Volunteer Orientation

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Directions This document will take you through the basics as you

step into volunteering with ServiceSpace (SS) The information is broken into 4 sections, and each

section will end with a review where you will answer questions to demonstrate your understanding

There are many links to articles and videos that will be presented, but not all ‘required reading.’ All links in the main text of a slide should be read – if there is additional interest in nuance, please click links provided in footnotes

The process should take 45-60 minutes, after which we will respond to you for contact with one of our volunteer coordinators. We can then review the overlap between organizational values and your wishes to determine the best path forward

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Agenda

Background and project overview

Organizing principlesImportance of the forest

Roles in the ecosystem

History ServiceSpace started in 1999 with a group of friends who

wanted to put their technical skills to good use by offering free web services to nonprofits

Over time, the services provided by the organization moved outside of the online world and the focus shifted much more to inculcating ‘gift culture’ values in a variety of projects

While the organization was originally called CharityFocus, the name was changed to ServiceSpace in 2011 to more accurately reflect the work

ServiceSpace is held together by three key values which we’ll dive into later – being fully volunteer run, serving without asking, and focusing on the small

The organization is based in the Bay Area, California, USA, but as a decentralized organization there are many volunteers in multiple continents the world over

Over 300,000 people in ~200 countries receive ServiceSpace content, thousands take an active support role, and several dozen coordinate the projects

4Additional information: More info on organizational values

Project Overview

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DescriptionNameDailyGood shares inspiring quotes and news stories that focus on the "good" along with a simple action to continue the goodnessImagine a restaurant where the check reads $0.00 with a note that says: "Your meal was a gift from someone who came before you. Pay it forward”PledgePage is a simple, free way for people to bring their favorite fundraising causes to the Internet.Offers a weekly mailing of insightful articles to thousands of people. In addition, meditation have sprouted up in +20 locations around the globe.Conversations is a space for in-depth interviews with artists from all walks of life. Originally started as a magazine in the early 1990's.

DescriptionNameKarmaTube is dedicated to bringing inspirational videos to light, using the internet to amplify kindness and generosity.TBD

ProPoor provides info/news about development work in South Asia. It serves as a database of +14K NGO’sFirst project of ServiceSpace, it has transformed into a simple, free way to create a basic website for a good cause

HelpOthers.org is dedicated to Acts of Anonymous Kindness. +1M Smile Cards shipped, stories shared online

Several dozen gift culture projects have been developed by ServiceSpace, for more in-depth info visit the ‘Our

Projects’ page on websiteAdditional information: Many more gift culture projects are ‘friends of Service Space’ such as Karma Clinic, Green Museum, and Bread for the Journey.

Case Study - E-Mail released every day for 12+

years Distributed to +100K people

Mass mailing services donated by 3rd party

High-trust, permission based distribution list

Fully searchable online for all prior mailings

Run by team of 30+ volunteers Pioneered consortium of ‘good news’

sites to share their content as a group Potentially the #1 site focused entirely

on good news on the internet6Additional information: DailyGood website; DailyGood twitter

Case Study –

Pay-it-Forward restaurant Started in 2007 in Berkeley,

CA Now in Berkeley, Washington

DC, & Chicago Requires a total rotating group

of +100 volunteers/month Tons of press, start of

movement, tens of thousands served

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Insert Toan Lam video (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/toan-lam/karma-kitchen-serves-up-g_b_775755.html

)

Additional information: KarmaKitchen website; Pay-it-forward vs. Pay-what-you-want

Case Study – Smile Cards started in 2003 with no ‘business

plan’ +1M Smile Cards shipped all over the world Cards are available in 10 languages Future: Growth of Smile Decks; Smile Cards 2.0 to be

trackable Helpothers.org was born as a place to read

stories from Smile Cards Supportive online community of thousands

of readers Newsletter sent to nearly 100K people

Plenty of press (including CNN) but we prefer to be anonymous, just like it says on the card!

Run by +70 volunteers from across the globe 8Additional information: Why I use Smile Cards; Intro video to Smile Cards and generosity

Review Name three projects of ServiceSpace ServiceSpace projects are all based

online (T/F) ServiceSpace projects are all

manifestations of gift culture (T/F)

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Agenda

Background and project overview

Organizing principles

Importance of the forest

Roles in the ecosystem

What is Gift Culture? A gift is something that is given with no

strings attached Gift culture is the systemic spreading of

gifts as the primary medium of exchange (instead of transaction or conquering)

Wealth of society increases the more gifts are given, as the value isn’t in the things but in the giving

The benefits of gifting go well beyond what can be measured as this short blog entry shows

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From consumption to contribution, transaction to trust, isolation to community, scarcity to

abundanceAdditional information: Gift economy showcase in Mali; How to survive in a gift economy; Founder talks gift economy at Bioneers Conference

Principle 1 – Be Volunteer Run 100% of the organization is run by

volunteers Here is why

No money-related hierarchy at ServiceSpace

Enhances service-focus of the organization (lower overhead, can focus on great ideas to give)

Underlines that ServiceSpace volunteers want to change themselves as well as serve the world

“Instead of 10 people working 40 hours a week, we have 40 people working 10 hours a week – helped by technology”

12Additional information: Overhead in a fully volunteer run organization

Principle 2 – Serve Without Asking Offer with what you have – no fundraising,

no advertisements, no strings attached Here is why

Keeps the organization humble Roots societal change in deep personal

shift (survival depends on deeper levels of giving since asking is not an option)

Allows each volunteer to assume value in any interaction

“To solicit resources, one ends up making promises for a future that is impossible to predict. Often, it ends up being a game of pleasing and appeasing donors and showing them what they want to see. On the other hand, not asking for resources more accurately implies, "We can't guarantee anything. If you like our work in the past, if you like our values, let’s work together.” 13Additional information: Mother Teresa on serving without asking; Three hurdles of a gift economy

Principle 3 – Focus on Small Acts Every small change we make creates a ripple in the universe without a measurable end

Each step is a goal and reward in itself

In a networked economy, scale doesn't come from doing big things but rather creating empty spaces that allow the network to virally spread

Going ‘big’ brings in other complicating factors – including greed, selfishness

14Additional information: Seed of a revolution, Change Yourself and You Change the World

Review ServiceSpace believes small acts can ripple into

something big (T/F) Fundraising is a ‘necessary evil’ at ServiceSpace (T/F) Every action is a chance to practice giving (T/F) Being volunteer run lowers overhead enough to allow

ServiceSpace to focus on projects that may not have a traditional ‘business plan’ (T/F)

Gift culture shifts people towards more consumption (T/F)

Short answer – Describe a recent experience where you personally saw gift culture in action. What did you learn from the experience? (3-5 sentences)

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Agenda

Background and project overview

Organizing principlesImportance of the forest

Roles in the ecosystem

What is ‘The Forest’??? ‘The Forest’ is the support network of people and

resources that is available to a volunteer Includes project coordinators and others in ServiceSpace network

who have led projects and been practicing values in this space over time

Includes online/offline content that has been written with a new volunteer in mind

Purpose of ‘The Forest’ is to support all of us in our service journey As a virtual, decentralized organization it is sometimes hard to stay

connected The Forest is the explicit infrastructure to help all volunteers support

each other Available through multiple channels

Online (e.g., Forest Feed, twitter) Offline (e.g., Wednesday meditation, location-based service work) Virtual (e.g., conference calls, ad hoc group emails)

17Additional information: Latest Forest Feed

Importance of Personal Journey

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Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Looking even more deeply, it is the small acts of that small group of people that end up snowballing into significant change. And each small action is predicated on even subtler inner awareness. The seat of authentic strength lies in that intangible space within us. While many of us intuitively understand the power of internal change, we are often seduced by external change that can be neatly measured, categorized and owned. Certainly, external changes are required for the world to progress but when coupled with an inner transformation, they affect the world in a radically different way. This is why Gandhi spent each Monday in silence, why Martin Luther King Jr. prayed twice as much on busy days, and Cesar Chavez practiced Yoga regularly. It’s why Mother Teresa declared, “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.”Each one of us is on the same journey – ServiceSpace projects are simply an excuse to practice this small scale inner shift. A sandbox where you can build your ‘giving muscles.’ Without an intention in each of us to continuously ‘step up’ our giving, the projects just become another hollow way to seek attention and glory. We are never done, we have never ‘arrived.’

Review ServiceSpace seeks to centralize much

of its decision-making (T/F) ‘The Forest’ network exists primarily to

help new volunteers understand the organization (T/F)

Personally committing to more giving in one’s own life is an important aspect of ServiceSpace (T/F)

Short answer – Describe a recent small act of service that you saw and how it made you feel. (2-3 sentences)

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Agenda

Background and project overview

Organizing principlesImportance of the forest

Roles in the ecosystem

Levels of Engagement with ServiceSpace

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Receive Inspiration

Collaborative

Engagement

Mission-driven

LeadershipTransformative Giving

Major driver: Personal growth (learning)

Service is sharing inspiration (online and offline)

Involvement is ad hoc (up to 1 hr/week)

Inspirational content is received through multiple SS channels

>300K ‘members’ currently fill this category

Understanding values is keyVolunteers usually start with ‘Collaborative

Engagement’, specific roles discussed next

Major driver: Feeling of doing good/giving

Service is giving something tangible (goods or services)

Involvement is consistent and light (1-5 hrs/week)

Giving opportunities are matched with personal desires/skills

Likely the level of engagement that a formal volunteer starts with

Experiential practice of values is key

Major driver: Supporting mission

Service is driving change at macro level and requires ‘servant leadership’

Involvement can be more intense (up to 40 hrs/week)

Mission support requires tangible and intangible involvement

Projects are major tool to practice values

Creating context for others to practice service is key

Major driver: Personal transformation (constant giving)

Service is dynamically giving in various capacities at all times

Involvement is continuous and can be invisible

Every moment is an opportunity to practice values

Dynamically serving others personal journeys is key

Potential Roles for You to Play

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Cont

ent D

riven Fill a role in an

SS project

Sample roles- writer, curator, reviewer, shipper, researcher

Key challenge is developing deep intention in each action

Even

t Driv

en Organize / support local values-based event

Sample events- meditation, gifting gathering,

Key challenge is consistency

Valu

es D

riven Develop

methods to refine and share SS message

Sample roles- messaging team, A/V developer, web developer

Key challenge is pushing deeper in values

All roles fit in category of ‘collective engagement’ (as previously

discussed)

Review There is a ‘Strategy Group’ at ServiceSpace

(T/F) Every role at ServiceSpace is focused on doing

small acts of service (T/F) A servant leader looks to the needs of the

people and asks himself how he can help them to solve problems and promote personal development. He places his main focus on people, because only content and motivated people are able to reach their targets and to fulfill the set expectations. Each ServiceSpace volunteer is expected to exhibit traits of a ‘servant leader’ (T/F)

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) What do I do next? Sit tight We’ll be in touch in the next 5-7

business days to discuss your preferences with you and jointly decide on your specific role

When will I start? Likely within the next couple weeks, although that can be decided jointly as well

How many hours per week are required? Roles are available across the spectrum, but initially good to plan for 1-5 hrs/week

I’m in a location that SS doesn’t currently operate in, can I still volunteer? Yes, there are plenty of opportunities that can either be started locally by you or you can plug in to some online projects

How old to you have to be to volunteer? Depends on the specific role, but roles are available for any age group. However, if you’re not a legal adult, there may be some options that are not available.

My availability is not consistent, can I still volunteer? Yes. However, your role may need to be tailored a bit more to ensure it’s of service to you in your path.

Is there training available? Yes, through various processes in ‘The Forest’ – please revisit that content for more info.

My specific question wasn’t answered, can I reach out to someone? Yes, if you have other questions, please reach out to a volunteer coordinator at xxx@servicespace.org

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Additional Resources

Organization

projects list

Recent press

Twitter page,

Facebook page and forest feed

ServiceSpace book

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Feedback for ServiceSpace 101

Thank you for your time in reviewing the ServiceSpace basics. If you have feedback for this process, please send your thoughts to xxx@servicespace.org. Specific questions we’d love your thoughts on:- Are there any major unanswered

questions?- Do you feel excited to be a part of

the group?26