Start-Up Information

Does your community need a Volunteer Center?

The Volunteer Centers of Michigan gets many inquiries about starting a Volunteer Center in a community.

Questions begin with:

• “Where do we start?”
  
• “How do we cover the operating costs?”
  
• “What kind of support will be involved?”
  
• “What are the legal requirements?”
  
• “Who can help us?”

These are all good questions, and the answer lies in at least a year of planning. Five essential requirements are needed in this planning period:

• Forming a community planning task force
  
• Conducting a community needs assessment
  
• Developing a strategic plan by doing asset mapping
  
• Securing community stakeholder collaboration and commitment
  
• Developing a financial development plan

From this point, the following will be necessary:

• Secure start-up funding
  
• Select the first Board of Directors or Advisory Committee
  
• Incorporate or become part of another organization
  
• Finalize the necessary legal work to establish the organization

During this process, or preliminary to it, the following resources are available to you:

• Consultation from the VCM Director
  
• Matching with other Volunteer Center Directors, whose communities are comparable in population, economic base and geographic location

For discussion of your community needs and how you will profit from starting a Volunteer Center, call VCM at 517-492-2433 or email dalgra@mivolunteers.org. The first step towards start-up is starting the conversation!