Throughout her time as a graduate student at Mississippi State University, Daphne Carroll followed a similar, if not identical path, as Jamey Bachman.
Both were Public Policy and Administrations students, Carroll said, and she filled the graduate assistant position at the Maroon Volunteer Center that opened after Bachman left.
Coincidentally, Carroll is once again building on Bachman’s legacy in her role as the new Volunteer Starkville Executive Director.
This time, with much bigger shoes to fill, Carroll said, she hopes to build on the legacy that Bachman created.
“I’ve worked with Jamey for years, and I when I saw this position opening, I knew it was my chance,” Carroll said. “She did a phenomenal job here and has really set me up for success. I can’t wait to expand on what she really created.”
Carroll officially took over as executive director on July 3, she said, and a large priority since her start date has been revamping Volunteer Starkville’s social media presence and using that tool to gain a larger following in the community.
Although Bachman increased volunteer numbers and engagements exponentially, adding over 200 non-profit partners and over 25,000 volunteer engagements, Carroll said the key to continue growing the organization is increasing awareness in the community.
For Volunteer Starkville, growing the organization means continuing to add more volunteers, gain non-profit partners, and increasing fundraising.
“I think getting more volunteers for the events that we (Volunteer Starkville) do host ourselves, will greatly increase our visibility in the community,” Carroll said. “A lot of people don’t know that we actually host our own events, instead of just giving out information on other non-profits in the area.”
Volunteer Starkville participates in annual events including the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, National Volunteer Week and First Responders Appreciation Day, and hosts annual fundraising events like Touch-A-Truck, which caters to Starkville’s youth and provides hands-on opportunities to learn more about vehicles used in the city.
Events like Touch-A-Truck, which was created by Bachman after noting the success from similar events in other communities, provide a major portion of Volunteer Starkville’s funds.
Bachman’s legacy
When she first entered the role as executive director in 2012, Bachman said, Volunteer Starkville was still a young and underdeveloped non-profit that did not have many policies or procedures in place to smoothly operate.
The organization was in debt, had only 20 non-profit partners, and was averaging only 1,290 volunteer engagements. In Bachman’s final year in the position, the organization saw 30,000 engagements.
Bachman attributes the growth she saw to developing relationships with the community and other non-profits and working with her board to establish proper budgeting and policies for the organization.
After hiring a federal work study student through MSU and an Americorps Vista representative, Bachman said, the small staff of three and the board of directors began tackling all of these goals head-on.
“What I have created at Volunteer Starkville, I couldn’t have done by myself by any means,” Bachman said. “Between the board and other local partnerships, we truly created a model volunteer organization for the state of Mississippi.”
As Bachman found her own passions within the volunteer community, she said she hopes Carroll can really take a step back and figure out what the organization can do to align with her own passions.
“I know she can grow the organization, bring on more staff, and serve even more in the community,” Bachman said. “When I found out she was one of the candidates for the job, I knew she was our girl. And between her prior experience and education, I think she is definitely a perfect fit for what VS needs.”
Even more success
Working closely with Bachman during her time as executive director, Board President and Mayor Lynn Spruill said she could not have left Volunteer Starkville in better shape.
Although impressed with Bachman’s work and dedication to the organization, Spruill said she is confident in Carroll’s ability to lead the organization to greater heights.
“I look forward to Daphne following the platform that was left for her,” Spruill said. “And I know she will lead us with just as much success, if not more, than Jamey did.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.