Consulting by Jayne Cravens

I'm Jayne Cravens and I'm a consultant, researcher and trainer. My work is focused on communications, on volunteer involvement / community engagement, on #tech4good, and on management for nonprofits, NGOs, and government initiatives.

I work for large international agencies, small nonprofits, and just about everything in between. I'm best known as an expert regarding virtual volunteering, but I'm also experienced in all aspects of community-focused project management and nonprofit communications.

I have more than two decades of international experience, particularly regarding community and institutional development, and a great deal of experience with small, local initiatives regarding communications, volunteer involvement / community engagement and fundraising. I also advise on corporate philanthropy / social responsibility programs

I am a pioneer and expert regarding the research, promotion and practice of virtual volunteering, including high-impact programs, virtual teams, online mentoring, microvolunteering and crowdsourcing. I am also committed to ethical practices in volunteer engagement.

Organizations, companies & agencies hire me to:

manage a project over a few or several months.
research a topic and write a report, white paper or article on such.
train staff, usually regarding some specific communications function, like using social media, or regarding some aspect of volunteer engagement.
develop or advise on a communications strategy.
speak at a conference or develop a webinar or teach a class.
evaluate a project program.
synthesize large amounts of text into something far shorter and easier to read.
consult on an idea to start, expand or even eliminate a project.

I'm also available to provide basic video editing services: splicing different clips together, adding in title slides, fades between scenes, intro music, captions, etc. Great for speeches, presentations, client testimonials, volunteer testimonials and instructional videos. More about these services and samples of my video editing work.

I am available for:

university-level teaching, or training for professional development, onsite or online, regarding various aspects of communications or community engagement.
short-term consulting or project development or management onsite anywhere, or online, to advise on strategies, to develop programs or materials, to train or present, to research and write on any subject within my areas of expertise, or to undertake any project related to my areas of expertise.
long-term consulting or teaching/training onsite or online, per certain geographic and travel requirements/limitations, to advise on strategies, to develop programs or materials, to train or present, or to research and write on any subject within my areas of expertise.
long-term employment where I am based (currently in the Portland, Oregon area).

My areas of expertise are:

Communications, particularly for mission-based organizations (not-for-profit organizations [NPOs], non-governmental organizations [NGOs], civil society organizations, grass roots organizations, and public sector agencies, including government offices and educational institutions, corporate philanthropy, etc., to build awareness, increase participation and support, change behavior, etc.

Community engagement for mission-based organizations, particularly regarding volunteer involvement/volunteer management.

Corporate philanthropy / social responsibility programs for corporations and other businesses.

Capacity-building in and evaluation of these activities

If you would like to propose a consultation for your organization, please contact me.

Availability

I am available up to 20 hours a week. I am on the US Pacific West Coast, the same time zone as Los Angeles. I frequently have clients in other time zones, including outside the US, and am happy to get up early or stay up late for live meetings, as needed. Please check my what's new page to know if I am available.

Requirements

Please include your full name and as much information as you can about your proposal for my participation. Please note that I do charge for my consulting and training services. That includes my professional assessment of your soon-to-launch web site, nonprofit, startup business, etc.

SIGNED AGREEMENT :

There must be a SIGNED agreement for a speaking, training or consulting gig to be finalized. The agreement needs to have your organization's name, my name, the date of the event, details about payment, details about who is responsible for making travel arrangements and who is paying for such, cancellation policy, etc. I'm generous regarding cancellation policies regarding onsite presentations so long as I am not out any money (airline travel, car rental, hotel reservations, etc.).

What can I do for your nonprofit, NGO, government agency or program?

Remotely, from Oregon, I can:

Write for your blog - just once or on a regular basis
Research and write an article for various types of audiences (partners, government officials, funders, clients, the press, the public, staff and more) - just once or on a regular basis; in addition to the articles I've written that are freely available online, you can see my academic / research work at my profile on academia.edu, and most of the academic articles that have cited my work regarding virtual volunteering are listed at my Google Scholar account. Samples of my work is available upon request.
Draft reports, articles, speeches, video scripts, grant proposals, etc.
Rapidly edit reports, blogs, articles, speeches, grant proposals and other materials written by others
Facilitate and moderate an online community, either for one event or on an ongoing basis
Interview staff, clients or partners for input on a report, article, introduction or change regarding a program, etc.
Design and conduct an online training via video conference (see below regarding my training topics)
Review, revise, draft or offer advice on social media policies or strategies, press outreach strategies, community engagement strategies, marketing campaigns, or volunteer engagement policies or procedures
Conduct a desk review, compiling journal articles, reports and other gray literature related to a particular subject, create a reference list, look for trends, gaps and opportunities, make recommendations and index and summarize information for use by others
Offer advice on countering misinformation, rumors or myths affecting a mission-based organizations operations
Evaluate a communications or community engagement project or program, analyzing the design, implementation, outputs, outcome, impact and sustainability of activities - social media, press relations, virtual volunteering schemes, online mentoring programs, engagement with community groups, internal communications, theatre/theater or dance as a tool for public awareness/behavior changer, >etc.
Evaluate a web site and make recommendations for improvement regarding appeal and use to potential and current volunteers, awareness-building of volunteer engagement for anyone viewing the site, usability, basic accessibility, etc.
Advise on community media and community technology projects (radio, newspaper or newsletter, TV, online platform, etc.)
Interview and rank candidates for employment, consultations or volunteering
Design and conduct an online or phone survey of volunteers, clients, employees or another target group, and summarize findings
Produce a video presentation, webinar or podcast of myself talking about a particular topic (see below regarding my training topics)
Provide basic video editing services: splicing different clips together, adding in title slides, fades between scenes, intro music, captions, etc. Great for speeches, presentations, client testimonials, volunteer testimonials and instructional videos. More about these services and samples of my video editing work.
Host or co-host a live online event
Edit and caption short videos you will feature on YouTube
Advise and guide on crisis communication or addressing a negative public relations situation
Take on a part-time role or ongoing full-time responsibilities related to any aspect of communications, community engagement, or volunteer engagement

While my web site and blog are in American English, I can write in British English (British spellings).

There are free online workshops by me, which you can view any time on YouTube, on a variety of volunteer-related subjects - these are more than 45 - 60 minutes long:

using the Internet and smartphone apps to work with volunteers (this workshop is FREE online, viewable at any time via YouTube)
the best assignments for online volunteers (this workshop is FREE online, viewable at any time via YouTube)
managing IT volunteers (this workshop is FREE online, viewable at any time via YouTube)
online community and volunteering management - supporting online community participants as volunteers
Using video to support online volunteers/remote volunteers (very short video on just the basics)
applying volunteer management principles to online community management. Here are the slides I used for the presentation.

Shorter presentations (all these and more are on YouTube on my channel's training playlist):

A plea regarding how you talk about virtual volunteering: (spoiler: it's not "new"). 4:28
Safety in Virtual Volunteering. 5:10
Virtual volunteering: it's personal! 6:02
Human rights, the digital divide & web accessibility 4:40

Onsite, within the greater Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, I can:

Present the results of activities conducted remotely (see previous section)
Facilitate and moderate an onsite meeting
Lead trainings and presentations (see below regarding my training topics)
Talk with staff, clients or partners for input on a report, article or strategy
Participate in interviews and rankings of potential employees, consultants or volunteers
Observe an activity as part of an evaluation exercise, such as reviewing how volunteer inquiries are routed and tracked, or the effectiveness of communications with users of an online platform related to an organization's mission (an online mentoring program, for instance)
Advise and guide on crisis communication or addressing a negative public relations situation
Take on a part-time role or ongoing full-time responsibilities related to any aspect of communications, community engagement, or volunteer engagement (I will consider a full-time, temporary role if it is based in Washington County, Oregon, or if I can work part-time from home if the job is in downtown Portland)

Onsite, outside of the greater Portland Metropolitan area, I can also:

Present the results of activities conducted remotely
Facilitate and moderate an onsite meeting
Lead trainings and presentations (see below regarding my training topics)
Talk with staff, clients or partners for input on a report, article or strategy
Participate in interviews and rankings of potential employees, consultants or volunteers
Observe an activity as part of an evaluation exercise, such as reviewing how volunteer inquiries are routed and tracked, or the effectiveness of communications with users of an online platform related to an organization's mission (an online mentoring program, for instance)
Advise and guide on crisis communication or addressing a negative public relations situation
Fill in for communications or volunteer engagement staff on leave or sabbatical
Take on a part-time role related to any aspect of communications, community engagement, or volunteer engagement (I will consider a full-time role if I can work from my home office)

Training topics:
(note that many of these trainings have been done for international and local staff at UN, government and NGO programs in other countries, including Afghanistan, Egypt, Ukraine, Germany and Belgium)

Public/media relations, marketing, message development and reporting for clients, partners, the press, the general public and internal staff, with an eye to influencing opinions and perceptions
Let's be clear: cutting out jargon and writing for clarity
Project management basics
Grant research and grant writing basics
Basic fund-Raising for small NGOs serving the developing world
Increasing program involvement from under-served and new audiences
Using social media, setting goals for its use and evaluating social media activities (using social media for engagement, to build credibility, raise funds, recruit volunteers and reach new audiences for nonprofits and government agencies, to market a farmer's market or a women's employment program or HIV/AIDS awareness program, etc.)
Using various communications methods to build trust with different groups, to promote reconciliation, social inclusion, peace-building, etc.
Involving / engaging local communities / stakeholders in program design or delivery
Theatre/theater or dance as a tool for public awareness/behavior changer,
Creating a pro-volunteer culture at your organization (& improving volunteer retainment)
Involving / engaging local or international volunteers, onsite or online, in program delivery and staff support
Improving the internal visibility of and internal support for volunteer engagement within an organization
Changing an entire organization's understanding, including that of senior management and funders, regarding volunteer engagement (why volunteers are involved, the value of volunteers, etc.)
Emerging trends in volunteer engagement
Volunteer management 101 (a one-to-two-day workshop on the basics of involving volunteers, for people new to the role of manager of volunteers)
Good to Great: volunteerism for mission-promotion, not just task completion
Increasing diversity in your volunteer ranks
Creating and sustaining online communities
Producing a live, online event
Keys to success in an online mentoring program
Leading in a virtual world
Writing a mission statement for your organization's volunteer engagement - and why it is essential to do so
Partnership development / cultivation / relations
Organization, program or project management / governance basics
Improving and expanding customer service and client support
Keys to success in corporate partnerships involving funding, employee volunteering, in-kind donations, etc.
How to get a job with the United Nations or Other International Humanitarian or Development Organization
Creating a résumé for nonprofit, NGO or government-related work

Please note my freely-available resources regarding Community Outreach (With & Without Tech), Community & Volunteer Engagement, and Tech Use by Mission-Based Organizations.

I am also very much interested creating and leading university-level courses.
Examples of courses I could teach, based on topics I have taught in workshops and as a guest lecturer at universities, are at the above link.

I no longer do workshops to introduce the concept, or provide an overview, of virtual volunteering; The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook provides information far beyond what anyone, including myself, could provide in a workshop to introduce the concept of virtual volunteering into your organization, or to build awareness or build staff capacity regarding the basics of involving online volunteers or using the Internet to support your onsite volunteers. I also have an introduction to virtual volunteering, for free, on my YouTube channel, and you can feel free to show it to your staff and volunteers, or encourage them to watch it on their own.

Also, the book is far cheaper than my hourly rate. You don't have to read the entire book to understand virtual volunteering or to get specific questions answered; the book is written and organized in such a away that you can go straight to the information you are interested in specifically, such as confidentiality and safety, or online mentoring, or policy development, etc.

I am happy to do a workshop or consult on an advanced topic related to virtual volunteering, such as a workshop about how to set up an online mentoring program, or how to incorporate virtual volunteering into a volunteer visitors program.

Co-written with Susan Ellis, The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook is available for purchase as a paperback & an ebook.

Also, I offer a vast amount of free information on my web site related to a variety of specific topics related to the engagement of volunteers.

If you would like to propose a training topic for me to do at your organization or via a video conference, please contact me
Please note that I do charge for designing and delivering trainings, whether online or onsite.

Keynote speaking topics (examples):

Volunteer engagement in the 21st Century: the revolution has begun! The changing face of volunteer engagement & how to exploit It
Using New Trends in Community Engagement to Attract More Donations, More Volunteers ("Don't Just Talk to Your Audience; Engage Them!")
The Volunteer Manager's Fight Club: changing the way we think about the support and management of volunteers (and TALKING about it)
All Volunteers Are Virtual! Why it's time to stop separating talk of online and onsite volunteers and how we use tech tools to support and involve ALL volunteers
Feisty, radical managers of volunteers
Change your volunteer engagement practices - OR BE DOOMED
Changing the culture of your organization regarding volunteer engagement
What corporations need to learn from nonprofits
Corporate and nonprofit relations: it's time to change who has the power
Corporate social responsibility
How to be a great volunteer
Volunteering in pursuit of a professional career/change in career
Making the press fall in love with you (for nonprofits and government agencies)
Challenges for women in humanitarian missions abroad

If you would like to propose a keynote speaking topic for me to do at your conference, please contact me.
Please note that I do charge for all speaking engagements, local or elsewhere, online or onsite.

I also provide résumé / CV consulting services for those wishing to move into a career with nonprofit or international aid organizations.

Consulting Approach

My approach to capacity-building and consulting is people-centered. I start with a lot of research and listening, to fully identify the needs of an organization, initiative, or sector, and to fully understand the desired outcomes. That listening never ends - feedback and information is welcomed throughout the process. I do not limit myself to learning only from senior or headquarters staff; people on the "front lines," people who may not consider themselves as part of communication/community involvement or management activities, often hold the key to a successful strategy. I also do not follow a set, absolute formula for consultations; every situation is unique, and my efforts are tailored to such.

One of my particular strengths is transforming complex concepts and texts into easier-to-read documents, reports and presentations, and introducing innovative or controversial ideas to audiences in practical, less-confrontational terms. I also am able to leverage the very limited resources of organizations, including those in developing countries, to achieve their goals relating to media relations, community outreach, volunteer involvement and donor relations, and to help to build the capacity of such organizations to continue in these activities long after I have moved on. I began in public relations long before the Internet became the essential tool of today, and I have maintained those no-tech/low-tech skills and sensibilities while, at the same time, becoming an internationally-recognized expert regarding online communities and online outreach.

I have worked with groups on the local, regional, national and international level, and have worked extensively with multicultural, diverse audiences, international aid workers, low-income communities, and those who are traditionally socially-excluded. I have a solid background in working with people with widely differing belief systems and personal circumstances.

For short-term assignments (less than six months), I have both the willingness and ability to work onsite in an environment with limited infrastructure and resources.

Focus on Capacity-Building

Capacity-building for nonprofit organizations/NGOs/civil society means giving people the skills and resources to most effectively and efficiently address the organization's mission, and to help the organization be attractive to new and continuing support from donors and volunteers. Capacity-building is essential for nonprofits/NGOs/civil society to fulfill their potential to improve lives, to allow all people to have the means to pursue their educational, professional and personal dreams, and to protect and celebrate cultures and the environment. My goal in such a consultation is to build the capacities of staff and volunteers to successfully engage in communications and community involvement efforts long after I have moved on.

If you would like to propose a consultation for your organization, please contact me.
Please include your full name and as much information as you can about your proposal for my participation. Please note that I do charge for my consulting and training services. That includes my professional assessment of your soon-to-launch web site, nonprofit, etc.

Quick Links

my home page

my consulting services & my workshops & presentations

my credentials & expertise

Affirmation that this web site is created & managed by a human.

My book: The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook

contact me or see my schedule

Free Resources: Community Engagement, Volunteering & Volunteerism

Free Resources: Community Outreach, With & Without Tech

Free Resources: Technology Tips for Non-Techies

Free Resources: Nonprofit, NGO & other mission-based management resources

Free Resources: Web Development, Maintenance, Marketing for non-Web designers

Free Resources: Corporate philanthropy / social responsibility programs

Free Resources: For people & groups that want to volunteer

linking to or from my web site

The Coyote Helps Foundation

me on social media (follow me, like me, put me in a circle, subscribe to my newsletter)

how to support my work

To know when I have developed a new resource related to the above subjects, found a great resource by someone else, published a new blog, uploaded a new video,
or to when & where I'm training or presenting, use any of the following social media apps to follow me on any of these social media platforms:

Disclaimer: No guarantee of accuracy or suitability is made by the poster/distributor of the materials on this web site.
This material is provided as is, with no expressed or implied warranty or liability.

See my web site's privacy policy.

Permission is granted to copy, present and/or distribute a limited amount of material from my web site without charge if the information is kept intact and without alteration, and is credited to:

Jayne Cravens
& Coyote Communications, www.coyotebroad.com

Otherwise, please contact me for permission to reprint, present or distribute these materials (for instance, in a class or book or online event for which you intend to charge).