Thanks for getting it.  You understand that at the heart of PTM’s mission is the requirement that our students will be surrounded by adults who shower them with encouragement, support, and opportunities.  You are motivated not by a paycheck or public recognition, but by genuine compassion and a desire to serve God.  You are mature enough to recognize that having a large number of volunteers is not all that matters and determined and ambitious enough to know that there is no number of volunteers that will ever really be enough.  You realize that in this “calling” your salary will be below average, but you will feel as though you are overpaid. Thanks for bringing this balance to PTM.  Here are some of the gifts and skills for which I am especially grateful.

                You are versatile.  You can competently speak and interact with Senior Citizens in the Adopt-a-Grandparent program, a young adult Sunday School class at a Methodist church, or high school students at a school volunteer fair.  You get equally excited about kindergarteners on the playground and high school seniors in the SaLT program.  You willingly fill in when there is a need in any one of PTM’s programs. 

                You are creative.  You have tons of ideas about how to recruit volunteers.  You recruit through bathroom advertising, through social media, through Hands on Nashville, through colleges, through supporting churches, through community groups, through Junior League of Nashville, and through many other sources.  Your volunteer training sessions are inspiring and really establish our volunteers as stakeholders.  Your ideas overflow into PTM programming and your presence in staff meeting spurs many more great ideas.

                You are a great communicator.  You can make presentations about getting involved with PTM more stimulating than a best-selling novel.  You publish effective and inspiring volunteer newsletters every other week.  You return calls and emails well within four hours.  You speak PTM’s language better than anyone else on our staff or our board. 

                You are a great relationship-builder.  You comfortably sit across from any volunteer or potential volunteer and are able to match them with the programs and students to ensure great fits.  You know when you are asking too much and when you are asking too little.  You host with ease special events designed to strengthen volunteers’ experience at PTM—trainings, forums, and fellowships.  You know the names of all 300 PTM volunteers and all 180 children and youth who are involved.  Every volunteer knows of PTM’s gratitude and feels valuable and invested.

                You have the perfect balance of being task-oriented and people-oriented.  You care deeply that volunteers, staff, and students all have great experiences through PTM.  You also accept with eagerness the task of adding 50 new volunteers by December, 2012.  You are persistent in recruitment, but unwilling to sacrifice healthy relationships.  You know how to get what you don’t have.  When PTM needs you to do something outside of your skill set, you go find that volunteer who wants to help.

                You are not easily overwhelmed.  You lead volunteer committees confidently.  You create processes, procedures, and policies that enhance our volunteer management program.  You are able to take our spreadsheets and documents and establish a more streamlined and useful volunteer management database.

                As demanding as this job will be and as high as the expectations are for a vastly improved volunteer management program, there will be some benefits that will fit you like a glove.  There is a lot of flexibility in your job.  While there will be some evening and weekend requirements, much of your work can take place at hours you set.  Much of your job can be done from a home office—or from PTM—or mobile office.  The salary will be set at $26,000.  PTM will also provide $2,400 per year for health care—either through enrollment in PTM’s plan or in reimbursement for your own plan.  Additionally, there will be three weeks of paid leave built into the rhythm of the year.  Like for me, the biggest benefits will come in the satisfaction of serving God and others doing something that is fun, that makes a difference, and that provides many opportunities for relationships with outstanding people.

                If interested in this position, please email me a cover letter and resume by May 21, 2012 (cgsheppard@earthlink.net).  I am very excited about meeting you and serving with you.  You will make PTM better. 

Very gratefully yours,

Chan Sheppard

PS: Here is a link to the full job description: http://www.ptmweb.ik.org/attachments/Job_Description–Volunteer_Director.pdf