Mentoring Branch Members

I have a limited amount of time to spend mentoring our branch members. What I need to do is to get some volunteers that I can work with who will be willing to pass on their knowledge to other members.
What I want our branch members to learn is ---
1. How to open and print e-mails (our newsletters).
2. How to send and forward e-mails.
3. How to access aauw.org and understand all that it offers.
4. How to use the two minute activist.
5. How to put the aauw.org URL on their favorites list for easy access.
6. How to access and use pdf files.
I think I can accomplish this and it will certainly help our branch members to be more effective.

A Model Invitation for your Newsletter

One mentor put this in her branch newsletter. Note the last sentence:
"If I don’t know the answer I’ll try to find it for you!"
That means the writer will "find" a mentor for anyone with a question.

Are YOU Tech-Savvy?

– Do you know how to use Word/Word Perfect most efficiently?
– Do you know when you should use columns vs tabs vs tables?
– Do you know how to add attachments to your e-mails?
– Do you know what a “pdf” file is?
– Do you know how to do a “mail merge”? (personalized letters, labels, etc)
– If you use a spreadsheet program (Excel, Lotus, Works) do you know how to sort the records?
– Do you know how to set up the homepage you want in your browser?

If the answer to any of these questions was a “NO”, or if there are other instances where you think “there’s got to be a better way”, we’d like to help! I propose to set up an e-mail list of people who are interested in “tech tips” of various sorts. Please send an e-mail if you’re interested - include a question! If I don’t know the answer I’ll try to find it for you!

Let’s catch up with our kids!

Tips on a Member's Website

One of our members created and maintains the AAUW New York State website. It's a model website, well worth visiting for several reasons. You will especially like the information in the Communications tab at http://www.aauw-nys.org/comm.htm Check out all the topics in the orange sidebar on the left. And be sure to read about e-Groups in the box on the right.

Description of the Study

Computer Mentoring Pilot Study

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of Mary’s idea for helping AAUW members improve their computer and internet skills. Many, perhaps a majority of members, including some leaders, have insufficient computer skills to adequately manage routine electronic correspondence or take full advantage of the resources found on the AAUW website and others. Mary believes this situation is widespread throughout the organization and serious enough to hurt its effectivenes.

Mary believes the best way to address this situation is by the more skillful members in branches mentoring others. If this pilot confirms that belief she hopes the strategy will be adopted across the country.

Goal To test the effectiveness of peer mentoring in achieving improved computer and internet skills of AAUW branch members.

Action Steps

1. Arrange to visit in person or by phone with state and branch leaders who are Mary’s friends.
2. Gain agreement that lack of skills is hindering full effectiveness of branch and/or state programming.
3. Explain the process and seek their assistance: sell the idea!
1. Identify individuals willing to spend time helping other members increase their computer/internet skills.
2. Make their availability known to other branch members as a group and/or to individuals who want or need help.
3. Encourage those involved to use any means they choose for mentoring/training such as in-home visits, small groups, or attendance at community education classes.
4. Maintain contact with all those who agree to participate:
1. Assist with local plans and problems.
2. Receive progress reports and feedback
5. Periodically evaluate progress and decide whether to continue.
6. After perhaps 6 months, if progress warrants, work with project members to develop ways to expand the system into more states and branches.
   

A Sample Report

-- A study member asked: How will success of this effort be measured to ascertain the need for continuation?

Answer:

Success will be measured by self-reporting of anecdotes or anything else participants think of. It will be up to me to massage it into something meaningful.
An anecdote, sample of the "reporting" I would like:
I mentor a CAOnline branch board member in my branch. She agreed to let me use her as an example of reporting:

She agreed to manage a blog to inform members about certain matters and host discussion. But she described herself as barely computer literate and would need a lot of help. On that basis we began what turned into about 8 hours of work over 2 or 3 weeks. We did it two ways:
1 - We emailed Q&A. I sent instructions which I then saved to use again, she emailed back for more help, etc., and
2 - We talked by phone as we watched our PCs. I instructed; she took steps; we solved problems. Usually half an hour at a time. I have "free" long distance!

Beginning skills: She could email, could sometimes download attachments but not save them, could not upload attachments, and could use a word processor with difficulty. She had almost no understanding of what she saw on her PC monitor. She could access the AAUW ASSN website and occasionally others but without understanding how she did it. She had no idea how to use a blog, knew nothing about PDF files, but fortunately could copy/paste. Windows opened and closed but she was never sure how it happened or how to find them again: she had no control over that basic feature!

Current skills: (She is still learning by leaps & bounds.)
- She understands email accounts and now has two.
- She understands more of what is on her monitor, what it means and how to use it, especially accessing websites and how to use"links".
- She understand more about the use of multiple windows. (Lots still to learn here.)
- She can log into her blog's dashboard (a HUGE accomplishment) and create postings, upload images to her posts, and activate words in a post for linkage to a website URL.
- She easily sends and receives emails, including downloading and saving attachments.
- She knows a few blog management strategies such as copying information from elsewhere to post.
-She recognizes PDF files and knows how to open and save them.

My board member is eager to learn and a good student.
As program vp in her land-based branch she decided to include that branch in this pilot. She is so pleased with what she and I accomoplished that she wants her members to have the same help. She says they need it badly.
She is 78 years old.

Basic Project Q & A

This is a completely informal study. Results will be anecdotal in nature, summarized the best way I can depending on the feedback. I will report regularly to the participants on the blog and by email. The blog will also provide a running account of activities and help with my reporting to the Association Program Development Chair.

--Is there a target for participation numbers? No target(s).
I hope branches and their members will benefit enough from the activity to recommend it to other branches and members. I hope it will by spread word of mouth through all the states and gradually raise members' computer skills. I hope that in turn will increase member access of AAUW information on the Association website and elsewhere, and lead to greater participation.

--Is there training for mentors in the plan? Will there be a common "lesson plan"? No and No.
This is a completely ad hoc activity. But branches are free to develop plans as they discover needs and work out ways to meet them.
That said, although branches vary greatly they also have a lot in common. As we discover common needs and some ways to meet them I will facilitate sharing those strategies, most likely on this blog.

An example of the sort of thing I hope we can share is attached: I am program vp of the CAOnline branch. We've been "blogging" for over a year and have 5 blogs including 3 new ones: LAF, EF and Public Policy. http://caonlinelaf.blogspot.com/
http://caonlineef.blogspot.com/
http://caonlinepubpol.blogspot.com/

My team-mate and I worked up some instructions for our members with minimal skills to help them access the blogs. Feel free to copy them from our website at http://aauwcaonline.org/branchbusiness/bloginstructions.asp

--Is there a baseline for the proficiency of mentors? Or for the extent of information to be passed along?
Neither. They will be determined by the needs of individuals and will depend on the skills of those willing to share theis skills and time with other members.

A member's observations:

--It would undoubtedly be helpful to mentors to meet and share information and techniques among themselves. Surely some of us--whatever our proficiency--will have strengths and weaknesses and we could educate one another first.

This can also be a great way for new members to become involved. Some may know a lot about computer/internet use but not much about AAUW, a nice opportunity for exchange of information.

--Periodic meetings of mentors may be a good way to share problems and solutions. Agreed!

--What is the primary focus of the study?
To encourage sharing of computer/internet skills within the branch and to facilitate development of a network for sharing information between branches.

--With our newsletter going to an electronic distribution, we need to be assured that our members are reading it instead of letting it sit in their Inbox. We are providing it both in the message and as an attachment, so there should really be no excuse for not getting it.
This assumes that everyone has a functional computer connected to the internet, with an email account she knows how to use. Do you know if that is true? If not could someone work with individuals who are not so equipped, helping them use the computer at the library if necessary? It would likely be a very personal effort. Perhaps a nice way for some new member to get involved and make a new friend or two.

Our branch has identified no "leader" but there was definite interest among board members. Do we need a leader?
It would be helpful to have a branch contact person to keep track of who is mentoring whom, what they are doing, and how it's going. But I am equally happy to have someone in your branch do this on her own, then perhaps tell someone in another branch about it, and so on.
An uncontrolled ripple effect is a little scary but I think that's what it has to be in some cases as in my branch. Two of us are doing this and one mentoring situation has led to another branch's becoming involved. At this time I don't plan to involve my branch formally but the pilot is working there anyway.