Been asked to volunteer this year?
Please read the following training materials, then use the contact form below to let me know you've read it, and whether you have any questions or comments. Thank you again for responding to the call for volunteers!
Giving Kids 2017 Volunteer Training
I'm so glad you've decided to give of your time, ability, and caring to help make Giving Kids 2017 the best yet!
I'd like to share a crucial part of the Giving Kids experience that you are going to have the opportunity to be a key part of - Giving Kids is a SHOPPING experience for the kids who go through the program. Everything we do, and the way everything is set up, is designed to provide that type of experience to the kids.
We don't want the participants to feel that we are giving them charity, we don't want them to feel rushed, and we don't want to take over their shopping experience. In order to understand how this works in practical terms, let's talk about the process the kids will go through, step by step, and the role of volunteers all along the way.
When the kids are brought into the event area by the staff, they first stop by the Registration Table, where they sit down with a volunteer. This volunteer grabs an index card and writes the child's name on the back of it. He/she then says to the child:
"Welcome to Giving Kids! Today you are going to recieve tickets, and using those tickets you will be able to shop for one gift for each of 5 different people in your family. (Clarify to the child that they should select up to five people, and they will leave the program with 5 gifts total) Who would you like to shop for today?" If the child
hesitates or seems unsure, the volunteer might prompt them - "Who do you live with?" and when the child identifies the family members in their home, the volunteer might ask if the child wants to choose a gift for that person.
Sometimes kids ask if they can choose a gift for themselves. The volunteer will remind them that the program is about them giving gifts, not receiving them, but that as a reward for them putting others first and shopping for gifts for their family members, they'll get a prize at the end. This prize selection and the giving of a candy cane to each child at the end of their shopping experience also occurs at the Registration Table, so if you're working this position, you'll be a part of this, too.
We use the words "choose" and "shop" a lot, to encourage the kids to view the program as something they are actively participating in, which gives them a sense of pride. As the child identifies their family members, the volunteer writes that information on the other side of the card. If the family member is "Mom" or "Grampa", for instance, the volunteer will only write that, but if the family member is "my sister", for instance, the volunteer should write the relationship to the child (sister), the person's name (Sally), and the person's approximate age (infant, or 3 years old, or in my grade). It can be tricky to get answers to this question, but it's important to know what area the child should be sent to shop in for the giftee, so ask "Is this person a grown up man (or woman)? Or is this person a little baby in a crib, or a toddler who isn't at school yet, or is this person in elementary school, middle school, high school? You can usually figure out the approximate age so the next volunteer can help the child select appropriate gifts. Sometimes it happens that the child seems quite anxious, and says that they have more than 5 people in their family. The volunteer should figure out if the child has more than 5 people actually living with them. In the case of a child who lives with Grandma, Grampa, Mom, and
5 siblings, just write all of those people in there, and then note at the bottom of the card "Number exceeded - above are all household member" or something like that so the next volunteers know that the right questions were asked. We do want to generally keep the number of gifts per child to 5, but certainly don't want a child to have gifts for some members of the household on Christmas, but not others. After the index card is completed, the volunteer gives the child the tickets and tells them that they will be using these to purchase their gifts. They will also give the child the index card and ask them to give that to the next volunteer. When
one volunteer hands a child over to the next volunteer, he/she should do so by name, for instance: "Miss Mary, this is Emilio, and he's ready to go shopping!"
Next, the child moves to a Shopping Volunteer, who takes their card and helps steer them toward the appropriate shopping area. The volunteer will give the child a shopping basket, and allow the child to keep their tickets in hand as well. The volunteer might say, "Okay, Emilio, I see that you're shopping for your mom. We have some really nice gifts for moms over here - let's take a look" It is important to let the child choose, even if their choices seem odd to you. You can certainly try to guide a child to buy something feminine for mom, but if the men's style wallet is just what they really want, then it's up to them. Perhaps they can explain to you why they selected that particular gift for that particular person, and it will make sense (and then again, maybe it won't) We have packaged up some odd gift choices over the years! When the child has selected a gift for a particular recipient, encourage them to pay for the gift by putting a strip of tickets into the receptacle provided on the table. It is important that they have the pride of gift selection and purchase. Next, the volunteer will move on to the next name on their list, until all five gifts have been purchased. Finally, the shopping volunteer will take the child to the gift bagging volunteer (bag and tag area) and ntroduce them by name, for instance, "Miss Karan, this is Emilio. He just did a great job shopping and needs his gifts packaged. Can you help?" We love modeling good manners to the participants. The volunteer may have to leave the child in line in order to go on to the next child who needs help, but if they must do so, they should leave the child with their card, and instruct them, "When it's your turn in line, introduce yourself to Miss/Mr. _________, and give them your card. You did such a good job!" (or something similar)
Next, the child will have their gifts bagged and tagged by the Gift Bagging Volunteer. These volunteers are often really overwhelmed and if you find yourself gift bagging, take a deep breath and remember - you can only help one child at a time. Kids wait in line all the time at school - they'll be okay. The gift bagging volunteer should give all of his/her attention to the child they're currently helping. They'll take a look at the card and ask the child about the gift they selected for the person on the card, for example: "Hi, Emilio! I see you went shopping for your mom. Which gift did you buy for her?" The child will present the gift to the volunteer, who will write out a tag, put it on the bag, place the gift in the bag, and staple it closed. Repeat until all gifts are bagged, then place all gifts into a t-bag (plastic "shopping bag"). Some facilities have the kids keep these bags, and some have us mark full names on the bags and hold them in our area until the end of the day. Check with your co-ordinator to find out the rules for the facility you're in.
Please remember, in everything you do, to help the kids feel that they are on a special and delightful shopping expedition for the people they love, and not by any means receiving charity. Also remember that, while the holidays are likely a significant time for your faith, and you may wish to share it - the public school system, and this event, is not the time or place to do so. We hope you will demonstrate the high values of your faith, rather than sharing them verbally. Your coordinator will be around if you need any help, or have any questions. Thank you so much for your participation - without our volunteers, we could not sponsor this program every year. YOU are the key to our success!
I'd like to share a crucial part of the Giving Kids experience that you are going to have the opportunity to be a key part of - Giving Kids is a SHOPPING experience for the kids who go through the program. Everything we do, and the way everything is set up, is designed to provide that type of experience to the kids.
We don't want the participants to feel that we are giving them charity, we don't want them to feel rushed, and we don't want to take over their shopping experience. In order to understand how this works in practical terms, let's talk about the process the kids will go through, step by step, and the role of volunteers all along the way.
When the kids are brought into the event area by the staff, they first stop by the Registration Table, where they sit down with a volunteer. This volunteer grabs an index card and writes the child's name on the back of it. He/she then says to the child:
"Welcome to Giving Kids! Today you are going to recieve tickets, and using those tickets you will be able to shop for one gift for each of 5 different people in your family. (Clarify to the child that they should select up to five people, and they will leave the program with 5 gifts total) Who would you like to shop for today?" If the child
hesitates or seems unsure, the volunteer might prompt them - "Who do you live with?" and when the child identifies the family members in their home, the volunteer might ask if the child wants to choose a gift for that person.
Sometimes kids ask if they can choose a gift for themselves. The volunteer will remind them that the program is about them giving gifts, not receiving them, but that as a reward for them putting others first and shopping for gifts for their family members, they'll get a prize at the end. This prize selection and the giving of a candy cane to each child at the end of their shopping experience also occurs at the Registration Table, so if you're working this position, you'll be a part of this, too.
We use the words "choose" and "shop" a lot, to encourage the kids to view the program as something they are actively participating in, which gives them a sense of pride. As the child identifies their family members, the volunteer writes that information on the other side of the card. If the family member is "Mom" or "Grampa", for instance, the volunteer will only write that, but if the family member is "my sister", for instance, the volunteer should write the relationship to the child (sister), the person's name (Sally), and the person's approximate age (infant, or 3 years old, or in my grade). It can be tricky to get answers to this question, but it's important to know what area the child should be sent to shop in for the giftee, so ask "Is this person a grown up man (or woman)? Or is this person a little baby in a crib, or a toddler who isn't at school yet, or is this person in elementary school, middle school, high school? You can usually figure out the approximate age so the next volunteer can help the child select appropriate gifts. Sometimes it happens that the child seems quite anxious, and says that they have more than 5 people in their family. The volunteer should figure out if the child has more than 5 people actually living with them. In the case of a child who lives with Grandma, Grampa, Mom, and
5 siblings, just write all of those people in there, and then note at the bottom of the card "Number exceeded - above are all household member" or something like that so the next volunteers know that the right questions were asked. We do want to generally keep the number of gifts per child to 5, but certainly don't want a child to have gifts for some members of the household on Christmas, but not others. After the index card is completed, the volunteer gives the child the tickets and tells them that they will be using these to purchase their gifts. They will also give the child the index card and ask them to give that to the next volunteer. When
one volunteer hands a child over to the next volunteer, he/she should do so by name, for instance: "Miss Mary, this is Emilio, and he's ready to go shopping!"
Next, the child moves to a Shopping Volunteer, who takes their card and helps steer them toward the appropriate shopping area. The volunteer will give the child a shopping basket, and allow the child to keep their tickets in hand as well. The volunteer might say, "Okay, Emilio, I see that you're shopping for your mom. We have some really nice gifts for moms over here - let's take a look" It is important to let the child choose, even if their choices seem odd to you. You can certainly try to guide a child to buy something feminine for mom, but if the men's style wallet is just what they really want, then it's up to them. Perhaps they can explain to you why they selected that particular gift for that particular person, and it will make sense (and then again, maybe it won't) We have packaged up some odd gift choices over the years! When the child has selected a gift for a particular recipient, encourage them to pay for the gift by putting a strip of tickets into the receptacle provided on the table. It is important that they have the pride of gift selection and purchase. Next, the volunteer will move on to the next name on their list, until all five gifts have been purchased. Finally, the shopping volunteer will take the child to the gift bagging volunteer (bag and tag area) and ntroduce them by name, for instance, "Miss Karan, this is Emilio. He just did a great job shopping and needs his gifts packaged. Can you help?" We love modeling good manners to the participants. The volunteer may have to leave the child in line in order to go on to the next child who needs help, but if they must do so, they should leave the child with their card, and instruct them, "When it's your turn in line, introduce yourself to Miss/Mr. _________, and give them your card. You did such a good job!" (or something similar)
Next, the child will have their gifts bagged and tagged by the Gift Bagging Volunteer. These volunteers are often really overwhelmed and if you find yourself gift bagging, take a deep breath and remember - you can only help one child at a time. Kids wait in line all the time at school - they'll be okay. The gift bagging volunteer should give all of his/her attention to the child they're currently helping. They'll take a look at the card and ask the child about the gift they selected for the person on the card, for example: "Hi, Emilio! I see you went shopping for your mom. Which gift did you buy for her?" The child will present the gift to the volunteer, who will write out a tag, put it on the bag, place the gift in the bag, and staple it closed. Repeat until all gifts are bagged, then place all gifts into a t-bag (plastic "shopping bag"). Some facilities have the kids keep these bags, and some have us mark full names on the bags and hold them in our area until the end of the day. Check with your co-ordinator to find out the rules for the facility you're in.
Please remember, in everything you do, to help the kids feel that they are on a special and delightful shopping expedition for the people they love, and not by any means receiving charity. Also remember that, while the holidays are likely a significant time for your faith, and you may wish to share it - the public school system, and this event, is not the time or place to do so. We hope you will demonstrate the high values of your faith, rather than sharing them verbally. Your coordinator will be around if you need any help, or have any questions. Thank you so much for your participation - without our volunteers, we could not sponsor this program every year. YOU are the key to our success!