When people ask me what I do, I tell them I work in the world of volunteerism, helping a niche of a niche of a niche of a niche. In other words -- a niche (organizations) of a niche (charities) of a niche (nonprofit staff) of a niche (leaders of volunteers). However, in a world [...]
Note: To celebrate National Volunteer Week, our new online community VolunteerPro partnered with Volunteer Knoxville, our local volunteer center, to present a workshop on Designing Short-term Volunteer Opportunities. Our awesome University of Tennessee intern, Shannon Potash, shares what she learned below. First, THANK YOU! Thank you, volunteer management professionals for believing in your volunteers’ potential [...]
We’ve been interviewing volunteer program managers across the country for a new service we are launching in April. It has been so much fun to hear stories about how people get started in the field of volunteer management. Very few leaders started out thinking they would have this career. Instead, many were led to it by [...]
In Part I of this post, I discussed the changing nature of the workplace and how technological advances affect how we work with volunteers. In today’s world, most volunteers are both virtual and mobile -- even those that work on site -- because many already access information, communicate, and collaborate via a variety of personal [...]
In recent years there has been a fair amount of discussion about virtual volunteers and how to engage them in the work of nonprofits. However, little has been written about the changing nature of the workplace and how technological advances may directly affect how we lead volunteers and view volunteerism. Consider these fascinating statistics -- [...]
In 2013 I was awarded my CVA credential. Investing in my professional development and keeping my skills on point seemed to make sense. Here are some reasons why it may make sense for you, too.
Why not integrate volunteer workplace wellness programs into our volunteer recognition and retention strategies?
If you are struggling to find ways to motivate volunteers, or don't seem to have enough "leader" volunteers available, consider rennovating how you make decisions. Try leading from within, rather than from the top, by using a shared leadership model.
MP900387727In today's wired world, volunteers can make significant contributions to an organization, even if they live tens, hundreds, or thousands of miles away. Working virtually volunteers can be just as effective (or as ineffective) as those working on site.
Whether you are trying to recruit volunteers, raise money, or advocate for an increased budget there’s nothing quite like a captivating testimonial to build support. The only problem is that it’s hard to come up with factual stories “on demand” when you need them. That’s where storybanking comes in