This info was posted on Mouseplanet, it answers a lot of questions that have been asked:
Charities prepare to end Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program
During a huge "Celebrate Volunteers" event at Walt Disney World last month, Disney Parks and Resorts announced that over 600,000 people had volunteered or signed up to volunteer during the first six weeks of the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program, Disney's 2010 marketing campaign that had the stated goal of encouraging one million people to participate in volunteer events in their community. That number has now reportedly climbed to over 700,000, and MousePlanet reader Sharon Flummerfelt alerted us last week that the program might be ending even earlier than many expected.
Late Wednesday night, the HandsOn Network sent an e-mail to volunteer organizations who are participating in the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program, advising those groups that "the Give A Day. Get A Disney Day program is forecasted to come to a close very shortly." After MousePlanet contacted the
Disneyland Resort for comment, the Resort issued a statement that read "We are close to our goal of inspiring one million people to make a difference by volunteering. This spirit of volunteerism is making a significant impact in communities across the country." A spokesperson would not confirm whether the program is concluding once the million-volunteer goal is reached, and could not comment on how many vouchers have been redeemed.
The HandsOn Network e-mail lists steps that organizations need to take to "wind down" the program, and includes several points of interest to potential volunteers:
- No new applications will be accepted from organizations wanting to participate in the program.
- All flexible schedule volunteer opportunities were removed from the search database on March 5.
- Organizations can now post only date- and time-specific opportunitiesno "to be arranged" opportunities may be listed.
- Once Disney reaches its one-million ticket goal, the program ends and organizations will no longer be able to post new volunteer opportunities of any kind for the program.
- Only volunteers who have completed the registration and signed up for a specific date and time to volunteer before the program ends will get their vouchers for a Disney theme park ticket once their service has been verified.
This announcement came as a surprise to many of the participating organizations, who had just two days notice about the changes to the program. The HandsOn Network maintains a discussion board where volunteer organizations can ask HandsOn Network representatives for help with the program (link), and the recent postings show that many groups are confused and upset by the news. Several members worry that their organizations will be unable to attract as many volunteers for events scheduled later in the year, and complain that the program unfairly favored winter and spring events. Since groups can only post events 60 days in advance, organizations who had planned summer beach clean-ups and fall festivals will likely be unable to list their events before the million-volunteer mark is reached.
The early end to the program also presents a challenge for Disney Parks and Resorts, which now gets to deal with having this year's national marketing campaign cut short. (A source speculates that Disney decided not to call the 2010 program "the year to volunteer," fearing it would have to scramble to find a way continue the program without giving out any more tickets if the promotion was more popular than expected. If so, whomever was responsible for that decision is probably breathing a huge sigh of relief right now). Disney will likely continue those in-park promotions which recognize and "celebrate" people who are redeeming their volunteer certificates, but return to the "What Will You Celebrate" marketing theme for national advertising. Expect "Summer Nightastic!" and "World of Color" campaigns to dominate local advertising for Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and potentially even an early roll-out of Walt Disney World's 40th Anniversary celebration.
The pending end of the program has left many current and potential volunteers confused about their status, so here is a bit of information that may help answer your questions and hopefully alleviate your concerns. First, the basics: While Disney has said that the goal is to inspired one million people to volunteer, information we've received from local charities indicates that Disney is basing that count on the number of people who have registered through the Disney Web site for projects, not the number who actually completed the projects. These groups expect that Disney will "end" the program (close it to new volunteers) once one million people have registered for events.
I've already completed my volunteer service and received my voucher:
If you have already completed your volunteer service and have received your confirmation and voucher, you are already "counted." Your voucher is still valid through December 15, 2010 (subject to Resort-specific blockout dates).
I've already completed my volunteer service but have not received my voucher:
- If you registered through the Disney Web site and have already completed your volunteer service, you have already been counted, and your voucher should be issued within two weeks of your event. Once received, your voucher is still valid through December 15, 2010 (subject to Resort-specific blockout dates).
- If it's been more than two weeks since you completed your service, the Disney Web site provides the following advice: "If you have not received any communication or seen the status of your volunteer activity change after 2 weeks, please contact the Guest Support Team for assistance. Please keep in mind that if you signed up for the program as part of a household, verification emails are sent to the lead volunteer."
I've already signed up, but I haven't completed my volunteer service:
- If you have already registered through the Disney Web site for a date-and-time specific opportunity, you have already been "counted." You will receive a voucher once your service is completed and has been verified by the sponsoring organization, EVEN IF Disney announces an "end" to the program before your event date. Once issued, your voucher will still be valid through December 15, 2010 (subject to Resort-specific blockout dates).
- If you contacted a participating organization through the Disney Web site to schedule a volunteer opportunity and received an e-mail from the HandsOn Network with a link to sign up, you can still use the link contained in that e-mail to register for your selected opportunity until the program ends. You are not "counted" until you complete that registration process. If you have lost that e-mail, you will need to contact the organization directly for assistance. If you can no longer volunteer for that specific opportunity, you may be able to reschedule for another opportunity with the same organization before the program ends - again, contact them directly for assistance.
- If you contacted a participating organization through the Disney Web site to schedule a volunteer opportunity but never received a reply, you have NOT been "counted." You can either contact the organization again, or register for another opportunity in your area before the program ends to be eligible.
I haven't signed up yet:
- If you haven't already scheduled your volunteer service, this is the time to do it. The HandsOn Network site currently lists opportunities for the next 60 days, so be sure to get registered before the program ends. You must make sure that you properly register for your chosen event through the Disney Web site (link). If you just show up at an event without pre-registration, the group can not confirm your participation and you will not receive a voucher.
