Using this Template to Start Up a Village

When you first see your website the template has been copied to your Village's site.  At this point, your Village account and web site have been created but are not live. The web site will not be visible to the public and your members until you click on the "Finished" in the setup checklist below. But there are many things you should do before taking the site live. At this point if you need to leave, you can log out and return later. Until the site is live, when you log in again, you will be taken to the setup checklist. We suggest that you review each of the following screens to provide the requested information. When you have completed each task shown, you will have a full-featured website and membership database for your Village.

If you would like us to load your existing membership database into the system, or if you have any questions about this process, please call Customer Support toll-free at 1-866-HLP-CLUB (457-2582 - outside the US, +1 847-255-0210).

Setup Checklist

We provide sample web pages that can be easily tailored to your Village and modified based on your Village's needs.  We have  sample documents in the library and sample processes and procedures for running your Village.  

What's Included

The contents are based on the  "Best Practices" of several successful Villages and contributed by experienced users who are interested in helping new Villages get to launch quickly.

The template includes a suggested committee structure and describes each committee's responsibilities.  Your Village may be all-volunteer, have paid staff, or be a combination of both.   But no matter who does them, all of the processes described must still be performed.

A small, but consistent set of documents supporting the practices on which this template is based are included in the template library.  An even larger collection of sample documents is available from the Village to Village Network library.

You should also seek mentoring by volunteers from existing Villages who are familiar with the tools described.  We can be reached at RMVusers@vtvnetwork.org.

Specifically, the template:

·      Provides a consistent set of starting values and parameters for many of the choices that you need to make.   The choices can be easily changed immediately or later on as your Village’s preferences change.

·      Provides sample webpages that you can use as a starting point for your website.  You can simply substitute text and pictures of your own into the sample pages to make this website your own.

·      Lays out sample menus for the public, for members and for office staff to navigate between the Village’s webpages (and even external pages).  Here, too, it is easy for the Village to change the menus.
·      Provides procedural details, including some flow charts, descriptive materials, submenus and links to various built-in modules.

·      Provides some instructions identifying choices that other Villages have made in setting up their RunMyVillage applications and identifies some of the concepts that the new Village should be considering when setting up its application.
·      Provides a sample volunteer recruitment brochure and volunteer orientation presentation.

·      Provides sample emails that can be copied,

The template can be used by new Villages to set up their initial website, or by existing Villages, using RunMyVillage for the first time, who will import data about existing members and volunteers.

Many of the decisions that you need to make are policy and process decisions made by your steering committee or your Board of Directors. Examples are:
What are the membership types and fees?
What volunteer services will you provide?
Which by services are performed by volunteers and which by contractors?
What types of events will you have?
Do you want to have a membership directory that members can use to learn about each others?
What will be your transportation policy?

Some decisions can be implemented immediately while others are still being decided.  The documentation helps identify some of the decisions that might be overlooked by the policymakers unless the choices are pointed out.

This template has made some of the decisions in order to make functioning website.

We have assumed you will want single and household memberships, and a social/supporting membership.  We have also created a staff membership for either paid staff or volunteers who will be using the software.  The fee levels are yours to decide, and you can eliminate or add to the types of membership.

We have assumed a typical set of services to be offered.  The list of volunteer services was developed through an informal survey of operating villages in the VtV Network a number of years ago.  Your circumstances my cause you to add to or remove services from the list.  The list of contractor services came from one or two villages.  These services all have names that begin with $ such as "$ Auto Repair" and are all in the category "$ Referrals"

We believe that in planning for and implementing your website, most new Villages will want to work with an experienced mentor from a Village that has been using the application.  You can ask for a mentor by contacting RMVusers@vtvnetwork.org.

Most Villages will be setting up their RunMyVillage application over a period of several months.  This template is the starting point for that effort and will be used only once.

We are very committed to improving the template over time and encourage each new Village using it to make recommendations for improving it.

Before you begin you need to make certain basic decisions.

You need to decide whether you will offer services, conduct programs, or provide a "concierge" service (connecting members with paid providers).  Some villages do only one, others two and a few do all of these.  This decision will allow you possibly cut out procedures related to aspects you will not use.

You need to decide if you will be all-volunteer, have a paid staff, or use a combination of staff and volunteers. This will allow you to rewrite some of the procedures changing who is responsible for parts of the process, but you will probably still perform much of the process.

You need to decide membership levels and associated fees.  This is part of your preliminary budget and business plan.  It will help you decide how much effort you need to spend on fundraising.

You need to pick software applications. This template assumes that you will use Google Voice for answering your Village phone, receiving text messages and placing outgoing phone calls and texts.  It assumes that you will use RunMyVillage as the website generator and database tool in order to be specific about details of how to accomplish the necessary tasks.  We also assume you will use Verified Volunteers (now Sterling Volunteers) for vetting Service Providers although this is only shown as an example.  Finally, there is a section on financial software and the integration between RunMyVillage and Quickbooks online.

Another, less significant decision, is whether you wish to publish your membership directory and whether it is available only to other members orto the general public.

The template provides support  if publish a periodic newsletter to keep members, volunteers, and the public informed of your progress.

This template is a starting point for those Villages that are creating their first website or importing data from spreadsheets or other tools.  It can also be used for  examples or guidance in revising existing website. 

 

We encourage you to ask for a volunteer from the Village to Village Network to act as your mentor as early as you can in your process.  The mentor will help you work through the choices you have and can show you the “how to’s” and the “what to avoids.” We can be reached at RMVusers@vtvnetwork.org.

 

The documentation we have provided complements and does not replace user's manuals. It focuses primarily on suggesting the processes you need to run your Village.  

The documentation provides examples and ideas about what other Villages have done as well as to provide some “helpful hints” in the set up.  The vendor’s documentation is, of course, much more detailed and much more about “how to” accomplish tasks and use the application.

 

Those setting up the application need to work hand-in-hand with those in the Village who are making policy decisions.   Setting up the application requires “policy” inputs and application documentation.