This month, we highlight the quiet yet vital work of NDF’s Resource Coordinators—dedicated volunteers who ensure that Dharma teachings remain accessible long after a retreat or meditation session ends. In this interview, Dianne Wiroll, NDF’s Technical Manager, sits down with fellow staff member, Shemaleiah Geremia-Smylie, to discuss her journey into the sangha, what led her to her current position, her role in managing Resource Coordinators, and how this team of volunteers is continuing the sacred tradition of preserving and sharing the Dharma.

If you’ve ever benefited from NDF’s audio and video resources, you’ve experienced the results of their work. Read on to learn more about this meaningful effort and how you can get involved.

 

Shemaleiah: How did you first get involved with Natural Dharma Fellowship, Dianne? What drew you to NDF?

Dianne: What drew me to NDF was a small sangha near where I live run by Janine Grillo Marra. In addition to yoga classes, we had meditation sessions on Thursday mornings. She would answer questions about meditation and would talk a little bit about Dharma. And so, I started getting hooked on Dharma. 

Janine was already a movement teacher with NDF when I met her, doing yoga for retreats held at Wonderwell. She was always talking about going on retreat at Wonderwell. I had experienced Janine’s retreats three or four times before I actually went up to Wonderwell and after attending one retreat there, I knew I wanted to volunteer to be a retreat manager.

Through retreat management, I got to know people at Wonderwell and loved the atmosphere there.  As a Retreat Manager, I loved that I was able to sit in on sessions, teachings, and meditations. That’s when the Dharma started really wrapping around me and inviting me in.

It wasn’t long before they discovered that I had technical skills and encouraged me enthusiastically to help work on their website. From there, I worked on the new website project which included a whole new component of being able to post recordings of teaching and practice sessions on people’s dashboards. So here I am today, still working on the website and also managing a team of Resource Coordinators.

 

Shemaleiah: Your current role with Natural Dharma Fellowship is Technical Manager, a position within the Operations Team. What kind of work does being the Technical Manager entail?

Dianne: In my position as Technical Manager, I manage four areas, the Website – which involves the overall design and maintenance of the NDF site; Resource Management – working with volunteers who are the real heroes of the Dashboards; Tech Support – responding to issues, questions, and troubleshooting user inquiries; and Technology –  research, evaluation, and implementation of technical tools for the organization. Within these areas, the website and resources are the two major areas where I spend most of my time.

 

Shemaleiah: As we’ve been preparing for this interview, I’ve been thinking a lot about the work that you do, particularly with the Resource Coordinators, and how that is helping to preserve and share the Dharma, much like bodhisattvas of the past who preserved the teachings for future generations—the monks who first wrote down the Pali Canon, translators bring Buddhism to new countries, even those who hid the Terma texts for us to discover. Do you see any parallels between NDF’s modern digital archiving efforts and this sacred tradition?

Dianne: I had never thought about it that way, but it is definitely a parallel to what you just described.

I’ve always looked at this work as a way to get the Dharma out and spread it further. The people who come to our retreats experience the teachings during the retreat, but then they have the opportunity to continue practicing with the recordings we provide. And now I’m imagining that it is much like the scribes you described who would make the teachings available so people could continue to practice.

I think I can speak for the team when I say that on some level, whether it’s conscious or not, we could see it that way. This work is a way to serve the Sangha and also a way to spread Dharma, especially these days when people need the Dharma. This is our way to get the teachings out using skills we’ve all developed in our work lives.

We have provided some of the teachings on our Resource page where people can find free recordings. It’s sort of like whetting the appetite when people explore on that page and gives a glimpse of what Natural Dharma Fellowship offers through all the different programs, retreats, and weekly recordings we put up.

 

Shemaleiah: Considering all of these areas where you have responsibilities and knowing you’re a part-time employee, I’m assuming that these recordings—this whole process—wouldn’t really be happening without volunteer support. What kind of impact do volunteers have on making these teachings available?

Dianne: Emphatically – it would not happen without the people who have volunteered to be Resource Coordinators. I’m one person working 20 hours a week and could not do it by myself. 

Thankfully, many people have come to this volunteer position over the years. Two of our current coordinators have been on the team since we started providing recordings. Others have transitioned in and out. Now, this year, I have a new team in training.

There’s a saying that Wonderwell & NDF attracts to her exactly what she needs. And the people who have come into the Resource Coordinator role have been amazingly wonderful people who bring skills, caring, and a service attitude towards providing these recordings to everyone.  It just wouldn’t happen without them. 

I often think of the story of the Cobbler and the Elves with me as the cobbler and our coordinators as the wonderful elves who come in in the “middle of the night” and do their part.  They edit the recordings, build the components that the recordings go into, upload the recordings, and connect dashboards. They show up, they do their work, and then like magic, the resources are there in the morning. They are such wonderful people that do this work.

 

Shemaleiah: I’m thinking of the past—all the different roles that people have had in bringing the Dharma into the present—even among the scribes, some were writers, some probably edited, or wrote translations, others were safeguarding the texts in the caves. If someone wants to volunteer to serve with you in this way, what kind of tasks might they be doing?

Dianne: There are four main categories of Resource Coordinator. We have editors who edit the audio and video. Another volunteer creates the container where recordings are inserted. Then we have another person who builds the playlists and connects users to the events they registered for.  Our fourth role is the person responsible for uploading additional materials, like supporting documents, to the dashboards .

 

Shemaleiah: I’m assuming that part of this role is listening to these Dharma talks, which could be a wonderful opportunity to deepen your own practice as well. Have any volunteers shared with you about this work and in what ways they may have found it rewarding?

Dianne: Right now, there’s a person on the team who uses our resources for her practice every single day. The ability to now be working with the recordings makes her happy because it’s something she does every day anyway. And now she’s becoming more familiar with the content that’s in there.

Volunteers have the ability to choose which retreats, courses, meditation groups they work on, depending on their interests. Some have “favorites” they choose each year when we make assignments

In general, the coordinators appreciate the access to recordings and the added benefits of making connections at NDF and getting to know each other during the course of their time volunteering.  

 

Shemaleiah: Aside from this type of preservation and archiving work that the Resource Coordinators do, are there other areas under your purview where volunteer opportunities are available? Perhaps the website?

Dianne: Yes, the website! There are projects sitting in the wings we would like to do, and some that actually need to be done. I haven’t pushed as much for assistance here yet because the website work is important but it can sit on the back burner for a little while, whereas the resources need to be done. They take top priority.

 

Shemaleiah: What would you say to someone who maybe feels a little nervous about their technical prowess but is really committed to volunteering?

Dianne: So, the skills people need in order to be a Resource Coordinator — the editors, especially audio editors, need to be a little more technically skilled because they need to work with the audio editing programs. Video editing is more simple, so very teachable.  The other positions are also teachable and are mostly for people who are not afraid of technology and who don’t mind learning a new platform or new software.

The other piece is just keeping a level of concentration and focus. The jobs are not hard, but they are detailed and linear where one step is reliant on the step before. There are a lot of little details that need attention in order to get to the end result. Another consideration we look for is the amount of time the person is able to contribute to this work.

 

Shemaleiah: What if someone came to you and said, “You know, I really don’t have a lot of technical skills, but I want to help?

Dianne: Typically, when folks reach out about one of the roles I manage, we have a conversation about their interests, skills, experience, and overall comfort level with technology.  We also talk about time commitment.  Within that conversation, we can determine if volunteering in one of these roles is a good fit.  Once that’s decided, we do a few Zoom sessions where the tasks are demonstrated and they get hands on.

In my experience, people underestimate what they’re capable of. I often hear folks are not sure their skills are up to par but as I’m watching them do the work, they’re way better than they think they are and picking the workflow up very quickly.

What matters to me more is a person’s ability and willingness to learn. The steps are not hard, just detailed.  They take a little time and patience to master.  I can train someone who is reasonably familiarity with technology, is a quick study, and is willing to patiently learn.

 

Shemaleiah: These roles might not be for everyone, but it sounds like you have different training strategies in place to support volunteers who are dedicated to learning the skills. And it sounds like they have opportunities to meet one-on-one with you or maybe train with each other so they’re not totally alone?

Dianne: Yes. Investing a little time in training is normally the key to success. And… I’ve been told I’m a patient trainer so as long as you have the interest, can put in the time to train, and have patience with the process, it will be a relatively short learning curve.

 

Shemaleiah: Well, I can personally attest to that being true. You are a patient trainer, and you always provide excellent resources.

Dianne: Thank you.

 

Shemaleiah: Well, Dianne, is there anything else that you want to share about the various volunteering roles that you oversee? Or that people should know if they’re considering whether it might be a good fit for them?

Dianne: We just had a recent open house info session. I think we had five or six people on that Zoom call. As Laura [NDF’s Online Programs Coordinator] and I were talking about it, she observed that it depends on the person’s personality whether they come with me as a Resource Coordinator or if they go to be a Zoom host or an A/V pilot.

Resource coordinating is more behind-the-scenes – quietly sitting at your desk, less pressure. There is a deadline to meet, but it’s not immediate, and the tasks get done on your own time. This kind of schedule and workflow draws a certain personality and provides a certain type of reward when the job is done.

In contrast, Zoom hosts and AV Pilots are “ON” from the minute the session starts and are responsible for being the face and the voice of the online participants. There’s a different kind personality drawn to this post which comes with it’s own pressure and rewards. 

So, it just depends on your own personality and the time you have to dedicate to this. All these roles serve the Dharma and NDF in different ways. All will earn merit either way—clear the karma, earn the merit!

 

Shemaleiah: Absolutely!

With all the myriad events, retreats, and courses that NDF offers—before you even factor in a retreat, there’s Monday night meditation, Tuesday night meditation, Dharma Sunday, often a class on Wednesday, and some other regular groups that are being recorded on different days. That’s a lot of hours each week. And then there are multi-day retreats on top of that! Do you currently have enough volunteers doing this work?

Dianne: Right now, the team has grown to eight coordinators in the various roles.  There’s room for one or two more people on the Resource Coordinator team and definitely room for a role in website assistance.  

Every time a new cohort comes on, I tell myself, “Great, the team is full and they’re here forever”.  And then, time goes on, priorities change, and there’s turnover.  The first time people “retired” from the team, I was shocked.  I was like, “What? They’re not staying forever?” And then I realized, “Oh, there’s a cycle to volunteering and now it’s time to retrain.” That’s part of the flow of things—impermanence, right?

 

Shemaleiah: It sounds like one of the rewarding pieces about your role is getting to develop sangha relationships.

Dianne: Yes. I value the connections with the team and work to create an environment that’s steady, calm, and fun.  People join the team for different reasons but one common thread is that they want to broaden their relationships within the sangha and with NDF on the whole.

 

Shemaleiah: Although these relationships begin in a specific framework, I imagine that framework broadens over time. There are probably Dharma conversations taking place, friendships developing… So I guess the question I’m trying to ask, which I think you’ve already answered to some extent, is: What do you find rewarding about working with volunteers?

Dianne: Two things—two sides of a coin.

I have met some really fun people who understand that getting the Dharma out can be serious and it can be fun. I’ve been very fortunate with the folks who have shown up and really enjoy spending time talking with them. I have been completely impressed with their dedication, generosity, and support they’ve given me and NDF.  

I also have gratitude for the times they have shown me where I still need to do some work on myself and for providing me with an opportunity to work with my own practice. It’s all been largely good and rewarding.

I try to let them know as often as possible that they’re SO appreciated. This couldn’t happen without them. I get to hear other ways that people practice, something about their lives, and make new friendships.

The fact that all of us – anyone who’s ever been on this team – know that the highest goal is getting the Dharma out into the world. Being able to practice with the Dharma as we find it in these roles, and just becoming our own little Sangha with each other is a bonus that’s been very rewarding in a lot of ways.

 

Shemaleiah: It seems like your own Dharma practice really influences the way you show up with volunteers. What a gift to be able to do this kind of work—to transform the seemingly mundane tasks we do in other areas of our life, like editing something, creating a playlist or organizing files, these tasks that we don’t necessarily consider as Dharma work, this is an opportunity to reframe these things and realize that all of it matters. It can all be Dharma practice.

Dianne: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

 

Shemaleiah: I have so appreciated your time, Dianne, and this conversation we’re having. Thank you. Is there anything else you would like to share or express before we sign off?

Dianne: As we were approaching this, I was thinking to myself, “What do I have to say about all of this?” I was thinking I can clinically describe what we do but thanks to your thoughtful questions, I’ve gotten to think about this little corner of NDF and be reminded of how rich my role is because of my connections with the volunteers who show up and do the work.  So this interview has been really good—it’s making me think, “Yeah, this is everyday stuff, but it’s also really quite special.”

 

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If you’ve ever been moved by a recorded Dharma Talk or meditation practice on NDF’s website or mobile app, please consider joining the team that makes these teachings accessible to others. Whether you have technical skills or just a willingness to learn, your help is invaluable. Every recording we edit is another opportunity to share wisdom and preserve these teachings for future generations. If you’d like to be a part of this meaningful work, reach out today—we’d love to have you join us!

For more information about the various ways you can serve our precious community, please visit the Volunteer Opportunities page of our website. If this interview has inspired you to offer your skills as a Resource Coordinator, please contact Dianne to learn more.