Increasing Participation of Client Families in Your Center’s Volunteer Effort through Billing Protocol Operating Centers throughout the country provide services with the contribution of volunteer labor. For many programs, volunteers are the grease that keeps our wheels rolling. A recent report of volunteer hours at Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding, Rockford MI, showed over 13,000 hours of volunteer service during 1997. Unfortunately, few of these hours were contributed by members of the client’s families. A number of NARHA centers have reported concerns on this same issue. One approach that helps families become more involved in volunteer efforts is to use a full communication billing protocol. Full communication billing protocol provides to
clients, their families, and their referral sources complete information on the cost of
providing therapeutic riding services, together with credits given for each contribution
source. In this way a client's family can more fully understand the actual costs and
appreciate the contributions of cash and volunteer time that make services available.
As this example demonstrates, a full communication billing protocol helps clients and their families see the sources of support. At EQUEST the volunteer labor provides over half of this support. This billing protocol provides in hand information that helps the volunteer coordinator say to families: We will provide service to all clients, regardless of need; our volunteer support makes it possible for us to keep everyone's out of pocket costs down. How can we count on your help to maintain this benefit? Will you help with parking at our golf outing? Can you work in the office two mornings a week? Are you available for side walker duties on Thursday evenings? Will your hardware store donate paint for the barn? Can we count on you to dedicate your United Way contribution for our program? Will you write a thank you note to the Foundation? Selection of a billing protocol that encourages full communication helps the operating center keep client families involved and invested in the program. This provides greater program stability. Family members will have more opportunities to understand the therapeutic process and to see the client as a person of achievement and ability. The greatest benefit will be for the client themselves. As their families support the program, they will have greater opportunity to support and encourage the client. The use of full communication billing protocol is a win-win-win decision. |