VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: Job Applicant

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: ROLE PLAYING SCRIPT FOR  APPLICANT, Ms. Gilmore, Bates College, Spring 2010

It is Spring, 2010, and you are graduating in May with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Degree and minor in Spanish with a 3.6 GPA.

You grew up on the East Coast and graduated from High School with excellent grades, were a member of the Student Council and the National Honor Society Member. You chose Bates College in Maine for its excellent reputation and because you wanted a small liberal arts education.

Bates has given you the opportunity to try many things. You did a work/study assignment in the Affirmative Action Office where you helped implement the College's plans for increasing the racial/ethnic and gender diversity on campus. Your Spanish minor was a real asset there as you worked with potential Spanish speaking students.

Your study abroad program in Spain your junior year focused on global health. Your summer internship at the Women’s Health Clinic in New York City through a Harward Work Study Summer Fellowship grant, allowed you the opportunity to work in New York and get valuable experience in case management, and you also fell in love with the city and hope to work there.

You have continued your involvement with the American Red Cross (ARC) started in high school and were honored as “Volunteer of the Year”  your junior year for developing and coordinating Bates OnBoard , a student recruitment initiative. You are a member of the Bates Emergency Medical Services Team that participated in an emergency training exercise in cooperation with local Red Cross, Emergency Management Agency, city services and local hospitals.  It was the first large-scale field exercise ever conducted by the city of Lewiston and your Red Cross background was helpful in recruiting volunteers to participate in this city wide exercise.

When you informed the Executive Director of the Maine Chapter of the ARC that you hoped to move to New York City and continue your involvement with the Red Cross, she contacted her old friend at the ARC New York Chapter, Ms. Castillo, and sent her your resume. Amazingly, Ms. Castillo was seeking a Volunteer Coordinator and Disaster Client Caseworker and was thrilled to get your resume.​  

This position will coordinate and maintain the Chapter’s volunteer program while creating a positive work environment for the volunteers, focusing on recruitment, orientation, recognition and retention.​  In addition, as a disaster client caseworker this position will oversee all matters of client casework to include appropriate interview and response as well as individual case maintenance.​ 

Last week you were thrilled when Ms. Castillo, the VP of Human Resources for the

American Red Cross New York City Chapter, called you and asked that you

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR, JOB APPLICANT (2)

come to NYC for an interview. This is an important position, and she is looking for an individual, possessing strong communication/​public speaking skills to represent the Red Cross at public events. She explained that the candidate must have human services skills and be flexible, able to attend day and evening events, also have demonstrated recruiting skills, the ability to maintain proper case files and be Bi-lingual.

This is the perfect position for you. You went to NYC, and couldn’t believe your luck when Ms. Castillo offered you the position at the end of your interview yesterday.  She asked you to come back today just to settle a couple details like salary, benefits and a starting date and then sign a contract.

You did your homework. Www.wageproject.org told you that a Volunteer Coordinator in NYC has a salary range of $42,000 to $54,000 with a median salary of $48,000. The benefits package for this position is worth another $20,000. You’ve determined that your target salary is $48,000 which you firmly believe is fair, given your impressive work and volunteer experience, your excellent education, Red Cross experience and Spanish proficiency. You can hit the ground running!

Living in New York City will be expensive. You have hefty student loans to pay off. You will need an appropriate wardrobe and you want to enjoy the night life the city offers now that you are out of school. You did a budget and know the minimum salary you can possibly accept is $44,000 and that would mean living VERY modestly.

You have the last appointment of the day. Ms. Castillo must leave in 15 minutes attend a fund raising event.

Can you and Ms. Castillo come to an agreement about a starting salary which you can accept?  Can you get her to agree to your target salary figure? Will she offer an acceptable benefits package? ? Make notes on what you consider your persuasive points. Decide the sequence in which you will present these points. Make notes about the language you will use. Make notes about her likely objections to raising her offer and what you will say.

Use every minute of that time to get her to your target salary. Remember, it’s your chance to start out with the salary you deserve.  Remember, too, $48,000 is what you’ve determine you’re worth doing this job.

Go for it!