Welcome to AL!VE's winter newsletter!
 
I am honored as the newest president to share with you this exciting time in our organization's evolution. Over the past 3 years that I've been on the board, the team has grappled with our strategic and opportunistic direction -- developing many tools to accomplish these goals. We have our first paid Manager, many new partnerships, constantly growing professional development opportunities, strategically growing board of directors, and an increasing suite of ways for our members to network and grow.
 
The board and I invite you to expand your professional growth with us this year. Attend one of the national conferences we're helping plan. Sign up for a mentorship role. Sit in on one of our partner's collaborative webinars. Join a subcommittee and get more involved. In this edition of our newsletter you'll see all these offerings and more. We're excited to support your professional growth!
 
Best, Jason

Welcome to our newest AL!VE members!

Volunteer Knoxville
Contact: Alexandra Brownfield
Join Date: 11/17/2016

Betsy McFarland
Adisa
Join Date: 12/14/2016

Gretchen Weaver
Habitat for Humanity- Dallas
Join Date: 12/15/2016

Jennifer Thompson
TulsALIVE
Join Date: 12/27/2016

Shannon Hohl
Idaho Department of Insurance
Join Date: 01/18/2017

Seth Richardson
GMHC
Join Date: 01/20/2017

Want to add an event? Let us know!

Volunteer Leadership: The Art of Managing Up
Presented by Volunteer Fairfax
02/16/2017
9:00 am - 10:00 am EST

At this workshop, we’ll consider your roles as a leader to your volunteers and your other voices needed in the management of the entire organization. 

AL!VE Member Webinar
03/09/2017
9AM PST, Noon EST

New to AL!VE or just want to check in?  Find out what's happening or get a quick fix of networking with your peers.

Managing Waves of Change
October 24 & 25, 2017

AL!VE and Better Impact are pleased to again present a unique opportunity in our sector. Managing Waves of Change is this year's theme.  Topics will give you tools and resources to deal with these changing times in the non profit sector, the workplace, the volunteer sector, and your career.  We are planning an educational and entertaining format unlike any other!

Listed below are upcoming recognized days of service within the next couple of months.  This may be a great opportunity for your organization to host service projects.

Random Acts of Kindness Week
February 12-18, 2017
Random Acts of Kindness Week® is dedicated to celebrating the little things we do for others. Learn more here.

AmeriCorps Week
March 5-12, 2017
Do you host AmeriCorps at your organization?  AmeriCorps Week is a recruitment and recognition event designed to bring more people into service, salute AmeriCorps members and alums for their powerful impact, and thank community partners who make AmeriCorps possible. Learn more here.

Cesar Chavez Day
March 31, 2017
An official holiday in six states and dozens of cities and counties throughout the United States, this day honors the life, work, and values of activist Cesar E. Chavez with a day of service and learning. Learn more here.

We are here for you!  If you have a question, recommendation or concern, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@volunteeralive.org. 

Or visit our website at www.volunteeralive.org.

Did You Know: 30% of volunteer managers have volunteer management as 100% of their job duties?
Did you participate in last November's survey presented by VolunteerPro (Tobi Johnson & Associates)?  Bravo!  Over 1,300 of your colleagues participated.  Download a copy of the Volunteer Management Progress report and view the webinar recording here.

Interested in helping our AL!VE Board shape our association to provide the best service and offerings to our members and advocate for the profession?  Join a committee!

We are looking for AL!VE members who can help us in the following areas:

• Marketing. Assist the VP of Marketing with newsletter content, AL!VE programming promotion, and social media strategy.

• Membership. Assist the VP of Membership with membership offerings, welcoming new members, and AL!VE mentor program.

• Programs.  Assist the VP of Programs with design and execution of webinars, programming partnerships and the annual Hybrid Conference.

If interested, please contact Gretchen Jordan, AL!VE Association Manager at manager@volunteeralive.org.

AL!VE is dedicated to keeping membership fees low and exercising various funding avenues to enrich our membership offerings.  Now you can find AL!VE as a charitable option when you sell or shop on eBay or purchase your next items on Amazon!

New to AL!VE or just want to check in?  Find out what's happening or get a quick fix of networking with your peers.  The first 30 minutes include a short presentation about AL!VE, your membership benefits, and how-to's.  The next 30 minutes are an open discussion about any topic relating to managing volunteers or programs!

Join us on March 9th at 9am PST/ Noon EST. Register here.

Receive $35 off certification as an AL!VE member!

Professional certification signals a commitment to excellence. It confirms that individuals have the knowledge needed to competently attract, onboard and support volunteers. Certification promotes personal confidence, and helps employers hire, verify and reward relevant expertise.

Applications are accepted on a continual basis, however there is a deadline for each exam window.

Spring Exam Window: April 3-14, 2017
Application deadline: March 15, 2017

Learn more about the certification process cvacert.org.

Get ready to register for MAVA's 2017 National Summit on Volunteer Engagement Leadership!  AL!VE is pleased to be a partner in the Summit.  Watch for more information on attending a pre-conference meeting or visit our outreach table at the Summit!

Content presented at the National Summit will focus on two general goals which are distinct, yet highly interrelated:

• Advancing the national visibility and impact of leaders of volunteer engagement

• Developing the knowledge and skills of practitioners of volunteer administration

The Summit will be held at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 26 - 28, 2017. 

Registration opens February 17th! To learn more and to register, click here.

America's Service Commissions (ASC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing and promoting state service commissions across the United States. The National Service Training Conferences are a training opportunity for national service program staff. Visit their website at www.nationalservicetraining.org

Staff representing all streams of national service are encouraged and welcome to attend the 2016 training events including but not limited to AmeriCorps State/National, Senior Corps, State Service Commissions, Social Innovation Fund, AmeriCorps VISTA, Volunteer Generation Fund, Tribal Grantees, and AmeriCorps NCCC. 

Conference Materials: You can access past training materials from last year here and select the About tab. There may be some information that is prevalent to your programs that could be helpful to you!

Senior Corps has announced a funding opportunity to support programs that increase the impact of volunteers age 55-plus. Priorities for this grant competition include these six Focus Areas and the key goal of Capacity Building as
describe below:

• Disaster Services

• Economic Opportunity

• Education

• Environmental Stewardship

• Healthy Futures

• Veterans and Military Families

If you're attending the National Conference for Volunteering and Service in Seattle June 19-21, you're invited to come to the 'Dine-Around' sessions on Monday, June 19.  If you'd like to connect with other AL!VE members or colleagues who are interested in networking, professional development, or advocating for the field over dinner, you'll be in GREAT company.

Welcome to our new Board Members who have agreed to serve a 3 - year term from 2017-2020.  Find out more about the AL!VE Board of Directors here.

Karmit Bulman
Maplewood, Minnesota - Great Lakes Region
Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA)

Megan Holland
Mahomet, Illinois - Great Lakes Region
Carle Hospital

Gretchen Weaver
Dallas, TX - South Central Region
Dallas Habitat for Humanity

A sincere thank you to retiring Board Members:

Sarah Christian, Denver:  A member of AL!VE's founding board, Sarah has served as Membership Chair and Treasurer for more than six years.  

Kathryn Hampton, CVA, Boise, ID:  Kathryn was the AL!VE Secretary for more than five years.

They will both be remaining on the AL!VE membership committee, working on special projects!  

Louise Coniglio, Atlanta, GA:  Has resigned due to conflicts in schedule.