1-2-3 Contact!

Stay Connected to CASA of Franklin County!

We have moved quickly toward many suggestions from the focus groups regarding technology! Most participants wanted us to use technology to keep us connected and we are actively working toward that goal.

In the summer we launched a new website,  http://www.casacolumbus.org/.  Please take a look at the website if you have not done so already. It has excellent resources for current volunteers including case forms, monthly update forms, court reports and contact logs. Many in the focus groups asked for links to other resources, and the website houses links to various community resources including local and national child advocacy organizations. There are also links to training resources from State and National CASA.

National CASA has also released a brand new website which is an excellent resource for volunteers. The address is http://www.casaforchildren.org/ .  Also be sure to check out the Ohio CASA website, http://www.ohiocasa.org/. Please check back on these sites periodically, as our web presence grows, the sites will continue to improve and become even more useful.

Because of the amazing response from our focus groups regarding online communicating and social media , we have developed this blog, and have enhanced our facebook fan page. Check out our facebook page! We have increased the frequency of updating and the amount of content regarding announcements, current volunteer training classes, and pictures and videos. We hope that facebook continues to be a resource to foster online networking among our volunteers and supporters.

Be sure to check us out on youtube as well, here on our You Tube channel.

Please be aware that we are developing an Online Communications and Social Media Policy for CASA of Franklin County staff and volunteers. This policy will guide our activities on the web, and will help volunteers and staff talk about their involvement with CASA of Franklin County in a transparent and professional manner.

CASA of Franklin County additionally has plans for adding a secure discussion board that will allow volunteers to post and comment with each other, but several things needs to take shape before this happens. Because all of this take time, we did want to take advantage of this blog as a way to share all of the information from the focus sessions and as a type of e-newsletter.

In the future we also hope to post the new monthly update forms and annual evaluations forms directly on our website, for increase access for volunteers. You will continue to be able to fill these forms out and mail or e-mail them to our office.

We will also have exciting information in the new year regarding exciting and new online donation activities and opportunities for all supporters of CASA.

We hope to provide more of what you are looking for in the not too distant future and we appreciate your patience and input!

Stay Connected!

CASA of Franklin County wants volunteers to feel appreciated, to stay engaged and to have the ability to give us feedback. We asked the focus groups how we can work together to accomplish these goals.

Activities

Many people wanted to have more social opportunities, such as a book club, bowling club or monthly dinners out for our volunteers. Another great suggestion during the holiday time is Caroling for CASA of Franklin County! Volunteer-sponsored activities are a great way for volunteer GALs to get together and show their support of our work and mission. If you would like to organize these events, please just give us a call. We can provide you with any CASA of Franklin County materials you may want. Be creative!

In a future post we will discuss ways we are planning in using technology to keep us all connected!

Relationships
Another topic that stimulated a lot of discussion was the relationships between volunteers and staff attorneys. We know that this relationship works best when viewed as a partnership. Staff attorneys should be your first resource for questions, bouncing ideas off of each other, and a great place just to vent about your case! Staff Attorneys are also available to meet with you before court hearings in the morning. We have an open door policy and would love to have you stop by our offices!

Because we are all individuals and work in an imperfect system, we recognize that people have different personalities and some people may be easier to work with than others. Some volunteers like a ‘strictly business’ relationship with their staff attorney and some prefer a more casual relationship. These differences are expected when working with over 200 volunteers in the nature of the work we do. Thankfully, volunteers at the focus groups noted that almost universally they are comfortable going to their assigned staff attorney with any issues.

We at CASA of Franklin County know that staff turnover or other inconsistencies can be a challenge, especially when working on a long term case. That is why we have created a Staff Attorney protocol and a Volunteer Handbook. These policies help keep staff attorney and volunteer expectations universal and consistent. We want you to know that you are valued and want to make sure the relationship with each staff attorney is respectful and positive.

Communication is key to any good relationship and we are open to suggestions for improving our channels and/or methods of communication in any way that we can.

Feedback

Feedback is an integral part of being involved at CASA of Franklin County. There are many ways to gather feedback and we have used surveys, evaluations and even informal methods, such as emails and conferences.

We ask all volunteers to complete a five question case closing summary form. Each of these completed forms are reviewed and any feedback provided, good or bad, is addressed. We also conduct an annual survey that goes to our constituencies in the community and to all volunteers. This information is complied and evaluated. And, most recently, we conducted the Volunteer Focus Groups which created a lot of great opinions and direction for future policy and procedures. We look forward to greater participation in all of these things. As stated above, we have an open door policy at CASA of Franklin County. If something is great or even not-so-great- we want to know about it!

As you are aware we are working on streamlining our annual volunteer evaluation system. Look for more information to come in January!