Meals on Wheels Durham's Volunteer Onboarding Mentorship Program (VOMP) pairs new volunteers with seasoned ones to help them navigate through their first month at MOWD.
By connecting experienced volunteers with those just beginning their relationship with us, VOMP will help to create a culture of consistency, promote high-quality interactions, and strengthen the More Than A Meal program services we provide to clients.
About the Program
Seasoned MOWD volunteers will pair with newcomers to share tips and tricks on how to provide top-tier service to homebound older adults in Durham. Through a series of phone calls before and after their first shift, we hope this peer-to-peer relationship empowers and prepares new volunteers to connect with MOWD’s mission. We believe that VOMP will increase meaningful connections with clients and enhance the overall volunteer experience.
Interested in showing new volunteers the ropes? We are looking for experienced volunteers who are passionate about Meals on Wheels Durham and providing memorable interactions with homebound older adults.
Program overview
Mentors will have no more than five mentees at a time, and each mentor-mentee relationship will only last about three weeks.
Your responsibilities as a volunteer mentor consist of three phone calls to each mentee:
- One call before your mentee’s first shift;
- A second call within 48 hours after your mentee’s first shift; and
- A third call three weeks after your mentee’s first shift.
In addition to the phone calls, you might choose to do other optional activities with your mentee, like doing a meal delivery route together or getting coffee after a shift!
qualifications and expectations
Interested volunteers must have completed at least 10 shifts of performing each job for which they’d like to serve as a mentor.
All mentors must agree to complete the three-call requirement for the program.
Have fun! We hope that mentors and mentees enjoy their experience while strengthening the “more than a meal” service we provide to clients. With that in mind, we invite mentors to continue their relationship with their mentee(s) outside of the requirements of the program. Ultimately, it’s up to you and your mentee to decide when to conclude the mentoring relationship and/your role as a mentor in the program.
Mentee Match
New volunteers interested in the Mentorship Program will be able to enroll through our volunteer application. MOWD staff will match mentors with mentees. Once a mentor is assigned a mentee, both volunteer will be notified of their match along with their contact information.
How to Sign Up
If you are interested in becoming a mentor or would like to learn more about the program, email Lula Zeray at lula@mowdurham.org.
Important Note: Our Mentorship Program is temporarily paused. However, enrollments will reopen on March 26, 2024. If you've shown interest in our program, you will have the chance to enroll after the 26th. Thank you for your understanding.
Thank you for your interest in joining our program. New volunteers can sign up for the program by identifying their interest in VOMP in the volunteer application.
After submitting the volunteer application, our Volunteer Services Coordinator will reach out to you with how to match you with a mentor.
Important Note: Our Mentorship Program is temporarily paused. However, enrollments will reopen on March 26, 2024. If you've indicated interest in our program on your volunteer application, you will have the chance to officially enroll after the 26th. Meanwhile, we still encourage you to sign up for a volunteer shift. Thank you for your understanding.