As we wrap up 2017, I am thankful for many things.  Health and wellness. A job and home. Friends and family. And I’m thankful for the opportunities my community has offered to me. The opportunity to help is a gift in itself. As volunteer engagement professionals, we know the more we put into an endeavor, the more we get out of it. I hold this truth in my time with social services and natural ecosystem organizations that I volunteer with. I’m also thankful for the opportunity to serve OUR community through ALIVE. It’s a pleasure and delight to help create and foster the successes we’ve been accomplishing as of late. If volunteering in a new way with AL!VE with Committee or a short term project is part of your New Year’s resolutions, feel free to contact us.
 
 

AL!VE Member Webinar
Friday, January 12^th, 2018
11:00-12:00 noon PST /2:00-3:00 pm EST
via GoTo Meeting

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. 

AL!VE Academy: Partner Presentation from VIS 
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
1:00 - 2:00 PM Eastern
via GoToWebinar
Through description and discussion of actual incidents occurring over the 40-year history of the Volunteers Insurance Service program, you will learn how to dig deep to evaluate severity and frequency of foreseeable risks; how to select, train and hold volunteers accountable; how to respond when incidents do occur; and more.  Free for AL!VE members.

To register, click on the title links above or visit our calendar.

Welcome to our newest AL!VE members:

Jerome Tennille
Marriott International

Sandra Severance
RSVP Nevada

Jackie Coppard
Naples Botanical Garden

Lona Christensen
South Dakota Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

Mark Smith
Project Angel Heart

Katherine Matthews, BS
Bayhealth

Liz Wollenberg
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin

Colleen Rogers
Franciscan Retreat Center

Penny Jane Strauss
Outagamie County

Amber Oudsema
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Rachel Davis
Emerald Youth Foundation

Melissa McDonald
Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division

Carol Heavner
FlySFO

Jessica Gordon
The Peregrine Fund

Kristen Jackson
Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas

Katie Lamb
GLSEN

Emory Lollis
KARM Stores

Cheryl Wegner
San Diego County

Michelle Raymer
Volunteer Iowa

Donna Divodi
City of San Mateo

A big THANK YOU to these renewing members:

Gene Dickinson
Woofstock 2nd Chance Camp
Member Since: 11/06/2012

Krista Gilmore
Senior Services & Community Transit, Cecil County
Member Since: 08/01/2009

Kathryn Hampton, CVA
Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation
Member Since: 06/19/2009

Jane Justis
The Leighty Foundation
Member Since: 08/07/2009

Karmit Bulman
Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration
Member Since: 08/24/2016

Jared McCannell, CVA
Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention
Member Since: 11/04/2015

Victoria McCoy
University Health System- San Antonio
Member Since: 09/01/2016

Susan Nusall, CVA
Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education
Member Since: 07/07/2010

Kim Soto
San Diego Humane Society
Member Since: 07/02/2016

Amy Simmons
Special Olympics New Jersey
Member Since: 11/05/2015

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.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
January 15^th, 2018
With "Make it a day ON... Not a day off!" as its slogan, this commemoration is designed to keep Dr. King's legacy of service to others alive in communities across the United States.  The day of service is scheduled on his nationally-recognized birthday holiday.

National Mentoring Month
January 2018
Created in 2002, National Mentoring Month focuses national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us—individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits—can work together to increase the number of mentors to assure positive outcomes for our young people.

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.
 

The AL!VE Board of Directors are proposing the following three bylaw changes which need to be voted on by the AL!VE membership:


According to our bylaws, provisions may be made for electronic voting and amendments must be passed by two-thirds vote of the membership. Please review the proposed bylaw changes listed below and click on this link to cast your vote:
https://goo.gl/forms/hsaga2n9nhLfdVtw2

Voting will remain open until December 26, 2017.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Beth Whitmire, AL!VE Past President and Acting Secretary at bethwhitmire94@gmail.com.

Thank you to all that attended the 2017 AL!VE Annual Meeting.  At this meeting, we had an opportunity to introduce our board members, 2017 successes, 2018 goals for the organization, bylaws revisions, and upcoming events.

Some of our 2017 successes include:

• Increasing membership by 20% since last year

• Implementing new member calls from the Membership Committee

• Revamping the New Member webinar

• Offering 32 AL!VE Academy webinars and member informational sessions (including those offered from our partners)

• Partnering with Better Impact to host the Take the Leap | Embrace Change live stream conference

• Increasing social media presence with over 1,000 followers each on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

• Providing bi-monthly newsletter and recurring e-blasts for important information regarding the field of volunteer engagement

• Attending 13 local events to support volunteer engagement associations

Some of the plans and goals for 2018 include:

• Redesigning the Member's Only section of the AL!VE website

• Reviewing all member benefits and creating more collaboration/conversation between members

• Developing a comprehensive suite of AL!VE Academy webinars that include guest speakers from A!VE partners

• Expanding the reach of the next live stream conference

• Developing additional support for local volunteer associations and those wanting to create an association

• Redesigning the navigation of the AL!VE website and increase access to resources

• Growing presence and content on LinkedIn

Invitation to Engage
AL!VE also invites you to become engaged in some of the work that supports our organization and its members, or professional working groups that are helping to advance the field of volunteer engagement. Below are some of the groups or activities you may become involved in.


The annual meeting can be viewed in its entirety here.

If you are interested in becoming more involved in AL!VE or AL!VE supported activities, please contact us at info@volunteeralive.org.

We would like to take a moment to congratulate and introduce the newly-elected members to our Board of Directors:

• Lauren Cossel (Atlantic region)

• Kathryn Lamb (Great Lakes region)

• Michelle Raymer (Midwest region)

• Anthony Richardson (Pacific region)

• Ashley Rieser, CVA (Atlantic region)

• Mark Smith, CVA (Mountain region)

• Jennifer Thompson, CVA (South Central region)

• Ralph Vogel (Atlantic region)

• Fr. Richard Wineland (Great Lakes region)

To learn more about our board members, visit the AL!VE website.

2017 Hybrid Conference titled "Take the Leap | Embrace Change" was a great success with over 30 remote sites participating in the US and Canada with nearly 500 attendees.  AL!VE President Elect Dana Litwin, CVA, moderated the four presenters and included musical interludes, small group work, and perspectives on facing and adapting to change in our personal and professional lives.  Here is some feedback about last year's event!

'I loved the short breaks between each speaker to have discussions at the host sites.  We have really great discussions about the topics, networked with people we had never met before, made arrangements for site visits in the future.  It was absolutely a worthwhile experience which I would do again!  And it was affordable for those of us who have 0 budget for education!!!"

"Really loved the concept of presenter, group questions and then the couch Q&A. Would have been nice to have a little bit longer time to talk about the group questions. Lots of knowledge to share and we often ran out of time."

If you'd like to learn more, sign up for our informational mailing list here.  We will keep you updated on Registration, Topics, etc. Informational webinars will be added in January 2018; watch our calendar for details.
Questions?  
Contact Gretchen Jordan, AL!VE Association Manager.
 

 Verified Volunteers, the recognized thought leader in the volunteer background screening industry is pleased to provide as a member benefit a free e-Book – 'Enhancing the Volunteer Lifecycle'
Our background screening partner, Verified Volunteers recently released their e-book, Enhancing the Volunteer Lifecycle. This complimentary e-book will help you love your volunteers even more  by learning how to:

• Better develop and define volunteer positions so both your organization and your volunteers benefit.
• 
  Get the right people in the right volunteer roles, and set volunteers up for success with proper training and support.
• 
  Keep volunteers engaged by clearly communicating volunteer impact and outcomes. 

Be sure to download your copy today!

Verified Volunteers also has a blog if you'd like to check out their site for more resources, too.
 

Volunteer Match: Managing Difficult Volunteer Transitions
12/19/2017

Volunteer Match: The New Volunteer Manager's Toolkit
01/09/2018

Volunteer Match: Engaging the Volunteer of the Future
01/11/2018

AL!VE Member Welcome Webinar
01/12/2018

AL!VE Academy Partner Presentation: “Managing Volunteer Risks – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
01/16/2018

Volunteer Match: Social Media and Volunteer Engagement
01/23/2018

Volunteer Match: Where Do I Go From Here? Engage Volunteers in New Ways
01/24/2018

Volunteer Match: Single Days of Service: Make 'em Work!
01/25/2018