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National Summit Agenda

The National Summit on Volunteer Engagement hosted by AL!VE will bring together nonprofit, government, and corporate professionals in volunteerism and service to ignite their passion for innovation, unlock their potential, and connect with the field.

With session blocks and more than 30 presenters, the 2026 National Summit on Volunteer Engagement offers a powerful mix of emerging trends, leadership development, community engagement strategies, and the evolving role of technology—including AI—in volunteerism.

Agenda At-a-Glance

Wednesday, March 18

Thursday, March 19

Friday, March 20

**Lunch will be served each day.
*All times are listed in local time (Pacific)

Full Schedule

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Attendee Check-In Open / Registration
Lobby

9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Exhibit Hall Open
Santa Barbara

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Opening Session
California Ballroom

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Breakout Sessions 

• Interactive Training: Making Adult Learning Fun! 
  Harriett Edwards
  Los Angeles
• Is AI Good or Bad? What You Think You Know is Not the Reality!
  Dana Litwin, CVA
  Rancho Cordova
• Beyond the Volunteer Day: Reimagining Corporate Partnerships for Real Impact
  Sarah Middleton
  Sacramento
• From Scratch to Sustainable: Building Volunteer Committees that Reflect and Empower Diverse Communities 
  Hollis Sweet and Colin Lourenco
  San Diego
• Communication VOlunteer Impact - telling the Whole Story
  Tony Goodrow and Beth Steinhorn
  Santa Rosa
• The Volunteer Engagement Exchange: A Candid Conversation with Industry Innovators featuring VEPs from the Arts &
  Culture, Healthcare, Education, Corporate and Faith Based Industries
  Stacy Groff
  Tahoe

11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Breakout Sessions

• Leadership Lab: Addressing Root Causes to Challenges in the Overall Volunteer Engagement Strategy
  Megan Vixie, CVA
  Los Angeles
• Rewriting the Rules: Volunteerism in a Changing World
  Faiza Venzant, CVA; Niila Hebert, CVA; Becky Blumer, CVA
  Rancho Cordova
• Future-Proofing Organizational Volunteer Engagement
  Wendy Johnson, CVA
  Sacramento
• Building Community Remotely: How Little Free Library Leverages Digital Tools to Keep Over 200,000 Volunteers Engaged
  Brianna Stapleton Welch and Marshall Krueger
  San Diego
• Huddle Up! Inspire Your Volunteer Groups through Simple Team Building
  Gina Edwards, CVA
  Santa Rosa
• Service Enterprise: Building Organizational Capacity Through Strategic Volunteer Engagement
  Amy Pinger, CVA
  Tahoe

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch (meal provided)
California Ballroom

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Networking and Skill Sharing
California Ballroom

3:00 PM – 4:15 PM
Breakout Sessions

• From First Role to Lasting Impact: Career Pathways for the Volunteer Engagement Professional
  Megan Vixie, CVA
  Los Angeles
• Change Starts with You: Driving Volunteer Engagement Through Leadership
  Beth Steinhorn
  Rancho Cordova
• Grace Under Pressure: Diffusing Challenges
  Jennifer Weichel, CVA
  Sacramento
• Evaluating Creatively: Tips and Strategies for Richer Feedback
  Harriett Edwards and Ken Culp III
  San Diego
• From Drift to Devotion: Re-Engaging Lapsed Volunteers and Keeping Them
  Mark Hopwood
  Santa Rosa
• Letting Go: Empower Your Team through Delegation
  Becky Lunders
  Tahoe

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Networking Mixer hosted by Volunteero (light bites provided)
Trellis

Onsite Volunteer Opportunity: Diaper Wrapping
Supporting Yolo Food Bank 

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Karaoke

THURSDAY, MARCH 19

8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Attendee Check-In Open / Registration
Lobby

9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Exhibit Hall Open
Santa Barbara

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Breakout Sessions

• Accessible Volunteerism: Creating Inclusive Volunteer Opportunities for the Blind/Visually Impaired Community
  Jennifer Bernstein, CVA
  Los Angeles
• Building a Public Policy Agenda for Volunteerism
  Jan Masaoka
  Rancho Cordova
• 6C: A Contemporary Framework for Servant Leadership
  Tray T.S. Deadwyler
  Sacramento
• You're Not Alone: Support, Resources & Real Talk for Volunteer Leaders
  Wendy Johnson, CVA, Kristin Kraemer, CVA and Becky Blumer, CVA
  San Diego
• Leading with Impact: Creating a Positive and Rewarding Volunteer Environment, Even in Challenging Times
  Tyler Davis, CVA
  Santa Rosa
• Design with Us: Help Shape the National Volunteer Strategy
  Megan Singer and Amber Melanie Smith
  Tahoe

10:30 AM  – 12:00 PM
Exhibit Hall and Technology Row
Santa Barbara and San Diego

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch (meal provided)
California Ballroom

1:30 PM – 2:45 PM
Breakout Sessions

• Bring Out the Best in Your Volunteers by Creating Supportive Environments for Effectiveness
  Traci Lato-Smith, CVA
  Los Angeles
• Making the Case When the Case Keeps Changing: Advocating for Strategic Volunteer Engagement in a Shifting Sector
  Beth Steinhorn, Betsy McFarland, CVA and Sue Carter Kahl
  Rancho Cordova
• Lead the Change: Practical Strategies for Navigating Organizational Transitions in Volunteer Engagement
  Amy Pinger, CVA
  Sacramento
• Lifelong Purpose: Unlocking the Power of Older Adult Volunteers
  Rebecca Nofi, CVA
  San Diego
• Mastering Recruitment and Retention in Diverse Populations
  Niila Hebert, CVA
  Santa Rosa
• The Boardroom Advantage: How Serving on a Nonprofit Board Can Give You a Leading Edge
  Jordanya Reeves, CVA
  Tahoe

3:15 PM – 4:30 PM
Breakout Sessions

• Actionable Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Volunteer Data
  Tony Goodrow
  Los Angeles
• Nice vs Nerve: A Courageous Conversation on Leadership and Volunteer Engagement
  Amira Barger, CVA
  Rancho Cordova
• The Power of Hope: A Catalyst for Action in Nonprofit Work
  Amy Pinger, CVA
  Sacramento
• Volunteering and Culture: Understanding Global Perspectives through Cultural Dimensions
  Vladyslav Hryhorenko, CVA
  San Diego
• Neurodiversity and Volunteerism
  Sarah Philippe
  Santa Rosa
• Digital Toolkit Essentials for Volunteer Engagement
  ALIVE Board Members
  Tahoe

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Celebrating a Night of Legacy (meal provided)
Semi-formal attire encouraged
California Ballroom

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
The Future of Volunteer Engagement Leadership
Presented by the Susan J. Ellis Foundation
Facilitated by Betsy McFarland, CVA and Faiza Venzant, CVA
California Ballroom

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Industry Standard or Vanity Metrics: Do Traditional Volunteer Data Help or Harm the Case for Volunteer Engagement
Moderated by Sue Carter Kahl
California Ballroom

12:00 PM
Lunch (meal provided)
California Ballroom

12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Closing Session
California Ballroom

*Schedule is subject to change

Overview

2026 National Summit on Volunteer Engagement  |  March 18–20, 2026 | Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova

Join hundreds of volunteer engagement professionals from across the country for three days of connection, learning, and inspiration. The 2026 National Summit on Volunteer Engagement brings together practitioners, thought leaders, and partners who are shaping the future of volunteerism.

Selection Process

Every speaker featured at the National Summit was selected through a rigorous proposal process led by the Summit Committee. Proposals were evaluated for their relevance to Summit outcomes, applicability to volunteer engagement professionals, presenter expertise, and budget considerations. The Committee sought a diverse slate of session formats—including workshops, panels, learning labs, debates, communities of practice, and experiential site visits—that take full advantage of the in-person experience in Sacramento. Presenters were encouraged from all levels of experience, and selected sessions reflect strong alignment with the Summit goals: fostering peer connection, advancing best practices, building skills and tools, and discussing issues of importance to the volunteer engagement field.