This policy will be revised when needed and reviewed in detail at least annually by the TIAA Community Involvement Subcommittee Chair for consistency between policy and current practice.
Overview
The Community Involvement Team is a subcommittee of the TIAA Activities Committee and typically holds separate periodic meetings and makes reports to the Activities Committee at their regularly scheduled meetings. The goal of this committee is to sponsor and promote volunteer opportunities which may be attractive to TIAA members who are interested in community service. The TIAA Administrator attends the Community Involvement Team meetings for continuity and communication and may be a member.
Planning
The CIT collects inputs from various sources, including the TI Community Relations office, the Senior Source RSVP program, United Way, surveys and their own membership, to determine activities which would be attractive to the TIAA membership at large. The CIT offers periodic community service opportunities, with a goal of at least one opportunity a month. The agencies and dates for these events are selected by the CIT after consulting the TIAA calendar to avoid conflicts with other TIAA activities.
For planning purposes the CIT contacts each venue to determine the nature of the volunteer activities, the number of volunteers needed, the time required and any other relevant information in helping members determine if they wish to participate. Before committing to a particular volunteer opportunity, the venue is visited and pre-screened by a member of the CIT or a representative from the Senior Source RSVP or United Way. Depending on the location transportation may be provided or may be left to the individual participants to determine.
Communications
A calendar of planned volunteer opportunities is communicated to TIAA members in several ways:
the calendar and schedule on the TIAA website, which is updated monthly by the TIAA Administrator;
the quarterly TIAA newsletter, written by the Communications Committee including profiles of individual TIAA volunteers as well as articles and photos from volunteer events;
the monthly eNews, written by the Communications Committee;
eNotes, written by the Communications Committee to publicize a special event.
The CIT is responsible for defining the distribution list; e.g., all members, a targeted email list, those living within a 40-mile radius, those living within a 100-mile radius, etc.
The team and/or the TIAA Administrator is responsible for developing and maintaining an email list of TIAA members who either have participated in a volunteer event or have expressed interest in hearing about upcoming opportunities.
In addition to the group activities, the CIT lets TIAA members know about individual volunteer opportunities via the TIAA website and/or brief stories in the quarterly newsletter or monthly eNews.
Arrangements
If a bus is needed for transportation and the agency or RSVP cannot provide a van or minibus, the TIAA Administrator will contact the bus company used by TIAA for other events and make arrangements to reserve a bus and confirm the pricing. Cost for the bus is covered from the CIT budget because we do not charge members to participate in volunteer activities.
Reservations for volunteer activities are accepted by the TIAA Administrator.
If there are insufficient sign-ups prior to the event to make the event practical, the TIAA Administrator and the CIT discusses canceling the event. If it is not practical to cancel the event, an email message to the targeted volunteer communication list is sent to promote the event and indicate how many volunteers are needed.
Volunteer Event
On the day of the volunteer activity, a member of the CIT or the TIAA Administrator greets the volunteers at the designated location, participates in the event and functions as the TIAA coordinator.
Follow-up
After the event, the CIT reviews participation and feedback from the volunteers and uses this information to guide planning of future opportunities.
TIAA Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
The CIT works with the TIAA President to schedule a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch in December. All who have volunteered at a CIT event, at the annual TI Retiree Luncheon, at the TIAA golf tournament or as a member of a TIAA committee or subcommittee are invited. The team leader or a designee works with the TIAA Administrator to handle invitations, signup and location and logistics for the event. The cost for the event is covered from the CIT budget or by donations.
Budget
The CIT has a budget line in the overall TIAA budget. Each year in October, or when requested by the TIAA Treasurer, the CIT submits a recommendation for the next year’s annual CIT budget with an estimated monthly distribution. Examples of CIT expenditures include arranging transportation to the volunteer activity site; providing lunch, awards or other items as part of the volunteer activity; providing a plaque for the annual TIAA Volunteer of the Year Award; and coordinating the Volunteer Appreciation Lunch.
Updated by Greg Boyston on June 21, 2019.
