Lead Volunteers to Superstardom
By Mel Haughton, Immediate Past President, Lone Star Community
When I took over as Lone Star Community (LSC) president for the 2006–07 program year, I had a very clear goal in mind. I wanted to start a program that recognized our volunteers for the hard work they put in throughout the year. We already had a recognition award—the “You Rock” Award—which is a certificate that we give to a few members every year in recognition of their hard work. But the “You Rock” Award didn’t necessarily create a sense of teamwork and superstardom. We were missing something.
How Did It Start?
A few years earlier, I had talked extensively with volunteers from the Orlando Chapter, and I learned that they had a great program that recognized volunteers based on a point system. Dan Voss, Mark Hanigan, and Gail Lippincott spent a lot of time explaining how their program worked. Along with students from the University of Central Florida, they developed a turnkey CD with examples and forms, which helped us get started. Because Orlando Chapter members shared their knowledge with us, we were able to quickly get the program underway without having to reinvent the wheel.
Once I knew more about how the program worked, I had to find a volunteer willing to take it on. Since it was an exciting new program for us, Kathryn Poe immediately volunteered and got the ball rolling. She was our volunteer wrangler for the 2006–07 program year, and she worked closely with the Orlando folks to understand the program and adapt it to our needs.
How Does It Work?
From August 1 to June 1, volunteers receive points each time they participate in LSC activities. Activities and their point values are listed in the table below. A member needs a total of twenty points to be an LSC Superstar. Volunteers who reach twenty points are awarded a very special LSC shirt at the first program meeting of the next year. LSC members cannot purchase or order this unique shirt. The only way to get the Superstar shirt is to get involved and earn those points.
| Activity | Point Value |
|---|---|
| Attend a monthly meeting | 1 |
| Attend a council meeting | 1 |
| Volunteer at an event | 2 |
| Contribute to a community service effort | 1 |
| Judge competitions | 3 |
| Contribute an article to the newsletter | 1 |
| Bring a guest to a meeting | 1 |
| Be a mentor | 5 |
| Present at an STC event (local, regional, or international) | 2 |
| Speak to a student group about technical communication and STC | 2 |
| Convince a guest to join | 5 |
How Much Time Does It Take?
As this year’s volunteer’s wrangler, I spend about an hour every month compiling points for all the people who attended meetings and volunteered in one capacity or another. We created a spreadsheet that makes it easy to record the points—you just need to keep track of who’s volunteering!
Who Are Our Superstars?
In September 2007, our first Superstars were revealed during the year’s kickoff program meeting. It was a fun event, and seventeen members who put in a lot of effort and hard work were recognized. And now they have the shirt to remind them how much the LSC appreciates them. To read more about volunteers who were recognized at the September 2007 meeting, visit the Lone Star Community newsletter.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
Thanks to the Orlando Chapter, we now have a program that our volunteers enjoy. Whether or not you decide to do something like this for your community is up to you. But remember this: someone out in the world of STC has tried something. Rely on their expertise. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. STC is a community of amazing people who are willing to share their knowledge because they want you and your community to succeed. So take advantage of that. You, too, can lead your chapter to superstardom!