Maintaining a CERT Program
Step 1: Communicating With Volunteers
CERT Communication Techniques
Communicating with your CERT volunteers is critical. Click on a topic to review techniques for communicating with your CERT volunteers:
- The Benefits
- Using Various Communication Mechanisms
- Creating CERT Websites
- Establishing Rules for Yourself
- Maintaining a Focus on the "Team"
- Rewarding Commitment
Frequent communication:
- Helps maintain volunteer interest.
- Makes volunteers feel like they're part of the team.
- Keeps everyone abreast of what's happening in the community and with the CERT program.
Communicating with volunteers also helps you learn what's important to your teams–what training they need, whether they feel that the program is working for them, and how they believe they can contribute to the community through their CERT efforts.
Using Various Communication Mechanisms
Consider a newsletter, email system, or electronic bulletin board for your program. These mechanisms are good for keeping CERT volunteers abreast of:
- Upcoming training activities.
- New CERT classes or teams being formed.
- Refresher training or special training presentations.
- CERT exercises, graduations, or awards being presented.
- Human-interest stories.
- Community safety projects or activities.
- Safety tips for the season.
If you're really ambitious, you might consider developing a website. Websites not only facilitate communication with your volunteers, but also serve to inform potential volunteers and supporters about CERT's role in the community. If you choose to develop a website, consider these tips:
- Start by creating lists of your committees, volunteers, and sponsors. With their permission, consider including their addresses, email addresses, and home and office telephone numbers.
- Purchase a website domain that everyone can remember.
- Find a local Internet provider who will donate the cost of hosting a website. Be sure to give the website designer and host plenty of credit for their contributions.
- Create an email and fax list of all media, including the names of editors and pertinent information about content and deadlines.
- Include a community response form on the site. This is a great way to generate both good ideas and volunteers!
- Add important local and national web addresses as links on your site. Be sure to include the CERT, FEMA, and NOAA websites and local or community sites.
- Include a list of CERT volunteers who can speak to interested groups on the site.
Establishing Rules for Yourself
Regardless of how you communicate with your members and others, there are some rules that you should establish:
- Be accessible. Set aside time every day to check the message board for comments that come into the site. Respond promptly.
- Do not provide partial information. Wait until you have gathered all of the information you need to provide a complete response. If need be, send an email or make a phone call to explain that you are checking information and will get back with an answer.
If you commit to a response by a certain date or time, stand by your commitment.
Maintaining a Focus on the "Team"
Teamwork is so important to a successful CERT program that you should always focus communications on teamwork. Use your communications to:
- Share team success stories.
- Announce special projects where volunteers are needed.
- Provide recognition for team efforts.
Always remember that your success relies on volunteer commitment. Provide recognition wherever possible to those who are committed to your program. Consider awards for hours given, special projects completed, consistent support, etc., as a motivator for your team members.