1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,060 Hello everyone and welcome to the Within Range Coaching Podcast. I'm Ranger, a certified 2 00:00:10,060 --> 00:00:14,700 holistic success coach, and in this podcast, I break down the journey entrepreneurs face 3 00:00:14,700 --> 00:00:19,680 as they start their organizations, overcome roadblocks in their way, and create an impact 4 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:24,840 that lasts. We talk with entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and purpose-driven community members 5 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:30,440 just like you. Together, we learn how to grow our impact and develop ourselves as the people 6 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:37,240 behind the mission. My intention is to help more people, help more people. And remember, 7 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:42,080 if you're curious about expanding your impact, growing a community, or defining your mission, 8 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:47,040 vision, or values, we can chat off the record. You can find my info in the show notes or 9 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:52,900 at my website, withinrangecoaching.com. We're also looking to build our sponsor community 10 00:00:52,900 --> 00:00:58,080 with organizations and individuals who align with our values of fearless innovation, social 11 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:02,620 responsibility, and courageous candor. If you're interested in helping us highlight 12 00:01:02,620 --> 00:01:07,400 individuals doing great work in the world and share these values, reach out to me directly 13 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:13,200 at ranger at withinrangecoaching.com. I know you're just as eager to get started as I am, 14 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:22,480 so let's jump right in. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, everybody, and 15 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:28,400 welcome to today's episode of the Within Range Coaching Podcast. I'm still on the Rangers 16 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:34,640 Walk Across America series with this, where we're focusing on the nonprofits, the entrepreneurs, 17 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:40,280 the changemakers, community members that are making a difference in their home communities. 18 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:44,640 And guys, I finally had the chance to catch up with someone that I actually met, what, 19 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:49,520 almost a month ago? A few weeks, let's say, let's say like two, two, three weeks ago. 20 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:59,600 I got to spend a couple days in Oxford, Mississippi, and I had the opportunity to spend some time 21 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:04,720 and interact with an organization that, I don't know, they do one of my favorite things 22 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:12,860 where they actually support other nonprofits with volunteers. So one of my favorite ways 23 00:02:12,860 --> 00:02:16,580 that people do that, you know, what Wander Project does where they empower individuals 24 00:02:16,580 --> 00:02:21,660 to raise money for themselves or for other organizations that they believe in. What this 25 00:02:21,660 --> 00:02:28,600 organization does is they find volunteers and kind of just divvy them out to other organizations 26 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:34,120 that need them. And I mean, again, I get ahead of myself and I want to talk about it myself, 27 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:41,180 but that's why we had today's guest. So today we're actually joined by Marlee Carpenter, 28 00:02:41,180 --> 00:02:47,960 the executive director at Stronger Together Oxford. Marlee, how's it going? 29 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:54,640 Going well. Thank you for having me today. Perfect. I super appreciate you. I mean, right 30 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:58,840 before we jumped on, she was telling me about how busy they are. And I'm sure especially 31 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:02,260 what was spring wrapping up and a bunch of events, you know, the weather is finally good 32 00:03:02,260 --> 00:03:08,100 enough to do things. I'm sure. Well, it's interesting because the students are gone. 33 00:03:08,100 --> 00:03:14,440 So Oxford's kind of dead. But this is when the community rises and shines. They are out 34 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:19,560 and about right now. Really? Why is that? What's the why? Is it just because now there's 35 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,900 less students so now we can do things or? Now they can go to their own their favorite 36 00:03:23,900 --> 00:03:29,240 restaurants without worrying about all the students waiting in line. It's just, you know, 37 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:35,100 we we we're with the university all year long except for June and July. And then we have 38 00:03:35,100 --> 00:03:40,240 a little bit of downtime. Gotcha. And how does that influx of students affect just the 39 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:47,160 day to day life? I guess I think mostly the traffic, honestly, within the community. There's 40 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,680 just so many students. So once the students are gone with their cars, we can get to one 41 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:57,280 side of town to the other in like five minutes rather than 55 minutes. Oh, jeez. I always 42 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:02,960 forget how much that affects. I mean, yeah, because the where I went to school, UC Davis, 43 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:08,840 it was similar vibe to Oxford. I think Davis might be smaller, but I definitely got that 44 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:13,720 vibe when I was there for those couple days. Yeah, yeah. But we love our students. We love 45 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:20,600 having them around. Perfect. Awesome. Well, before we jump too far in today's conversation, 46 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,880 can you just share a little bit about what your intention for today is? Yeah. So today 47 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:29,720 we just want your audience to know how easy it is to get involved with the community, 48 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:35,320 whether it be indirect service or direct service or just having that little random acts of 49 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:44,080 kindness, anything that anyone does is an impact in some sort of way. Perfect. I love 50 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,120 that. I love that. That's I don't know. That's a theme that I try to carry throughout the 51 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:53,440 podcast. So I'm glad that we're kind of aligned on, you know, just how the the simplet, how 52 00:04:53,440 --> 00:05:00,520 what is the word I'm trying to say? The simplicity of action, you know? So when I was a student 53 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:05,160 at the university, there was a hub, there was a community volunteer hub, but I just 54 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:09,360 wasn't aware of it. And as as a student at the university, I knew I wanted to get involved 55 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:14,400 with the community. I just didn't know where to start. And that's really what we do here 56 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:21,760 is just add that little extra enhancement of getting people to start and getting involved 57 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:27,440 in their community. Yeah. Kind of like a catalyst almost like there's that desire there. Let's 58 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:31,880 take that spark and do something with it. Yeah. Or just your little one stop shop for 59 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:37,720 all volunteerism. How cool. Yeah, no, I'm excited. But yeah, so we are kind of mentioning 60 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:41,080 that you as a student, but like what was your background? What did you study? How did you 61 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:46,160 get involved in better together? And I mean, to the point that you're the director now, 62 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:51,720 like that's crazy. Yeah. So I really think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. So and 63 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:57,680 as a young adult, I really thought I wanted to join the Peace Corps that was always in 64 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:03,320 my agenda for life. And then as of course, I aged and I went to the University of Mississippi, 65 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:09,520 I realized that that probably wasn't exactly realistic for me. But I did join College Corps, 66 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:14,720 which is a sister program of the Peace Corps. And then when I graduated from the University 67 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:20,640 of Mississippi, I started my part time career at the activity center, which is also a city 68 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:25,580 department. My background and my degree is in Parks and Recreation. So that was just 69 00:06:25,580 --> 00:06:33,080 right up my alley. And then I had the opportunity to merge to RSVP. RSVP was the retired and 70 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:39,600 senior volunteer program. And so I was promoted to service their volunteer coordinator. RSVP 71 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:46,840 was a program in Oxford for 45 years until we decided to meet our community needs better. 72 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:52,440 We needed to rebrand and be a community volunteer hub for the entire volunteer or the entire 73 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:57,840 community rather than just volunteers 55 and older. So in 2022, we had the opportunity 74 00:06:57,840 --> 00:07:04,280 to rebrand the city of Oxford fully supports this program. And it is such a unique opportunity 75 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:10,620 for the city because of the personal touch that we add and the way that we connect volunteers 76 00:07:10,620 --> 00:07:16,720 to community needs and nonprofits. So so far, we have been very successful. We have over 77 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:23,200 300 active volunteers and we partner with about 60 different nonprofits. And when I 78 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:28,880 say we are very successful, we have about 20 to 40 applications that come in per week. 79 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:35,160 Now that sounds like a gigantic number. And so out of those, not everybody becomes active. 80 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:41,000 But what we like to think is that this is the first step of them starting to volunteer. 81 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,040 Like they have shown some initiative to sign up to gather more information. And that's 82 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:50,480 just step one. So that's what we look for. Gotcha. OK, so to be clear, the RSVP that 83 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:56,360 transitioned into stronger together. That's right. Yes. So RSVP was just 55 and older. 84 00:07:56,360 --> 00:08:03,240 It was grant funded by AmeriCorps. So still still full circle from where I thought I wanted 85 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:08,160 to be in the Peace Corps to where I'm at now. We're not associated with AmeriCorps anymore. 86 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:13,560 We are just city funded. But it really my entire life just came full circle from high 87 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:18,240 school to right now. Gotcha. OK, so can we talk a little bit about that transition from 88 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:23,960 going from grant funded to city funded? I feel like people I don't know. I feel like 89 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:27,160 an issue that I run into a lot with people with nonprofits is they don't know how to 90 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:30,800 get funding. They don't know how that process works. Like what was that transition like 91 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:39,640 for you guys? It was a difficult transition. It was challenging. But the city had supported 92 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:45,160 RSVP for 45 years. So there was no question that the mayor and the board of Audubon were 93 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:52,720 on board. It was a question for our current volunteers and how that transition look. So 94 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:56,920 we were never concerned about funding this program. We knew that that was going to be 95 00:08:56,920 --> 00:09:02,080 fine. Now we did lose some funding, but we're able to make it work. I mean, we are our mission 96 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:07,440 is not to pass out t shirts and spoons to everybody in town. Like our mission is to 97 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:12,440 recruit volunteers and connect them with community organizations. So it didn't matter that we 98 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,280 lost that little bit of grant money, though it was nice. But the program is still able 99 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:22,440 to strut without it. Gotcha. And I guess just on my own curiosity, like what is like, what 100 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:28,960 does the funding go towards? Like how does that support you guys? The majority of our 101 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:34,520 funding goes to our operating supplies. So that may look like volunteer week, which is 102 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:42,760 where we met. And then also anything, any of our internal initiatives. So last year 103 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:47,880 we developed the Every Mill project. This is an internal project. So we have volunteers 104 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:53,640 and really we like to focus on businesses for this or any large group. And they will 105 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:58,840 build full meals for families that we put inside of the little free pantries here in 106 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:03,520 Lafayette County and the city of Oxford. So any of our internal initiatives, that's where 107 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:08,920 our funding goes. And then anything that can promote the community, that's where it goes. 108 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:12,960 Yeah, that's amazing. I mean, it makes sense. Definitely on the operations. I'm sure operating 109 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:20,680 costs are super high for for I mean, 300 active volunteers. And when you say active and I'm 110 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:25,080 not sure if this I think I said it there, I wasn't sure if it resonated with you guys, 111 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:31,140 but it really does sound like that temp agency of volunteers in the way that you have this 112 00:10:31,140 --> 00:10:35,880 pool of people and it sounds like and we'll get more into like the logistics of how you 113 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:39,640 send people out. But you're able to kind of say, okay, these people are interested in 114 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:44,560 animal causes. These people are interested in the elderly and this and that, and kind 115 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:50,660 of able to divvy them out that way or you know, the general the general workforce, right. 116 00:10:50,660 --> 00:10:56,400 So when you get these applications, and you said not all of them turn to active volunteers, 117 00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:01,280 like what do they just kind of drop off? Or is there like an actual application process 118 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:05,960 that these individuals go through? So we do have a full application process. It's your 119 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:11,120 basic information. And then just like what you said, we like to categorize our volunteers. 120 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,960 So anytime a volunteer comes in this office, we we like to have them kind of brainstorm 121 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:21,720 on what kind of volunteer opportunity they're looking for. So in where their passion lies 122 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:26,920 with what nonprofit and then are they going to be more of a direct volunteer meaning are 123 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:30,880 they going to directly serve, for example, with the pantry? Are they going to be the 124 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:35,120 ones that are packing these bags and delivering it to the cars? Or are they going to serve 125 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:41,040 more indirectly and maybe collect the data from the pantry or host a fundraiser for the 126 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:45,640 pantry? So we have different kinds of volunteers that look like that. And then we like to ask 127 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:50,180 them, are you going to be a consistent routine volunteer? Are you more of a special events 128 00:11:50,180 --> 00:11:55,400 kind of volunteer? Because that too can be so many different things. We have volunteers 129 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:03,360 that have committed for 30 years at the Baptist Memorial Hospital and they go every Monday 130 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:07,020 and Tuesday and you better bet they're going to be there. That's what they love to do. 131 00:12:07,020 --> 00:12:10,700 And then we have volunteers who just want to do special events. So they might just sign 132 00:12:10,700 --> 00:12:14,920 up to go to the park, emissions, Easter egg hunt or help with their movies in the park 133 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:21,160 or something like that. Just more sporadic. Hey, listeners, we're taking a quick break 134 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:26,480 to tell you about someone who's been an absolute game changer for me on my walk across America, 135 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:32,920 Coach Mari Fernandez. Coach Mari is a nutrition coach with over 15 years of experience. And 136 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:38,000 her personalized one-on-one nutrition sessions. She truly strives to understand your needs 137 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:44,240 and goals to create a nutrition plan designed specifically for you. Her plans are tailored 138 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:50,300 to fit your unique lifestyle, cooking abilities and busy schedule, ensuring they are realistic 139 00:12:50,300 --> 00:12:55,680 and sustainable so you can create a healthier relationship with food rooted in balance and 140 00:12:55,680 --> 00:13:01,640 moderation. Personally, Coach Mari created my meal plan for my walk across America and 141 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:06,600 has been a tremendous help in making sure I'm fueled and feeling great during my 3000 142 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:11,720 mile journey across our nation. If you're looking for expert nutrition advice and a 143 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:17,520 plan that truly fits your life, I highly recommend reaching out to Coach Mari for a few nutrition 144 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:22,860 coaching sessions. Her contact link is located in the show notes below. So be sure to check 145 00:13:22,860 --> 00:13:29,840 her out and get started on your journey to a healthier, happier you. Now let's get back 146 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:36,620 to the show. How does it work in terms of like training? Like what is that? I guess 147 00:13:36,620 --> 00:13:39,360 I'm like getting more to the logistics of it because I think that this is something 148 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:45,100 that should be, I don't know, should, would, could, you know, whatever. Like it should 149 00:13:45,100 --> 00:13:48,720 be in more places, right? I'm not sure if I've ever heard of an organization that does 150 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:53,800 what you guys do personally. Such a unique program. We're so unique. I think in the state 151 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:59,080 of Mississippi, I think there is one other active hub and that is on the coast of Mississippi. 152 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:05,040 So probably in the Biloxi area. So this is just, it's very unique and Oxford is the best 153 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:11,640 spot to have it because of all of the nonprofits that we have. But for a volunteers onboarding, 154 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:15,880 once they complete the application process, we run some background checks and then we 155 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:21,640 approve them on being just a general volunteer through Stronger Together Oxford. We invite 156 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:25,840 them to come over for an onboarding process. This, and this is where we really decide on 157 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:31,600 what kind of volunteer they're going to be. Direct, indirect, spontaneous routine. And 158 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:36,720 then we just connect. We have a casual conversation. My goal is to just get every little bit of 159 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:43,200 passion out of them so that I can better place them in a spot where their skills and experiences 160 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:49,500 are going to be used for the better for everyone, for the best of the ability for the community. 161 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:55,800 So we don't want to just send someone who is interested in food insecurity. We don't 162 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:59,520 want to send them to the animal resource center because that's not going to do anybody. The 163 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:02,800 volunteer is not going to be interested and the animal resource center is not going to 164 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:07,440 benefit from the volunteers responsibilities. Gotcha. And when you say, you know, like their 165 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:12,360 responsibilities, like how long is it mostly just because when I kind of think of volunteer 166 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:17,080 for the most part, it's, you know, a day here, a day there. Are there like long term placements? 167 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:22,360 How does that kind of situation work? Yeah. So we don't have any requirements for volunteers 168 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:28,600 so they can volunteer one hour a week or one hour or a day, whatever, whatever is best for 169 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:34,000 the volunteer and what's best for the community partner. But yes, we do have long term volunteer 170 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:42,120 opportunities. Some of our nonprofits require them to be at least a semester long. So, and 171 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:48,040 we say semester because of our college students. So they know May to January to May that they 172 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:54,600 need to be consistent during that time. So the majority of our more long term opportunities 173 00:15:54,600 --> 00:16:00,360 are going to be with our hospices, our veterans home leapfrog, boys and girls club. So basically 174 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:05,880 anything that has to do with a vulnerable population with geriatrics or our youth, we 175 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:11,240 like those volunteers to be consistent just so they have a familiar face and they're learning 176 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:16,760 and growing with the nonprofit. Gotcha. That's so interesting that it's more, I like, I don't 177 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:20,160 know, I like the idea of the long term aspect a lot more. Cause like you said, you learn 178 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:24,160 with them, you grow with them and it sounds like would there be opportunities for them 179 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:29,080 to kind of move up or maybe move up isn't even the right term now that I say it. Well, 180 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:34,120 to piggyback off of that, we have had two volunteers who have actually gotten a job 181 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:39,120 at their nonprofit that they volunteered at. And both of them were university students 182 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:45,120 and they were both hired right after the semester. Okay. So maybe moving up was the correct turn. 183 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:49,440 I think it depends on the age of the volunteer or even, even if you have a young adult that's 184 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:55,720 volunteering, I mean, there's still potential of getting a job at said nonprofit or also 185 00:16:55,720 --> 00:17:02,600 gathering more responsibility rather than just coming and, and do an inventory at like 186 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:08,840 the public library rather than actually being there every single day and doing a census 187 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:14,000 on everybody that's come into the library. So there are, there are different tiers and 188 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:19,160 levels of responsibility for a volunteer. Gotcha. Okay. So it sounds like in terms of 189 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:22,760 the volunteers, it's, you know, the background checks skills, you know, placing them where 190 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:28,640 they need to go, where they want to go, where they have that drive, that passion. I guess 191 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:34,600 on the nonprofit front, when you're kind of working with them and getting them on a list, 192 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,600 how does that process work? Do people just kind of come to you and say, Hey, we're a 193 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:42,360 nonprofit, we need help. Or do you only work with nonprofits? How does that from the other 194 00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:48,720 side of the guesswork? Thankfully, when I started with RSVP, my mentor had already built 195 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:53,440 these amazing relationships with these nonprofits. So, so I really didn't have to do a ton of 196 00:17:53,440 --> 00:18:00,000 work except for just maintaining these relationships. But to get the most accurate idea of what 197 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:05,080 these nonprofits need, we have to spend time with them. We have to volunteer ourselves 198 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:10,800 within their nonprofits. I cannot explain to a volunteer what the nonprofit needs if 199 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:16,040 I do not know firsthand. So we spend time with them. We like to schedule dates that 200 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:20,880 we're not busy in the office that we can go down and give them our hundred percent. So 201 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:25,920 that we you know, can then train volunteers on what to expect. Yeah, so no, that's okay, 202 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:30,600 I was gonna ask you about that too. Like, how do you know? I've been on on Indeed quite 203 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:37,500 a bit in my time, right? Like these job application platforms where they're like, oh, you know, 204 00:18:37,500 --> 00:18:42,840 you do this, this, this and this, and then you get to the job. And it's instead of ABC, 205 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:47,960 it's 123, right? Yeah. So like, how do you make sure that the the in the long term, it 206 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:54,400 maintains that that, I guess, integrity of what they're being asked to do. So we follow 207 00:18:54,400 --> 00:19:00,900 up with the volunteers, we make sure that their their experiences are what they expected. 208 00:19:00,900 --> 00:19:05,020 And then of course, we follow up with our nonprofits. So something new that we're going 209 00:19:05,020 --> 00:19:13,400 to add for this fiscal year is a more community partner relationships position. So Micah, 210 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:19,420 who you met, she will be focusing primarily on building that rapport and maintaining those 211 00:19:19,420 --> 00:19:24,200 relationships with the community partners. So she will be strictly with them following 212 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:28,640 up with them making sure that the volunteer did what they were supposed to do, and that 213 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:33,180 they're doing it properly and with the quality of work that we expect them to do as well. 214 00:19:33,180 --> 00:19:38,240 And then I will focus on the volunteers and their experience with their responsibility 215 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:42,080 and then their experience with the nonprofit. Yeah. So it's very much like that checks and 216 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:45,360 balances, you know, making sure that the nonprofits are doing what they're saying that they're 217 00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:49,720 supposed to do. The volunteers are actually showing up and doing the work. Interesting. 218 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:55,040 I think that's so that's so cool. Okay. Basically, we serve as the liaison between the entire 219 00:19:55,040 --> 00:20:03,680 community. Gotcha. Okay, so I feel like I have like a million questions. Okay. So from 220 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:07,480 what you guys have seen, do you write any like audits on like what the like economic 221 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:14,800 impact it has on has had on the community or just like the the reach? Because you know, 222 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:18,760 nonprofits, it's kind of hard to talk about like the, you know, revenue generated. It's 223 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:23,240 like how many people have been helped? How many animals have been saved? So sometimes 224 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:29,640 I'm pulling up my report that I just sent over. So I'm going to give you some accurate 225 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:34,840 numbers. So we don't have, of course, all the data that we need. Hopefully that will 226 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:40,360 also change. We are switching softwares. So we're hoping to be able to capture everything 227 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:46,440 a little bit better than what we are right now. Let's see. So for March, our community 228 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:53,640 impact. So again, that we have over 300 volunteers, you know, they're not all active. So for the 229 00:20:53,640 --> 00:21:06,680 month of March, our volunteers served 2259 hours. And since January, we have served 6891 230 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:16,720 hours. And then we successfully recruited and onboarded 20 volunteers. So that monetary 231 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:22,000 value for service hours for the month of March was a little bit over 40,000. And then year 232 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:31,520 to date is 163,932. And so we're able to make that calculation by what points of light considers 233 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:34,400 to be the monetary value behind the service hour. 234 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:38,720 Okay, I was going to ask you that. Like, did you take like the average or like the what 235 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:40,960 the median wage rate? 236 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:47,280 Okay, points of light considers a volunteer hour valued at $31. So we take that information. 237 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:52,440 Yeah. And so eventually what we hope to do, so I just gave you a broad overview of all 238 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:56,680 of our community partners that we're active with right now. But we're hoping to be able 239 00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:04,320 to really divide that out per organization, so that we can really see the value of what 240 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:08,200 volunteers are doing per organization, rather than just generally. 241 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:12,760 Gotcha. So I was just googling points of light. I haven't I don't think I've heard of them 242 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:13,760 before. So 243 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:17,600 they're pretty phenomenal. You need to you need to look at that stuff. 244 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,760 How interesting. Yeah. I mean, I can just see you through the script like you're being 245 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:24,160 like you're smiling. You're all excited when you're telling me the numbers and everything. 246 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:29,680 So like what what have you learned about yourself through this whole experience of the transition 247 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:35,680 from you know, RSVP to stronger together and everything that you guys have been able to 248 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:36,680 accomplish? 249 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:43,240 Well, it has really been so rewarding. RSVP was rewarding in general. But now I'm telling 250 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:48,200 you the difference between 55 and older and then serving the entire community has really 251 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:53,200 just opened our eyes to what this program can be and will be in the future. We plan 252 00:22:53,200 --> 00:23:00,360 to grow it as far as we can. But every day we we just enjoy being with our community 253 00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:06,100 and connecting our volunteers with purposeful opportunities to make this impact. Every day 254 00:23:06,100 --> 00:23:11,000 is great over here. We love seeing the impact. We love talking to our volunteers. We love 255 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,760 seeing what our community partners are doing. 256 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:15,760 Yeah, that's so cool. 257 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:20,960 Hey, everyone, just a quick message. You know that my mission with this podcast is to share 258 00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:25,680 stories of influence and impact so that we can help more people help more people. But 259 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:31,360 to do that, I need your support. Please rate, review and share this podcast. If I could 260 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:35,920 ask for just one favor, it's to just leave a review. It takes about 10 seconds and a 261 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:40,920 few clicks, but it means the world to me and could inspire someone else to make a difference. 262 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:47,160 Thank you so much. And now back to the show. 263 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,560 So I guess with all that being said, like what what is like the major challenges that 264 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:56,320 you guys kind of come across like on the day to day or, you know, annually or what? I guess 265 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:58,400 what comes to mind when I say that. 266 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:03,280 Really? And this may sound so silly, but our current issue right now is just our software. 267 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:08,180 Like everything else is roses and dandy lines like our volunteers are so great. Our community 268 00:24:08,180 --> 00:24:12,940 partners are so great. We just need that better software so that we can accommodate everybody 269 00:24:12,940 --> 00:24:18,320 much better. And that is coming. We're going to launch that June, July the 1st. 270 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,960 Yeah, OK, so I feel like that is actually a great answer because it's something that 271 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:27,400 people don't typically think about or it's not. I don't know. It's like the underlining 272 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:32,080 stuff, right? What's the issue exactly you're running into with your software? 273 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:38,240 Well, we're not able to capture our impact per nonprofit. And then we have a cap on how 274 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:43,720 many volunteers can sign up with this software. So of course we could have upgraded the software, 275 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:49,640 but I thought let's just upgrade to a better software. So so right now, the reason why 276 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:56,840 I say 300 is because the max amount of volunteers on our current software is 300. And then we 277 00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:01,960 have a wait list of other volunteers that we're just waiting to to onboard when we get 278 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:06,880 this new software with our new software, we will have unlimited amount of volunteers. 279 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:12,800 And this will benefit us because the inactive volunteers that I mentioned, it will give 280 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:17,040 them a second chance to really understand the program, because not everybody is ready 281 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:23,000 to just immediately step in and start. They need a little bit of time because we all have 282 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,320 lives outside of what we're doing. You know, there are families, they have kids, they're 283 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:31,240 working, they're going to school. And this will give them a little bit more of an opportunity 284 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:37,840 to learn about the program and kind of get involved when they're ready rather than just 285 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:41,400 bopping in the office. And, you know, I'm ready today. Not everybody is like that. 286 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:46,600 Yeah, exactly. That's so interesting. So what so I guess with the software, I guess, is 287 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:50,840 it an app where they like check in like, oh, I'm a ride at the site, like kind of like 288 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:55,160 clock in clock out, tracking everything. We will be able to do that with the new software. 289 00:25:55,160 --> 00:26:01,120 It's going to it's going to have a GPS radius on it. So so this is a new initiative that 290 00:26:01,120 --> 00:26:05,960 we're working on, too. So we have built a partnership with our court systems. So we 291 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:10,920 are going to help court ordered volunteers with their community service hours. So rather 292 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:15,680 than our court ordered volunteers picking up trash on the side of the road, we are trying 293 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:20,440 to build a better initiative for them to potentially change their lives and take them down a better 294 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:26,960 route with more purposeful volunteer opportunities. And with the software, we'll be able to allow 295 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:31,920 them to check in and check out or clock in and clock out with the app, which is what 296 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,600 we could not do before. We just have paper time sheets. 297 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,920 Gotcha. I didn't even think of the court ordered kind of stuff. Is that something that 298 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:47,040 you kind of run into often or? Well, so once we rebranded, we had a couple of court ordered 299 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:53,520 volunteers just call and inquire about the program. And eventually it just was like a 300 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:59,600 light bulb. And I was like, why are we not working closely with our court ordered volunteers 301 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:04,160 and with the court in general? So that was the first thing we talked about at the beginning 302 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:10,560 of the year was a better relationship with them so that the court doesn't really have 303 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:17,140 to explain volunteer service to every court or volunteer and that we can again, hopefully 304 00:27:17,140 --> 00:27:24,400 encourage and inspire these people to change their paths and be inspired by the impact 305 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:28,360 that they are giving to the community. Yeah, because I'm sure once they see, you 306 00:27:28,360 --> 00:27:32,640 know, that monetary value or, you know, that, you know, I feel okay, I'm a numbers kind 307 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:36,400 of sort of a numbers guy, right? So it's like you see the numbers, you see the hours, you're 308 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:41,880 like, oh, wow, that's like I've helped out this much. And then it'll also be able to 309 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:44,600 because yeah, because when you say like the court ordered, right, you think of people 310 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:50,720 on the side of the road picking up trash. Right. But it's needed. But maybe if they 311 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:58,440 were able to see an impact that resonates with them more deeply than picking up trash, 312 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:01,760 you know, you can see the 10 trash bags at the end of the day and you're like, all right, 313 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:05,120 that's cleaner. But maybe that would kind of help them. Like you said, put them on a 314 00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:09,200 better path. Is that something that you've been able to see to fruition that it helps 315 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:15,240 them with that so far? Yeah. So we've actually had three court ordered volunteers graduate 316 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:22,040 from our program, which just means that they have successfully fulfilled all 200 service 317 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:28,080 hours through us. And we were helped. We were able to help God and kind of lead them into 318 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:33,920 the right direction. And we treated them like volunteers were able to to just say, hey, 319 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:38,320 you're a community member and this is what we're going to do today. And we try to give 320 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:46,960 them more more of a specific volunteer opportunity that does relate to them. Like you were saying, 321 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:52,640 just like we would any other volunteer, we try to match their experience, their interests 322 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:58,560 with a nonprofit that matches to that. Gotcha. OK, that makes sense. That's so cool. I never 323 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:02,640 even thought that's again, that's one of those things you don't think about until the opportunity 324 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:06,880 kind of just shows up at your door. That's right. We would have never done it had people 325 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:10,920 had the court or volunteers not called and inquired about it. Yeah. And I'm sure, you 326 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:13,920 know, for them, they're like, you know, what's the easiest way for me to get these hours 327 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:19,060 done? Yeah. But yeah. And then someone like me, I'm like, oh, we'll come to the office 328 00:29:19,060 --> 00:29:24,160 and we can talk about everything. Yeah. Can always be very overwhelming, which is why 329 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:30,240 we're trying to simplify the program a little bit more. Gotcha. And that brings me to this 330 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:35,320 question, which is kind of a weird one. But is there is there an industry or an area that 331 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:40,600 doesn't get as much love as others like that? You know, because I feel like the puppies 332 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:47,200 and kittens and the elderly, I feel like those might be the easiest to find people for, in 333 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:51,000 my opinion. But maybe I'm really trying to think that's a really good question. People 334 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:56,800 ask it often. And I never have a good answer because we have we have Oxford is such a giving 335 00:29:56,800 --> 00:30:04,120 community in general. For example, our pantry is sustained by the community. It is ran strictly 336 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:10,040 by volunteers. There's no paid staff over there. And then the majority of the items 337 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:14,560 that they have to give away are donated by the community or its monetary donations that 338 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:18,200 they're able to buy from the food bank in Memphis and then bring back. But it's all 339 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:23,680 sustained by the community. But as far as one that doesn't get as much love, I just 340 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:29,700 I don't think I can answer that. It's so equally across the table. Every somebody matches with 341 00:30:29,700 --> 00:30:34,840 something different every time. So we're not constantly placing people at the animal resource 342 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:40,720 center or at memory makers. We try and spread. We share the love. We spread it all out to 343 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:44,440 everybody. I love that. Yeah, because that's what I was going to think. You know, one of 344 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:49,040 my dreams is kind of walk into a shelter and be like, which dog has been here the longest? 345 00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:52,600 You know, right. Exactly. So that's kind of something that I would think is like, oh, 346 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,320 well, who has the least help or the least volunteers? That's so interesting to hear 347 00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:01,920 that that's not even really a concern. Well, OK, let me go back. So sometimes it's hard 348 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:10,080 to recruit for hospice because that can be emotionally draining for a volunteer. But 349 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:17,280 the our hospice programs that we partner with now, we are able to promote it more as volunteering 350 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:21,000 at the veterans home because you're going to be volunteering with the veterans rather 351 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:25,560 than, you know, hospice. And we try to remove that term as much as possible because people 352 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:29,080 really just they shut down when they hear hospice. They think, oh, this is going to 353 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:35,360 be all things said. And it's not we we just placed two of our most phenomenal volunteers 354 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:39,840 with our newest hospice partner. And she called me yesterday and said, hey, I know that you 355 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:43,520 know that Patty and Gary are super, but I just wanted to let you know that they are 356 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:48,720 really super. And we've been trying to get them into the veterans home consistently with 357 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:54,160 a task for a long time. And we're just now successful with that because of the hospice. 358 00:31:54,160 --> 00:32:02,000 So it's not that we are manipulating anything. It's just that we're advertising it as not 359 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:08,600 sad. It's like we're trying. We're trying to look at the other side of things where 360 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:13,560 not everything is sad. I mean, you can't we we're going to develop a buddy program. 361 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:19,920 So all of our volunteers will have a little bag of puzzles, word puzzles, coloring books, 362 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:24,040 anything that you can think of that they could carry around to the veterans home or to these 363 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:30,320 living assistants to just have a more engaged day with these clients and residents. 364 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:36,280 Yes. No, I hear you in time. Actually. So I mean, at the time of recording yesterday, 365 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:40,920 we actually went to one of my nonprofit partners, the Hospice Promise Foundation here in Oklahoma 366 00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:45,440 area. And that was something that we talked about the director with was, you know, people 367 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:51,680 think of hospice, they think of on death's doorstep, like ready to go and very sad and 368 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:57,240 very this. She's like, well, you know, our our thing is prognosis of six months. So like 369 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:02,760 you're you're close, but you're not like and that's just the estimate. Right. Right. 370 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:07,240 And I think that's so interesting that the way that you guys kind of approach that was 371 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:12,080 because, you know, for them, they're like hospice is in the name. Right. Right. You're 372 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:17,200 they're not going to rebrand their way out of that. Right. But they can shine light, 373 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:21,880 educate, et cetera, et cetera. So I think it's so it's so clever and interesting that 374 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:27,200 you guys kind of went, you know, OK, this term doesn't resonate with people. What is 375 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:33,000 the best way that we can get folks on board to help out in this area? Yeah. You know, 376 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,320 because at the end of the day, it's about getting the volunteers in there, helping, 377 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:41,360 you know, supporting them through it, supporting the nonprofits. So I think that's very clever, 378 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:45,840 you know, problem solving and decision making. Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly what happened. 379 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:50,560 And now we're able to provide a little bit better quality of life for these residents 380 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:57,580 in these clinics. That's amazing. Awesome. Well, I mean, yeah, I mean, I feel like that 381 00:33:57,580 --> 00:34:02,600 gives us a pretty solid understanding, like what you guys do, how you bring folks in. 382 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:07,360 And I think that that nugget right there is like very clever, again, clever decision making 383 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:12,600 on here's a problem that we have. It doesn't even sound like it got to like, you know, 384 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:17,740 mission critical, like nobody's helping nobody's doing anything, but still alleviating things 385 00:34:17,740 --> 00:34:22,720 as they come up. So that's I feel like I'm just going to be thinking about that the rest 386 00:34:22,720 --> 00:34:27,200 of the day for some reason. And I think Ranger, that was probably my thought, because as much 387 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:32,200 as I think I know about all nonprofits, and I can tell you everybody's mission and what 388 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:39,840 everybody's doing, I just could never explain a hospice better than what I just told you. 389 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:44,920 Like, because I'm guilty of thinking, oh, they're going to die when I walk into the 390 00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:50,440 store like I'm guilty of being so negative about it, that I had to find another way for 391 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:56,160 myself to understand what these volunteers would be doing. And that's again, why we have 392 00:34:56,160 --> 00:35:00,560 to be with these nonprofits, and we have to visit with them and we have to put ourselves 393 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:05,760 in their shoes so that we can better understand the needs that they have and that I can explain 394 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:11,240 that to the volunteers. Exactly. Yeah. And again, making sure that you can also because 395 00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:15,880 that's another thing that we kind of talked about. What was it? Enrolling in the deep. 396 00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:21,560 It was a workshop I did with a fellow coach that I know. And it was, you know, you can 397 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:26,820 know your mission, you can know your vision front and back, you can tell people all day. 398 00:35:26,820 --> 00:35:32,300 But if you don't truly believe it, if you aren't sold on it yourself, you're not going 399 00:35:32,300 --> 00:35:38,240 to be able to really truly get others enrolled in that vision as well. So it sounds like 400 00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:43,880 you kind of saw that again, it wasn't mission critical, but enough of a lapse to say, OK, 401 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:47,520 I need to go in here. I need to understand this better so that I can communicate that 402 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:58,160 with others. And I think that's rad. Thank you. Yeah. My husband always teases me about 403 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:03,040 he has a retail background and we always talk about how he's he sells things, you know, 404 00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:07,320 of course, retail back. And he says, well, you're selling a service, too. And I'm like, 405 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:11,440 yeah, of course I am. I'm selling the service of volunteerism. You're right. And so for 406 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:17,000 me to successfully do that, I have to have some sort of sales pitch. Yeah, exactly. And 407 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:20,680 I think that's such a valuable thing, whether you're enrolling people in the idea, whether 408 00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:26,040 you're selling them on it, whatever. Again, whatever what you need to rebrand things in 409 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:32,180 your mind to feel the most connected to it. I think that that's that's probably the mission 410 00:36:32,180 --> 00:36:38,760 critical part of it, too. So. How neat. Awesome. Well, I think that that kind of gives us a 411 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:43,680 great understanding. If people want to I mean, if anybody in Oxford hears this and they want 412 00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:49,520 to volunteer or if somebody somewhere in the world says, man, this is a great idea, I want 413 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:54,400 to do something like this, what would be the best way to people can get in touch with you 414 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:59,440 learn more about what you guys do there in Oxford? Yeah. So anyone can call us on our 415 00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:09,120 office line. That's 662-232-2773. And our email address is volunteer at stronger together 416 00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:18,320 Oxford dot com. And our website is www dot stronger together Oxford dot com. Perfect, 417 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:22,960 Marley, and I will be sure I put all that down in the show notes in the description, 418 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:29,160 wherever wherever this audio or video ends up. I'll be sure that folks can be able to 419 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:37,720 find it as easy as possible. And I saw that you have a few other charities or resources 420 00:37:37,720 --> 00:37:41,920 that you mentioned in the email. The city of Oxford were an acknowledgement that you 421 00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:48,960 wanted to give as well as volunteer, Mississippian volunteer pro. Yeah. So of course, the city 422 00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:55,160 of Oxford, they they fund our program. So they are the guidance of this program. Again, 423 00:37:55,160 --> 00:38:01,360 our mayor, she actually named our program stronger together. So that is one of her mottos. 424 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:06,440 She loves our community. And so we were able to take her legacy and enhance it through 425 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:15,600 the entire community. Volunteer Mississippi is the state volunteer hub. So we partner 426 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:19,920 with them. We like their resources. They're able to shed a little bit of a different light 427 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:25,240 in different regions of the state that we may not have thought of. And then volunteer 428 00:38:25,240 --> 00:38:30,880 pro is just another great resource for any anyone who's in the volunteer management world 429 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:38,080 who needs more resources to enhance their program. Awesome. Yeah, I'll be sure to put 430 00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:43,800 those guys down in the description as well. So people, again, can use the use the program, 431 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:49,560 reach out to the other organizations or just see what they can what they can learn, what 432 00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:55,720 they can give and all that. So awesome. Again, Marlee, thank you so much for your time. I 433 00:38:55,720 --> 00:39:03,080 appreciate it. I hope you have a good rest of your day. Thank you. You as well. And again, 434 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:08,680 thank you to the listeners for spending your time with Marlee and I today. I had a great 435 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:13,400 conversation with her. I think I learned a few things that are just invaluable, just 436 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:20,600 being able to kind of roll with the punches and like notice when the way that you're communicating 437 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:26,680 with others is not as effective as you would like for it to be. I think her example with 438 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:31,720 the hospice volunteer opportunities is an excellent example of that one, because she 439 00:39:31,720 --> 00:39:37,520 had the wherewithal to notice that it wasn't resonating before it became an issue. So I 440 00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:42,200 think that's something we can all kind of take into value in our or something that we 441 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:50,200 can all take into our personal, professional, just our daily life as we interact and work 442 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:55,220 with one another. So once again, thank you for your time today. If you got something 443 00:39:55,220 --> 00:40:01,200 valuable out of today's conversation, please consider sharing this on social media. Share 444 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:07,140 the episode with those that you work with that you're close to that you love, maybe 445 00:40:07,140 --> 00:40:11,200 even people that you hate, just share the information with others. Because the more 446 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:16,400 that we're able to share these messages and just share what we all have to offer with 447 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:22,800 one another, the better our world will become. Be sure to leave us a rating review on whatever 448 00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:29,760 podcast platform you're listening to this to. And as always, have fun, stay safe, and 449 00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:42,200 be yourself. See you guys next time.