Dear Volunteers,

I want to thank all of you who took the time to complete the survey that I sent last month - it was fascinating to learn from you! See below for the results. We will make some changes based on what we learned. We learned that there really is not a consensus about what the best way to show appreciation is, so please know that even if we don't change to exactly what you think we should do, we truly care about your opinions, and we want to hear from you any time.

Yours in Advocacy,
Casting Call!
We have a unique opportunity to work with a professional film crew that will feature us in an upcoming short video. We will then be able to use the "out-takes" in upcoming videos for commercials, etc.

Come and be part of the fun!

Gather at the Santa Maria CASA office Tuesday 2/11 at 1:30 pm - it will take an hour or so.

Reply to this email to let me know you plan to be there - we will provide some snacks for you for the waiting time, and you can be part of the fun, and be the first to learn about a new special thing we have gotten donated for your case child(ren)! (details to come soon for all who can't make it, but I want it to be a fun surprise for Tuesday).
Volunteer Appreciation Survey Results
  • Have you attended one of our Volunteer Appreciation dinners?
56% Yes,
26% No - chose not to or couldn't 1
19% No - new volunteer
  • If so, rate your experience:
The overall star rating was 4.1
47% of those who attended loved the dinner
  • If you didn't attend, why?
10.5% didn't go because the location was inconvenient
10.5 didn't go because both the location and time was inconvenient
29% didn't go because of a time conflict
23% didn't go - new volunteer this year
  • Would you attend if we rotated the location of the dinner?
25% would attend the dinner wherever it was held
22% would not attend the dinner if it is not in the city I live in
18% would drive up to 30 minutes for the dinner
29% think that mid-county is the best choice for our organization (Solvang - where we have held it for many years)
  • We have thought about having regional breakfasts or lunches for the appreciation event. These would be held in Santa Barbara, Lompoc, and Santa Maria. Please let us know how you feel about this idea.
AWFUL IDEA - 7%
between awful and okay - 1%
OKAY IDEA - 40%
between okay and great - 19%
GREAT IDEA - 33%

  • With a breakfast or lunch appreciation event, which would you be more likely to attend, assuming that this takes place on a weekday?
15% said Breakfast
58% said Lunch
23% said neither
  • Over the years, we have also tried to show appreciation with small volunteer gifts. Some volunteers like them, some don't. Will you share your thoughts?
Okay - this is the funniest one - you all either LOVE or HATE the swag!!! We will continue to offer swag and other logo items from time to time, but we won't force it on you anymore, we promise!

42% love all the swag
25% said it depends on the gift
23% hate the swag - don't wan't/need it :)
Calling all volunteers!
Are you feeling grateful for being able to #changeachildsstory by your volunteer work at CASA of Santa Barbara County? Do you wonder if there is more you could do to help children in our community? 
Well, the number one way that people learn about CASA is from a CASA.  Refer a friend today – we need more people just like you. All you need to do is send them to sbcasa.org/volunteer or email their name and contact information to Tina@sbcasa.org
Thank you for all you do. We wouldn’t be able to help the children of our community without you!!!
Upcoming Activities for you and your assigned case child - Cooking with CASA 2/22 - Art at the Barn Easter Party 4/4 and Whale Watching 4/18!
Brunch with CASA
Deadline to RSVP is 2/13
Art at the Barn/Easter Party
Whale Watching
RSVP to any of them - Here
Our Visitation Services program continues to do really well helping families reunite with their children, but we need a few more volunteers. If you have even a couple of hours a month, you can help! Our biggest need is for 2 hours shifts in the later afternoon, 4-6pm (approx). You don't have to do every week, even once or twice a month would be a big help! Please reach out to Ramona
Continuing Education Opportunities!
The volunteer meetings this week will be packed - which is GREAT! Make sure you have your RSVP in so that we can provide enough lunches to go around.

Community and Online Education Resources
Online Training Resources: Opportunities to get your 12 hours of continuing education online through the CASA website (remember to bookmark this  https://sbcasa.org/volunteer-resource/ )