ADOPTING A PROJECT – FAQ

Below is a list of frequently-asked-questions about Sharefest's upcoming WORKDAY on Saturday, April 28, 2012. These questions/answers are particularly helpful for current and new Project Managers. If you have any further questions, please leave a comment below or email us.

        

#1  Q: How can my organization participate in the Workday?

A: Four ways:

• ADOPT A PROJECT. (i.e. fund it, manage the site, recruit volunteers within your organization to participate.) We provide Project Management training to you.
• COLLABORATIVELY ADOPT A PROJECT. One organization manages the project while another organization funds it.  We can provide Project Management training and may also be able to connect you to an organization that will complement what you can bring  (management, volunteers, funding). Volunteer organization is highly encouraged to help with fundraising as well.
• VOLUNTEER YOUR ORGANIZATION. Identify a project for all of your members/employees to participate at – and have your members/employees sign up through our online system.
• ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION. Encourage your members/employees to participate in our Workday. Employees choose which site they want to go to (the project will be adopted by another organization).

#2  Q: Is there a list of available projects to choose from?

A: Yes, the Sharefest Online Application (SOA) has a real-time list of available projects.  But you must register first.  To do so, navigate to http://www.sharefestinc.org/workday and click on the sidebar options or the icons under Sharefest Online App that best describes you and/or your organization to get started.  You can use the attached Registration Guides for step-by-step instructions --- for churches, use the church version; for businesses or organizations, use the volunteer organization version. 

// CHURCH REGISTRATION/USER GUIDE (COORDINATOR EDITION)

// CHURCH REGISTRATION/USER GUIDE (OTHER LEADERS EDITION)

// VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION REGISTRATION/USER GUIDE (COORDINATOR EDITION)

// VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION REGISTRATION/USER GUIDE (OTHER LEADERS EDITION)

#3  Q: Do we have to adopt one of the projects already in the system or can we partner with any recipient in need?

A: You may partner with any recipient.  However, the recipient does need to register their project in SOA so you can adopt them. Projects can be submitted HERE.

#4  Q: Who pays for the materials and other costs associated with the Workday?

A: Sharefest encourages volunteer organizations to self-fund these projects.  In many instances, the recipients already have materials available and are simply looking for strong leadership and volunteers to make it happen. 

#5  Q: Does Sharefest have any sort of guides and/or templates already available or do I need to create them myself?

A: Yes.  When you register in SOA, the Resource Library has the materials you need to get started. 

#6  Q: Does Sharefest negotiate any discounts for materials with any vendors?

A: Yes.  Sharefest aggressively pursues partnerships with different vendors to take advantage of the economies of scale the Workday provides.  The Vendor Discount document, which can be found in the SOA Resource Library, provides details about available offers.Again, if you have any further questions, please leave a comment below or email us.

SUBMITTING A PROJECT – FAQ

Sharefest is now taking beautification project applications from schools, cities and non-profit groups in the South Bay and LA Harbor areas. Please have the leadership of the organization submit the project application to us by February 3, 2012 so we can find a volunteer organization to adopt your project. Projects will be completed during the 9th Annual Sharefest Workday on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Below are some directions on how to use our online web application for the Workday to process a project submission, and also a list of the most frequently asked questions about Sharefest’s upcoming WORKDAY on April 28th. These questions/answers are particularly helpful for the person that will be making your project submission. If you have any further questions, please leave a comment below or email us. Getting started is easy, just click HERE or on the image button below and you will be taken through a simple 4-step process.

// DIRECTIONS

STEP 1 - Register yourself - In order to register your project with Sharefest we need you to create a personal login providing us with your email and first and last name. Additional contact info is also helpful, but not mandatory. Hit “Continue” once you fill in the required information.

STEP 2 - Register Your Organization - Next, please register your organization with Sharefest by providing us with your organization type (school, city, non-profit), name, description and location. Hit “Continue” once you fill in the required information.

STEP 3 - Create Your Project - Now it’s time to create your project. You can be creative and name your project. Please provide a brief overview of the needs that your project will address if completed by Sharefest. Please provide us with your project site information. An example of the site owner would be the school district you belong to if your project is at a school site. Inputting your site description is also helpful to the volunteer organization that will be considering adopting your project. You want to indicate how meaningful it is for you to receive a project from a Sharefest Volunteer Organization. Hit “Continue” once you fill in the required information.

STEP 4 - Outline your project with “Project Activities” - This next step is where you begin to outline the scope of your project. Your Sharefest Project will have a parent relationship with many Project Activities that fall under it. Many volunteer organizations like to see the variety of tasks that compose your overall project broken into pieces. Note: you may only get some of your Project Activities adopted. There also might be two different Volunteer Organizations doing different project activities as well.

Congratulations, you have successfully submitted your project to Sharefest. Unfortunately, not every project gets adopted by a Partnering Sharefest Volunteer Organization. If your project does get adopted, you will be notified either by email or a phone call from a Project Manager. Should you have any questions or want additional information, please contact us at info@sharefestinc.org.

Halfway down on your screen you will see your Project Activities listed. You can always edit them or add another activity. If you would like to outline your project further, you can add special instructions and materials needed for each project activity. Please also consider uploading before, during and after pictures of your projects on this page! This helps document the work that needs to be done and will show volunteer organizations the tangible needs at your site as well as before and after shots that will show the great work that has been accomplished.

You'll notice a Project Menu on the left hand side of the screen where you can invite other Team Leaders, see a list of volunteers that sign up for this project once it's adopted, or add volunteers that you are able to recruit.

// FAQs

#1 Q: I submitted a project. What happens next?

A: Below is an outline of our Workday process so you can know the timing of things:

• January 9 – February 3: Recipient Organizations (schools, cities, non-profits) will use our online system to load various projects that they would like to have done at their facility. You can log back into the website and check the status to see whether it has been approved or not.
• February 4: Kick-off meeting for Volunteer organizations (businesses, non-profits, churches) that want to be involved in serving at a Workday location.
• February 4 – February 28: Volunteer Organizations go online and adopt projects that they can take on.
• March: If your project gets adopted you will get notified by the adopting organization and go through the project scope with them.
• March – April: Project Management Training.
• April 28 (Saturday): Workday.

#2 Q: If I registered a project last year and it didn't get adopted then do I have to re-register it?

A: Yes, we have changed some of our features with this application and need your information to be re-entered.

#3 Q: If I registered as a user with your online system last year, do I need to re-register?

A: Yes, because of our updated online system, please re-register as a user.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

#4 Q: Who pays for the materials and other costs associated with the Workday?

A: Sharefest encourages volunteer organizations to self-fund these projects. If your organization has funds available, please indicate this in the special instructions section of this application. Sharefest also has unique ways to raise money for projects so please email us at info@sharefestinc.org to learn more.

#5 Q: What happens if my project doesn't get adopted?

A: We will do our best to try and get your project adopted during our Annual Workday. Sometimes Volunteer Organizations desire to take on projects outside of our Annual Workday and often times projects that don't get adopted during our Workday get completed at another time. Again, if you have any further questions, please leave a comment below or email us.

VOLUNTEERING AT A PROJECT – FAQ

 

Thank you for your interest in Sharefest’s 9th Annual Workday which takes place on Saturday, April 28^th, 2012.

Here is a list of frequently asked questions about volunteering for the Workday. If you have further questions, please email info@sharefestinc.org and/or join our social networks for more details:
www.facebook.com/Sharefest
www.twitter.com/sharefestinc

#1 Q: Do I need to register online to volunteer for the Workday?

A: Yes, you do need to register through Sharefest’s online volunteer system. CLICK HERE to begin the registration process which consists of three simple steps (1- Register yourself, 2- Select your available hours, and 3- Tell us your skills). This helps us track volunteer numbers and helps our Project Managers better manage the project sites.

#2 Q: Can I register as a group of volunteers?

A: Yes, you can register a group of volunteers on our online volunteer system. Go to the same volunteer link (CLICK HERE). After you select a project and enter “Your Information” (name, organization, volunteer hours) you can enter “Other Information” and “Add Person.” You can add up to seven guests or family members. However, we do encourage each member to register a separate account since individual volunteers should indicate their work skills, which will be useful for us to organize the event. (Note: Make sure that if you have registered a guest/family member under your account, and then they also register a separate account, you should delete the user under your account, since the count of volunteers will be skewed — thus, affecting the organization of the project activities.)

#3 Q:  Can I see the list of available projects without registering on the site?

A: Yes, CLICK HERE. And if you are interested in one of the projects, you can register through the volunteer system and select the project.

#4 Q: Where is the Workday located?

A: The Workday consists of multiple project sites located primarily throughout the Los Angeles South Bay and Harbor areas. When you register for the Workday through Sharefest’s online volunteer system you will choose one of the many activities. Once you select and signup for a specific project you will find out more in the project details and the Project Manager will contact you with further information.

#5 Q: How do I find out more details about my selected Workday project?

A: You can log into your user account at Sharefest’s online volunteer system and view the project details. To do so, make sure you are at your user account “Home” page; under the heading “My Projects” you will see the project you have signed up for; click on the name of the project and you will see the project details. Also, you can email the Project Manager by clicking on “contact” under the project details view.

#6 Q: How can I contribute to the Workday?

A: While you are preparing for the Workday on April 28th, we hope that you would consider contributing towards the Workday in these ways:

• DONATE –  Help support the Workday by donating to our fundraising campaign. The funds will help provide resources for our Workday projects. Visit our website to find out more.  Henry  - are we set up to accept??  What do I need to know?
• SHARECHANGE – Please consider collecting your spare change and bringing them to your Workday project site on April 28th.
• INVITE OTHERS – Invite your family, friends, and co-workers to volunteer at the Workday to bring about lasting change in our communities.
• PRIUS TICKETS - Purchase or sell Opportunity Drawing Tickets for a 2012 Toyota Prius. We will begin selling tickets on the Workday, and will pull the winning ticket at our Annual Evening of Community Fundraiser in November 2012.
• SOLES 4 LIFE – Donate used shoes to our partnering organization Soles For Life.  You can bring any used shoes to a Workday project site. These shoes will be sold in developing countries and the funds raised are used to build water filtration systems.

files

WORKDAY FILES

// WORKDAY EVENT FLYER

// GENERAL CALENDAR

SHAREFEST ONLINE APPLICATION GUIDES

// CHURCH REGISTRATION/USER GUIDE (COORDINATOR EDITION)

// CHURCH REGISTRATION/USER GUIDE (OTHER LEADERS EDITION)

// VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION REGISTRATION/USER GUIDE (COORDINATOR EDITION)

// VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION REGISTRATION/USER GUIDE (OTHER LEADERS EDITION)

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to CONTACT US.