemination Activities

ExcelleShare Volunteers and Center staff are involved in quality assurance activities to ensure the satisfaction of our community partners. In addition and in partnership with the National Council on Aging, a Return on Investment report has been made available to establish the value of ExcelleShare volunteer service relative to resources utilized by organizations initiating/completing an ExcelleShare volunteer led project.  These activities support the development and sustainability of this new volunteer paradigm.

On October 8th, 2009, the Center for Excellence in Aging & Community Wellness released its ExcelleShare: A Handbook on Capacity Building Volunteering, which provides a “how-to” guide on starting a community impact volunteer program in your organization.

For more information on ExcelleShare, please contact RSVP at 518-442-5585.