AARP Tax-Aide Volunteer Recruitment System

Phase 2

Training for New UsersOctober, 2010

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Today’s Agenda •Prospective Volunteer System Objectives and Goals•Volunteer Prospect Recruitment Initial Process Findings •Initial Season AARP Volunteer Recruitment System Review

• Experience and Results• Prospect and Volunteer Leader Survey Results• “What’s New /What’s Not” System Review

• Recruitment System Phase 2 Overview and Training•  Prospect Information and Email Notifications• Introduction to the AARP Tax-Aide Volunteer Portal• Prospect Information Routing• Reviewing and Statusing Prospective Volunteers• Adding/Application of Local/State Prospective Volunteers • Activity Summary and On Line Reports• Training and Communications• Next Steps for Accessing the System and Volunteer Portal

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Objectives and Goals for the Recruitment System

•Increase the number, skill and diversity of Volunteer Prospects• Nationally and locally

•Reduce cycle time from prospect self identification to PVC/SC/DC receipt and through the prospect interview and assessment process

• Prospect receipt and assessment workflow, process tracking and response time

•Improve the ease and options for prospects to apply and become part of the program

• Including 7x24 direct internet access •Improve leadership reporting and business intelligence

• Outreach, marketing, diversity program success statistics, analysis •Reduce Volunteer and Staff administrative workload

• Work reduction for SCs, ADSs, Instructors, DCs, PVCs, PCSs

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Volunteer Prospect Process

Most Requested Improvements

1. Get Prospects to PVC/DC faster

2. More accurate and complete contact information (phone, email)

3. Better qualified prospects, assessment, screening

4. Provide program requirements/information at the front of the process

5. New/improved Leadership reports– Source, number of prospects,

number of successes, drop out by reason, stats by District, timeliness of response

6. Reduce late season applications (after mid December)

Don’t Change

1. District interview

2. National “funnel”/initial contact

3. Integrated national and local marketing and publicity

4. Local initiatives and outreach

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Last Season Experience and Results

• Volunteer prospects identified and processed through the Volunteer Recruitment System totaled over 7,000

– 50%+ increase in prospects from 2008

• Prospects appeared to have the necessary background and skills – Technology, internet, computer, educational levels, professional employment, tax

preparation skills and experiences are similar to or higher than current Volunteers

• Prospects exhibited some important differences from the predominant profile and demographics of current Volunteers.

– Tended to be younger, more ethnically diverse, use other than AARP sources to learn about the program, are more likely to be still working, more available on weekends/nights and have less previous volunteer experience

• Despite some initial browser and registration issues, over 75% of Volunteer Leaders found that system was easy or somewhat easy to use

– At or above system implementation benchmarks

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Recruitment System Prospects are Only Part of Total New Volunteers

1604

5402

7106

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

"New Volunteers"

From recruitmentsystem

Other

Total 2009TS NewVolunteers

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Prospect Survey Summary• Had a significant overall response rate of 32%• What We Learned

– Pros:• 91% rated the online application as Very Easy or Somewhat Easy

• Most new volunteers (over 80%) plan to participate next year

• Of those who became volunteers, their overall experience (application, training, working as a counselor) was excellent

• Potential untapped resource – 51% of prospects who were not offered an assignment would have worked as an administrative or fundraising volunteer

• Local efforts are bringing in quality, skilled, experienced volunteers who mirror the current volunteer profile, demographics, schedule preferences

• Potential untapped resource - 57% of prospects who were not assigned were willing to reapply in the coming season

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Prospect Survey Summary• What We Learned

– Concerns:• New Volunteers wanted to have higher tax preparation readiness

after training was completed

• Concerns raised about training both new and experienced volunteers in the same classroom setting

• Prospects who did not become volunteers had a different experience than those who did – less positive impression

• Potentially due to assessment communication or process failures

• Lack of timely contact (within 7 days of application) appears to be a significant driver or indicator of “unsuccessful” recruitment

• Longer time between prospect self-identification and volunteer leader contact made it less likely for that prospect to become a volunteer

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Length of Time Between Applying and Initial Contact w/ Volunteer Leader

*71% were contacted within 7 days

*35% were contacted within 7 days

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2010 Survey of System Users

• High survey response rate from Volunteer leaders that used the Volunteer Recruitment System

• The majority of feedback from volunteers was positive• 76% found the new system “Very Easy” or “Somewhat Easy” to use• Nearly 70% of those surveyed had more than 5 prospects come

through the system, many Volunteers Leaders had > 20 prospects• 82% thought that the information they received from the web

application was useful• Many volunteers are unaware of system reports, but showed interest

in utilizing them and needing more reporting visibility• DC’s utilized the recruitment system more than any other Volunteer

title

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What Isn’t Changing This Season

• What Remains the Same This Season– Application questions and requirements– Applicant Information Routing and Review– Statusing of Applicant Review Activity– Workflow Management and Monitoring– Email notifications upon application, final statusing to prospects– Email notifications to Volunteer Leaders upon application receipt and

upon routing to other Volunteers (DCs) – VMIS Reports and one step new volunteer assignment

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What’s New with Volunteer Recruitment

• WHAT we are doing this season

• Improved registration process/success rate through reduction of browser compatibility issues, registration identification and database synchronization

• Ability to register new prospects locally through “same” application form

• Additions to “Prospect Status/Routing” page to enable visibility to all prospect records by Volunteer Leaders for all prospect status

• New, optional “Activity Summary Page” and on line reporting to track “final prospect status” through assessment, training and assignment process by Split State, District, Prospect level

• Redesign more user friendly, easy to navigate through Volunteer Portal

• On boarding /Off boarding process analysis through end of season surveys, possibly to Split State level

• Expand access to additional titles (through Portal access)

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Prospect Information / Use

• Prospect Application– The five following screens demonstrate the on line volunteer prospect

application

• Can be accessed via a link at http:

www.aarp.org/money/taxes/info-2006/volunteer_aarp_tax_aide.html

– There are some required fields• Including all contact information fields and source data

– All information which the prospect enters will be available in the Recruitment System and in VMIS

• What a prospect receives– Once a prospect has completed the web form, they receive an email

message that thanks them for their interest and gives them a contact email address (at National office) to use for additional information/help

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Email Notification to Volunteer Leader

• When a prospect volunteer submits an application the PVC will receive an email notification– Routed to the email address present in VMIS

– ADS and SC will be copied

– A URL link will in the body of the email that will take the PVC, SC or ADS to the system registration page

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Introducing the AARPTax-Aide Volunteer Portal

• In response to previous browser issues and increasing demands to provide more information, more access to more Volunteers, AARP has developed a single access “Volunteer Portal”– To eventually be utilized by all Volunteer organizations at AARP

– The AARP Tax-Aide Volunteer Recruitment System will be the first AARP Tax-Aide system to utilize “Portal” functionality

• Core Volunteer Team testing, experience has been very positive • By mid-October all Volunteer Recruitment System access will be through the

Portal• Existing Recruitment System Volunteer users should be able to use their

current sign on and password to gain access to the Portal

– Additional ARRP Tax-Aide system applications and access to the Portal will soon follow

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What is the AARP Tax-Aide “Portal”?

A web-based and centralized access point that provides:

• Single, secure access to all AARP Tax-Aide Volunteer System information, applications, systems, databases and reporting

• Available 7x24 from any internet connection

• Major internet browsers tested, MACs interfaced successfully

• No need for specialized VMIS access or access beyond the AARP “Firewall”

• Personalized access and presentation for information, applications, databases and reporting based on the individual volunteer title and other profile information

• Simplification and consistent presentation of the forms, tools and interfaces used for data entry, search and reporting

• Access to centralized program communications

• Standardized and automated workflow/tracking

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Today – Multiple Sources, Access

Access AARP

Extranet

Site Activity Reporting & Site

Information Management

E-Mail, Fax, Snail Mail, Telephone – Expense Statements, Order Forms, Inquiries, Communications

Forms, Manuals and Other Info

VMIS

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The Future…

Forms, Manuals,

CommunicationsInterfacesWorkflow & MORE!

VMIS

Order FormRecruitment System

Single, Secure and Personalized Access to Everything a Volunteer

Needs

AARP Tax-Aide Volunteer Portal Training Webinar

Getting Started…

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Log on to https://volunteers.aarp.org

If you’re a New User and need to register your Profile, click on the “Register Now” link on the Portal homepage.

For subsequent visits, you will use the “Registered Already?” link

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Registration and System Access

Click on “New Portal Users – Register Here”

This screen will appear

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Next, you’ll be taken to the “Profile Created” screen confirming your new registration has been accepted. To login to the Portal click “Proceed to Login” now.

If you’re already registered in the Portal, as you enter the Volunteer homepage, click on the “Already Registered? Login to Portal” link to enter the Portal.

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From here, enter your Login information and click “Login” to enter the Portal.

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At any point during your session within the Portal, you’ll see this information with your Name that gives you options at any point to “Update Profile” (see form at right to do this). Click “Update” when done to confirm.

You can also “Logout” when your session is concluded.

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Now you’re in!

You have all of the expanded functionalities the Volunteer Portal has to offer, just a click away. See the listing of all available systems and links on the menu at your left labeled “My Preferences.”

This menu is determined based on the “role designation” of the individual user as determined by VMIS data. What you will see may be different based on your title or required functionality.

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Under “Recruitment”:

You will have three Recruitment System options, two of which are new this season:

- Add Prospective Volunteer

- Review Prospective Volunteer

- Activity Summary

First we will focus on the “Review Prospective Volunteer” functionality

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Applicant Information RoutingApplicant information will automatically be routed to the AARP Tax-Aide organization consistent with the zip code provided by the prospect

• All applicant information provided

• Initially accessible by the Split State PVC, ADS and SC

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At times, or depending on local procedures, an applicant may need to be routed to another volunteer leader or area• There are two options available for this routing

1. Route to District Coordinator or other identified Volunteer within your Split State organization

• Available directly on the applicant information screen

2. Route to a different Split State organization

• Also available on the applicant information screen

By selecting “Review Prospective Volunteer” under “My Preferences” the list of prospective volunteers received in your state or area will be displayed.

You will note that you can now define what prospective volunteer “status” you want to see.

The default status is “All” which will display all of the prospective volunteers regardless of status.

You can define what status you want to see by clicking on the drop down arrow. You will note that six different prospective volunteer status can be selected for viewing:

-All

-In Progress

-Approved

-Rejected

-On Hold

-Pending Approval from DC

By clicking on any status, selecting the “Filter” box you can customize what prospects are shown

Here we are looking for prospects in an “Approve” status.

You can always see and view all your prospects regardless of their status.

Also note that each page has a print “button” that can be clicked on to print the page.

Similar to last year, there are also orange “i” buttons throughout the application. These buttons can be “clicked” to display explanations of the term or transaction.

Here the “Status” is defined and displayed.

It is also possible to sort every column in different ways to view the information the way you want.

By clicking in the shaded box you want to sort, you will see an “up” button that will sort the information in ascending order and click again to see a “down” button that will sort the information in descending order.

It may be useful to use this function when you are reviewing state level information.

To review a prospective or view their application information simply click on their name. The name will be highlighted.

Similar to last year all of the prospective volunteer information from their application is displayed.

You can also route the prospective volunteer to a different split state on this page.

Similar to last year you can also route the prospect to District Coordinator or other identified Volunteer and/or status the prospect on this page

To route the prospect to a District Coordinator or other identified Volunteer for review simply click on the name you want to route the information to.

Note that this year Volunteers with other titles can also be included in this list and will be displayed here. Contact the National Office if you have volunteers that need access.

If you wish to status this prospective Volunteer, simply click on “Yes” radio button.

You will have a variety of status to select.

Simply click on the status you want and select on “Submit”

This prospective volunteer status will still be seen on your “home” page.

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Applicant Information Review• To review the applicant information and status of the review of the prospect’s application, it is a simple “one click” activity

• Simply click on the name you want to view• Perhaps filtering by the “status” you want to see

• Approve – Prospect is approved to become a volunteer and can be scheduled for training, all assessment activity is completed

• In Progress – Activity to assess prospect is underway but is not yet complete. For example, we are having a problem reaching the applicant or more information is required

• On Hold – Activity to assess the prospect is complete but you want to put the decision on hold until next season because no positions are available or the volunteer will be out of the area during the season

• Reject – Assessment is complete and the prospect will not become a volunteer

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By clicking on the “i” buttons definitions for each status.

This may help if you are unsure of what status to select.

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Automatic Email Notification

• Automatic Emails will be generated during key process steps• Applicant notified after activity status input into the system

• Approved – Applicant notified of approval and that they will contacted for future training• Reject – Applicant notified and message concerning additional volunteer opportunities (“Create the Good”) notification sent• On Hold – Applicant notified of status and future opportunity

• “Re-routing” status to a new state/split state• Similar notification message to District Coordinator or new Split state PVC, SC

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New this year is a local application option that is available to all system users.

By selecting “Add Prospective Volunteer” on the home page, you can access an application that exactly the same as that provided on the aarp.org site.

If you recruit locally this can be a valuable tool to collect information and reduce administrative workload.

There are only nine required entries, the remainder are optional (although almost 90% of prospects supplied information on all questions)

If you forget or skip a required field a explanation sign will pop up. By clicking on this you will see an explanation of what information is needed.

As requested, new “on line” reporting and tracking of Volunteer Prospects beyond the assessment stage (training, testing and assignment) has been developed.

Utilization of this functionality is optional and can be customized for local use by local Leaders.

Click on “Activity Summary” to review summary reports of prospects in your area. Totals for each District will display.

The status codes for each prospects come from two sources:

-Automatic status results from Leader statusing in the Recruitment system (Application Submitted, Routed, Approved, Rejected)

-Optional status occurs after the prospect is approved to move to training and testing (Did not complete testing, Did not pass test, Did not accept assignment, Other)

Automatic status results from system inputs

Optional status codes input locally

Clicking on the DC displayed will produce an on screen report of all prospects within the District (including those not yet “routed”).

The check marks indicate positive statusing.

To further status a Prospect (with optional coding) simply click on the prospect name. The name will be highlighted.

An optional status code “box” will display. You can select as many or as few as you wish.

Note that you also provide additional notes (for analysis or tracking purposes) under “Other”

Click “submit” to save the information to that prospect’s record.

The record will then be updated at each level (District and State totals)

This type of information can provide an accurate depiction of volunteer recruitment and the reasons for prospect “losses”. This can help future planning and improvement strategies.

AARP Tax-Aide System Access and Registration

• Access and register on the AARP Volunteer Portal utilizing the link:

– https://volunteers.aarp.org

• Register with your current Volunteer ID, email address from your VMIS record

– If needed you can get this this information from your ADS or Volunteer Leaders

• Click on “New Portal Users” on top of page, proceed to Registration page

• If you want, utilize your existing email address and password you use to access the current Volunteer Recruitment system

– It is recommended to use your current password (Six characters, one alphanumeric)

• Utilize the same link in the future to return/use the portal

• Communicate issues/problems to the Help Desk or your Senior Field Support Associate as per the “Volunteer Portal Support Guide”

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Recruitment Management Recommendations

• To maximize the use of Volunteer Prospects to serve increasing communities of need in your area

– Register for and become familiar with the Recruitment System and Portal tools– Ensure other Volunteer Leaders in your area also utilize the system– Respond to prospect applications as quickly as possible and communicate to the

prospects to acknowledge their application (see the DC Guide for more direction)• Utilize the “home page” “filter” of pending prospects by application date to

identify delays– Decide on how best to utilize “optional” status and reporting within your state or

district organization– Consider an outreach program (via email, phone or mail) to last season’s

unutilized prospects as a recruitment source– Consider utilizing prospects available on night and weekends to expand services

to new communities of need– Offer prospects that cannot perform as counselors other administrative positions– Attend “Reporting and VMIS” training webinars as needed

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