Wishing You a Joyful Holiday Season
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We are truly grateful for your generosity that fuels Neighbor Ride all year long! Neighbor Ride wishes you and your family a joyful and blessed holiday season.
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We appreciate so many of you taking the time last month to complete our survey about your experience as a volunteer. We were very pleased with the large response we received – over a 25% response rate! Below is a summary of some of what we learned about your experiences and ideas as volunteers:
- Why do you volunteer? You find joy and purpose in helping older adults with their transportation needs and you appreciate the gratitude you feel from our clients during your rides. This fulfillment keeps you coming back.
- What keeps you volunteering? Your personal experiences caring for your own parents and seeing the lack of family support for older adults in the community drives your commitment to volunteering.
- How did you hear about us? You heard about Neighbor Ride from friends, local news sources, or seeing our car magnets. More recent volunteers continue to hear about us through friends but also internet search.
- What were some concerns you had about volunteering? You cited initial concerns with getting involved with Neighbor Ride were the potential liability if something happened on a ride and that you were unsure if your schedule would fit with volunteering. Thankfully, these didn’t become substantial barriers.
- “Long haul” rides. These continue to be a longer time commitment and many prefer to take rides within their county. We will continue to work on solutions!
- How can we recruit additional volunteers? You suggested recruiting through advertising on public radio and TV, having volunteer spokespeople at community events, engaging with HR departments at larger employers, and sharing compelling stories of impact more broadly.
- Other “big idea” improvements to the volunteer experience included:
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Improved driver portal functionality on mobile devices or creating an app.
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Encouraging client ridesharing for popular destinations/larger events.
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Arranging “ride alongs” for prospective volunteers to get a behind the scenes look at what we do.
- Hiring a few paid drivers to cover unfilled rides to meet peak demand.
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Restarting and growing a wheelchair accessible service.
Again thank you for your insights and dedication to Neighbor Ride and we look forward to incorporating your input into our plans moving forward. Congratulations to Emily Morris who won our survey drawing!
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It’s the Season of Giving!
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Thank you to everyone who has already responded to our annual giving campaign.
There’s still time to contribute before the end of the 2024 tax year!
November marked 20 years of providing volunteer-driven transportation to older adults in Howard County and as the county’s population ages, the need for our services only grows. Help us expand by making a contribution today.
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We are deeply saddened by the passing of clients Merrill Beckman, Janice Flores, and retired volunteer driver Bill MacCormack. Our thoughts are with their family and friends at this time.
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The Latest Numbers Are Here!
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Check our our latest stats from November. We appreciate our volunteers for helping us be out there on the roads each and every day for our clients!
- Rides requests filled: 777
- Rides cancelled for no driver: 29
- Ride completion percentage: 97%
- Different volunteers providing a ride: 176
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Can you help us achieve this milestone?
We accept all vehicles of any age or condition. Anyone can donate, no matter what state you live in!
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Thank You to Our Yearlong Sponsors!
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Our Contact Information
Neighbor Ride, Inc.
5570 Sterrett Pl Suite 102
Columbia, MD 21044
(410) 884-7433
neighborride.org
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