Proposal to Create a Training and Instruction Manual for Mobile Loaves and Fishes

Summary Mobile Loaves and Fishes needs a training and instruction manual because new volunteers, many of whom are adolescents and teens, sign up on almost a weekly basis. There are only ten members who are considered permanent volunteers, and they are solely responsible for training every new person, which slows down the food and truck preparation process significantly. If your organization had a Training and Instruction Manual, you could distribute it to new volunteers before they went on their first service outing so they could be more prepared which would make them more comfortable with their work and would greatly expedite the preparation process. I can complete the rough draft by November 21. The labor and materials will cost approximately $158.14 for fifty manuals. I will charge a flat fee of $100 regardless of how many hours I spend writing the manual. If you are satisfied with the rough draft, you will receive the official Training and Instruction Manual by November 26. Introduction Established in 1998 by a few humble men, Mobile Loaves and Fishes main goal is to transform the way people view the stereotype of those who find themselves homeless and to show Gods love and spread His message to everyone we help. When it first began, all the organizations members operated quickly and efficiently. However, now that it has expanded to more than seventy volunteers, each newcomer must be individually trained. Since Mobile Loaves and Fishes does not have a training manual, experienced volunteers waste an average of 15 to 25 minutes every Sunday re-explaining basic rules to new volunteers. However, since the organization has no written guidelines, new volunteers have no choice but to ask others how to perform even the simplest tasks, such as how many sandwiches to make and where different food and clothing items belong on the truck. I would like to write a comprehensive Training and Instruction Manual that includes hygiene standards, appropriate interactions with those they serve, how to prepare the food and the truck, and proper cleaning and restocking procedures. Since I have been volunteering at Mobile Loaves and Fishes for five years, I am very well acquainted with all the topics this manual will cover. In fact, I teach new volunteers how to perform nearly every procedure it covers and answer all their questions every time I serve with the organization. Since I have taught countless newcomers how to prepare the food and truck, how to restock, hygiene standards, and appropriate conduct, I can undoubtedly document my verbal instructions to create a thorough Training and Instruction Manual. Current Problems at Mobile Loaves and Fishes Since most of the volunteers at Mobile Loaves and Fishes serve infrequently and irregularly, they are unfamiliar with many of the hygiene standards, preparation tactics, and restocking procedures that every volunteer must be fully aware of and capable of performing. Preparing the food incorrectly and in unsanitary conditions could spread diseases to those they serve, and improperly restocking food wastes an average of 10 minutes for the next team. Since they do not http://austin.culturemap.com/news/life/02-05-12-15-34-mobile-loaves-fishes-strives-to-give-food-anddignity-to-the-homeless/

follow the rules and procedures, regular volunteers are often left to fix these mistakes and must spend extra time correcting what inexperienced volunteers wrongly complete, which could take up 30 minutes after they get back from the service outing, and reminding and correcting those who do their jobs improperly takes up extra time and delays the teams from leaving headquarters. The most common mistakes that newcomers make include Not fully restocking the food for the next teamwasting an average of 10 minutes Not following hygiene standardspotentially spreading germs and diseases to those they serve Not cleaning up the workstations properlyleaving bread crumbs, peanut butter and jelly, and plastic wrappers on the tables and floors, which can take regular volunteers up to 30 extra minutes to clean up after returning from serving New volunteers often forget to wear gloves, do not fully sanitize their work stations, and do not properly sweep the floor and clean the dishes after preparing the food. These mistakes put the health of those they serve at risk. Many times they also forget how many sandwiches to make, the different types of food to include in each outing, and how to prepare the truck, so when they get to the sites they do not have enough food to feed everyone who needs it. New drivers even get lost at times because they are unfamiliar with the routes, which wastes more time than any other mistake and costs the organization money for gas. Since many of the volunteers are teenagers and adolescents, they sometimes engage in inappropriate conversations with those we serve. These topics include drugs that the homeless currently use or have used, cars and other items they have stolen, and even sexual acts they have partaken in. I have also seen one smoke a cigarette with a man at one of the sites. Since the Mobile Loaves and Fishes aims to transform the way people view the stereotype of those who find themselves homeless and spread the word of God, such conduct and discussion reflects poorly on the organization, does not appropriately reflect its ministry and directly counteracts its mission. And when volunteers have to repeatedly ask how to perform simple tasks such as how to restock the shelves and refrigerators and clean the work stations, they lose valuable time that they could spend with those who need their help. As a long time volunteer at Mobile Loaves and Fishes, I have seen these mistakes time and time again. However, a Training and Instruction Manual could greatly reduce these errors and improve the quality of each volunteers work and the organization as a whole. Proposed Solution: A Training and Instruction Manual A manual is the most effective way to train new volunteers because the church can distribute it prior to the service outing and the volunteers can read it on their own time. If the church used another training method, such as a training video or an experienced volunteer to do training in person, volunteers would have to make time to sit down and watch the video or the live demonstration from beginning to end. Some volunteers might not even have time to attend the video showing or demonstration and would not receive proper training. If experienced volunteers trained newcomers, they would have to take time out of their schedule to teach a class and could forget to cover valuable information. Manuals are the only training method that is guaranteed to fully cover all the training instructions and allow volunteers to quickly reference the organizations guidelines and look up any questions that might arise. They are also inexpensive to manufacture and can be updated easily. Since the volunteers will receive the manuals before their first service outing, they will be familiar with job standards and procedures, which will prevent redundant questions and wasted time, giving volunteers more time to help those in need.

My Training and Instruction Manual will provide comprehensive instructions for how to Quickly and efficiently prepare the food and the truck Clean up work areas and restock the shelves and refrigerators Appropriately interact with those the volunteers serve As a long time volunteer at Mobile Loaves and Fishes, I will draw from my own experience to write the manual and will also consult with some of the permanent volunteers. The Training and Instruction Manual will include the following sections. Hygiene Standards Ensuring every volunteer wears gloves when handling food Keeping hair out of food Keeping areas where food is present sanitary at all times Requiring all volunteers to wash hands before handling food, even before putting gloves on How to Prepare the Food and Beverages How many sandwiches to make and what kind What food to include on the truck How to make the lemonade and tea (in spring and summer) and coffee (in fall and winter) How to Prepare the Truck Which areas need ice Which areas need to be covered with paper Specific areas to put the food and clothing Truck Routes Specific locations where to stop Detailed directions to these locations Appropriate Behavior with Those We Serve Acceptable behavior and conversation topics How to steer away from inappropriate discussions and conduct Clean Up Procedures How to sanitize the tables, properly sweep the floor, and correctly wash the dishes How to clean up and prepare the truck for the next group How to store all opened but unused food to ensure it stays safe to consume and does not go to waste Restocking Procedures Where to find back stock food items so the next group has all the food and supplies they need to prepare for their service outing

I can complete this manual in the next four weeks. Within the next two weeks, I will consult with the permanent and most experienced volunteers of the organization to ensure that all the information is accurate and that the manual includes everything new volunteers need to know. Within one week I will take pictures of the truck after it has been fully stocked so that the manual will contain a detailed diagram of where each food and clothing item belongs. If you are satisfied with rough draft, I will get the final copy to you by November 26. My Qualifications for Writing the Proposed Manual Since I have been volunteering with Mobile Loaves and Fishes since 2008, I am very familiar with all the sections in the Training and Instruction Manual and am very comfortable teaching new volunteers how to perform everything it includes. I have witnessed the mistakes new volunteers make and share the frustrations of the veterans of the organization. In addition to my experience with Mobile Loaves and Fishes, I am majoring in Technical Communications at the University of North Texas and am currently enrolled in a technical writing class. My knowledge of and experience with the organization have taught me all the materials newcomers need to know, and the skills I have learned in my technical writing class and as a Technical Communications major have taught me how to write a Training and Instruction Manual. Budget The following table estimates the cost of writing and printing the manual: Items Writing and editing the manual Binding Costs Tab Inserts Copying Costs (Text plus Graphics) Total Cost Time and Supplies Flat fee One Box of Staples $2.99 for 24 tabs x 15 packets 200 pages at $.10 per page Cost $100 $3.29 $44.85 $20 $168.14

Since I will charge a flat fee of only $100, fifty manuals will cost just $168.14. Schedule of Tasks
11/05/13 Interview Experienced Volunteers Compile Information Take Pictures and Create Graphics Present Rough Draft Revise Rough Draft Present Final Draft 11/12/13 11/19/13 11/26/13

Conclusion Manuals are the most effective and efficient way to train new volunteers. Please accept my proposal to write a manual for Mobile Loaves and Fishes because if your organization has an official Training and Instruction Manual, new volunteers will have a constant document to refer to when questions arise. Not only will this make them more comfortable in their work and save time asking questions, it will also improve the organizations image as a whole by preventing inappropriate conduct and encourage its main goals: helping those in need and sharing Gods word. As a volunteer with this organization, I will take exceptional pride in making sure this document is of the highest quality and exceeds all the expectations you have for it. Please email me at elizabethflickinger@my.unt.edu to discuss moving forward with this manual. I look forward to potentially working with you.