Irene Marcos Passes The Baton
Volunteer Team Transition
When Irene Marcos retired from her corporate job and became an Ashby Village volunteer in 2010, she found a big—and perfectly suited—job just waiting for her, that of Volunteer Coordinator and eventually the Volunteer Team Chair. At the time Ashby Village was in its infancy, getting organized, gathering members, welcoming volunteers, figuring out how to make everything work.
The initial plan was already in place, to serve members with needed services, provided by willing volunteers. If paperwork needed organizing, a member who felt overwhelmed by a messy desk could be matched with a volunteer who was eager to sort and file. When a member needed a ride to the doctor, a volunteer driver, who’d already been checked out and cleared for chauffeuring, could show up at the appointed time.
At the time the Village had about 100 members and 50 volunteers. Irene’s mission was to figure out a way to keep it all running smoothly and happily for everyone involved. Five years later, Irene is stepping away from her responsibilities as Volunteer Chair, and handing over the reins of a bustling volunteer effort to Pat Carvalho, an Ashby Village staff person who coordinates operations and manages the volunteers.
Looking back, Irene recalls, “What we wanted to do was create a volunteer program that brought great services to members.” At the same time, the goal was to create a really great experience for the volunteers. Irene’s challenge was to work closely with both sides “in the middle”. The job was an ideal fit. As a former director of technical design in the clothing industry, Irene says, “I’d already spent a lot of time in the middle!” At both The Gap and Levi Strauss, she’d served the needs of two different departments, production and design.
Irene went to work on the Ashby Village volunteer system, figuring out how to best fulfill all the requests that came into the office every day, whether a need for pet care, help with a small household repair, someone to go grocery shopping, just some companionship, or a more unusual request—for a chess partner, for instance. Whoever volunteered for the job, Irene wanted to make sure they themselves had a good experience. “We always say to the volunteers, ‘We want you to be happy, feel satisfied with the work you are doing,” she says. “We want this to be a positive part of your life, not an obligation.”
Soon volunteer appreciation events became a regular part of Village life, as Irene and others brainstormed more and more ways to say “thank you” to the dedicated group of people who put their time and hearts into serving members’ needs. “We have always looked for ways to delight our volunteers and let them know how much we appreciate them,” Irene says. Just recently, for instance, volunteers were treated to a Mimosas and waffles brunch.
There was more nitty-gritty work involved, of course, creating guidelines for members and volunteers, holding training sessions for volunteers, meeting a million little challenges, coming up with ways to keep everything going. “I didn’t do anything alone,” Irene is quick to say, “I had so much help. And we’ve always been open to learn from whoever had a good idea. It’s a work in progress. We are always looking for ways to do things better.”
Pat Carvalho began as a volunteer at Ashby Village in 2011. She had been exploring numerous nonprofits, looking for ways to give back as a volunteer, and she fell in love with the spirit of Ashby Village. In 2012, Pat was hired on as staff and was r
ecently promoted to Volunteer Manager. Pat says she has been so lucky to have had Irene as a wonderful mentor. The two have a lot in common. Pat, too, worked in the fashion industry all of her career, managing multiple areas of sales and operations. But managing volunteers is very different she says, and the process amazes her. “I can’t say how wonderful our volunteers are,” she says, “so kind, committed, and generous. I think, ‘Wow, can you believe they do this because they want to?’ We are so lucky.”
As Irene has stepped away from the Village’s bustling volunteer operation, Pat is busily working to fill Irene’s shoes. Ironically, Irene says with an affectionate chuckle, Pat has so many piles of work stacked around her office that “you can’t even see her shoes.” Pat is taking over a Volunteer Program that has grown substantially. Village membership has increased to 350, and volunteers now number around 270, ranging from Cal students in their twenties to a 92-year-old member who also volunteers. “Irene brought the volunteer program to a place where it is really successful,” says Pat.
Pat is looking ahead to continued work on a number of fronts. A new computer APP has just gone into action, making the match between requests for service and volunteer commitments much faster and more efficient. Her vision is to help volunteers in getting to know each other. In the past, though there were some great connections made between volunteers and members, volunteers had less chance to meet other volunteers. Now they’ll have more opportunity with Play It Forward activities such as the Dragon boat races not long ago. In other endeavors, groups of volunteers will take on projects together, such as tackling some maintenance at a member’s home through the Village Hearts N' Hands program, or volunteering at sister nonprofits as part of Volunteer B Cause, such as walking with other East Bay Villages to support the End Alzheimer efforts and painting the corridors of the adjacent First Congregational Church (which owns the 2330 Durant space used by the Ashby Village office).
“I am so proud of what we have accomplished as a village,” says Irene, “I have been able to work with so many people who have made tremendous contributions. It’s been great. Now Pat is taking it to the next level.” Irene, meanwhile, is about to spend more time traveling, working on her art, and polishing up her Greek—with the help of a Greek-speaking Ashby Village volunteer.