President's Message
AL!VE Board President Dana Litwin, CVA  Spring has sprung, 2019 is off and running, and AL!VE and our members are leading the way on many fronts! I am excited and honored to be working with a deeply talented and dedicated Board, the largest in the history of AL!VE.
AL!VE members are presenting at national and regional conferences and webinars more than ever in 2019, furthering their own and others professional development. Let us know where and when you are sharing your expertise - we always want to hear from our members who are presenting, and we’re happy to provide AL!VE collateral and information.
As the fiscal agent for the new National Alliance for Volunteer Engagement, AL!VE is continuing to support and facilitate this exciting cross-sector venture. I and other AL!VE members involved with the launch of the Alliance will be hosting informational sessions at the Points of Light National Conference on Volunteering and Service, in St.Paul, MN in June.
These are times of great changes and challenges - in our profession and the world; offering us opportunities for collaboration, connection, and collective action as never before. I invite you to learn and grow and engage in your work and career with AL!VE on committees, projects, outreach, tapping into the expert talent pool, and as peer support. WE are here for you, our members, and each other on this journey together.
We're Now on Instagram!
 See more at volunteeralive on insta! Thanks to AL!VE Board Member Audrey Kidwell for setting up and managing. If you'd like to help with instagram or other social media, contact us.
Upcoming AL!VE Academy Webinars for May, June, & July
 May 9, 2019 1:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Supporting & Engaging Volunteers with Mental Illness
Presented by Katie Mahoney, MSW
Program Manager, NAMI Seattle
 June 12, 2019 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Taking Volunteer Training Online
Presented by Tomomi Suenaga Summers
Nonprofit Connect
July 10, 2019, 2:00 PM Eastern
Recap of the 2019 Points of Light Conference in St Paul, Minnesota
Update on the Alliance for Volunteer Engagement
Presented by AL!VE Board President, Dana Litwin, CVA
Dana Litwin Consulting
Welcome New AL!VE Members
Welcome to our newest AL!VE members:
Ryan Barton
Community Preservation and Development
Megan Moon
Humane Education Coalition
Paula Allen
Fioli Center
Amira Barger
Public Health Institute
Kelly Brinkley
Worcester Volunteer Connection
Beth Winton
Stars
Danni Kiefner
Louisville Regional Airport Authority
Timothy Bothe
American Red Cross
Melissa Bellon
United States Pharmacopeia
Thank You to Renewing Members
A big THANK YOU to these renewing members:
Kristin Volpone
Salvation Army
Member since 2/9/2018
Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley
Member since 2/13/08
Sara Curtis
People to People Ministries
Member since 3/12/2017
Angela Determan
Mason City
Member since 3/12/2018
Gerald Pannozzo, CVA
Independent Contractor
Member since 3/1/2017
Sue Prochazka
United Way of the Great River Region
Member since 3/5/2018
Jennifer Thompson
Hometown Hospice
Member since 3/4/2016
Trudi White, CVA
St. Patrick - St. Anthony Church
Member since 3/2/2011
Shirley Burgess
United Way DesMoines
member since 4/25/2018
AL!VE Calendar Submissions Welcome
Our website's calendar highlights AL!VE events as well as events from our colleagues and associations in the field. If you'd like to add a date for an event that is related to volunteer engagement or professional development, provide us the information here. Your event will be reviewed for approval and posted usually within 24 hours.
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2019 Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference: Register Soon!
2019 Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference
The Future is Now:
Tech Trends Transforming 2020 and Beyond
Visit the Conference Website
Technology has changed the way we plan, lead and manage volunteers in a big way. And new technologies on the horizon are going to bring even greater changes. What are some of the tech tools out there you can use now to leverage volunteers to their full potential? What are some pending changes that you should start preparing for today? How can you be ready to infuse technology to work smarter, not harder into the next decade and beyond?
Now in its fifth year, this collaborative event between AL!VE, Better Impact and VMPC (Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada) broadcasts a virtual presentation to remote locations in North America. 2018's event had 35 remote locations and over 1,000 attendees. Our speaker lineup this year includes:
Get More Involved With AL!VE !
AL!VE has been working diligently behind the scenes to enhance each member's experience to get the most out of membership! But we cannot do it alone. We are in need of assistance from our members to serve on our committees.
We would love to speak with you further about the ways you can gain new skills and experience or use your talents to assist AL!VE in advancing our mission and moving our industry forward. Listed below are descriptions of each committee and the time commitment required. If you cannot make the committee meetings, you can still reach out to the committee chair to see how you can still offer your assistance. Committee involvement is a great way to gain experience and exposure on a regional, state, or national level. If there's a skill you'd like to learn, we can also mentor/train you.
Thank you for considering volunteering with us! We hope to speak with you soon!
Membership Committee
Duties: Committee members assist the VP of Membership with creating and cultivating the member experience for AL!VE, including:
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Development and maintenance of member benefits
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Design and administration of member onboarding (e.g., new member calls, new member webinar)
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Creation of content for public website and members only section
Commitment: 2-4 hours per month. Membership Committee meets the fourth Thursday of each month (10-11 AM PST/ 1-2 PM EST).
If Interested: Contact Gretchen Jordan, Association Manager at manager@volunteeralive.org or 650-534-2094
Programs & Advocacy Committee
Duties: Committee members assist the VP of Programs and Advocacy with developing innovative and creative ways of delivering professional development programming and industry information, including:
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Design and execution of AL!VE Academy webinars, guest presentations, and other training activities
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Development of resource clearinghouse for the AL!VE website
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Researching and providing advocacy updates and social, economic, and political trends impacting our industry
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Development and administration of Communities of Practice/networking groups
Commitment: 2-4 hours per month. Programs & Advocacy Committee meets the second Friday of each month (9-10am PST/ 12-1pm EST).
If Interested: Contact Gretchen Jordan, Association Manager at manager@volunteeralive.org or 650-534-2094
Marketing Committee
Duties: Committee members assist the VP of Marketing with publicity and engagement strategies aimed towards current and potential members through various communications channels, including:
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Creating content for AL!VE’s marketing strategy each month for social media channels (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter)
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Writing newsletter content for AL!VE’s bi-monthly newsletter
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Brainstorming creative ways to market AL!VE’s benefits and webinars and executing engagement strategy developed
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Designing marketing materials and web content on an ongoing basis to keep our materials and website fresh and current
Commitment: 2-4 hours per month. Marketing Committee meetings are TBA
If Interested: Contact Gretchen Jordan, Association Manager at manager@volunteeralive.org or 650-534-2094
Networking & Learning Opportunity -AL!VE’s Communities of Practice
A Community of Practice is a group of volunteer engagement professionals that meets virtually to share issues, strategies and best practices, get and receive colleagues' support, make connections, and provide an opportunity to share information, experiences, and resources specific to the industry/structure or community they serve.
NEW: Multiple Locations/Affiliates Communities of Practice
Date and Time TBD by group
Calling all volunteer management professionals who work at an organization with multiple locations or affiliates!
You are invited to join an exclusive community dedicated to solving the issues you are facing. AL!VE is forming a community of practice to include leading national and international nonprofits responsible for supporting volunteer engagement throughout their organizations. Volunteer engagement staff at a nonprofit with multiple locations are often supporting volunteer managers, rather than directly supporting volunteers. Discussion topics will be guided by member needs, but can include sharing around risk management and data protection, creating virtual training for multiple locations, and connecting our work to Sustainable Development Goals. *This group is meeting soon, connect ASAP to be involved*
For more information or to join, contact Allyson Drinnon, COP facilitator, at allysondrinnon@hotmail.com.
Rural Communities of Practice
SAVE THE DATES:
July 24th and October 15th
2pm EST / 11am PST
Registration coming soon!
Volunteer Engagement Professionals in small towns face unique challenges and opportunities that aren’t always addressed by advice intended for city-based audiences. There are also fewer opportunities to connect with others doing similar work across the country. That’s what led to the creation of AL!VE’s Community of Practice (CoP) for volunteer engagement professionals in rural communities.
For any questions about this, please contact Michelle Raymer, COP facilitator, at michelle.raymer@iowaeda.com.
Partner Corner- VolunteerMatch
We are proud to have partnered since 2015 with VolunteerMatch to share resources and information for volunteer engagement professionals. Did you also know AL!VE members can get a discount on VolunteerMatch membership? (check the members only side of the AL!VE website to learn more).
Check out our calendar for a current listing of webinars presented free from VolunteerMatch, presented by a variety of experts in the field. A new resource from our friends at VolunteerMatch is a monthly round up - a collection of the latest volunteer engagement blogs, news, best practices and more.
Read April's Monthly Round-Up here.
Thank you to our friends at VolunteerMatch for partnering with us!
Thank You - VolunteerPro
VolunteerPro will be 'sunsetting' their AL!VE member discount on VolunteerPro membership as of April 30, 2019. We are thankful for the partnership this past year.
If you were considering taking advantage of this generous discount, there is still time! All memberships purchased with the AL!VE discount link below will be honored until April 30, 2019.
To learn more, use this link to sign up for VolunteerPro's membership and activate the AL!VE member discount.
Does Your Agency Utilize Volunteer Drivers?
If your agency utlitizes volunteer drivers, there is a great resource out there - a low cost, online, volunteer driver safety course! AL!VE's partner VIS ( Volunteer Insurance Services) has developed this course and is available for anyone.
If your agency is a member of VIS this course is free. Otherwise it is $25. Learn more about the course here.
Want to learn a little more about risk management/insurance terms and volunteer programs? Check out this glossary of insurance terms and other volunteer-related topics.
Local Associations Update
Are you a volunteer engagement professional who is also a member of a local professional association? If so, please alert your association's leadership team that AL!VE is working on some projects that will benefit the entire local association community.
- An online handbook filled with information, resources, and templates for local associations. This will be 'living document' that can be updated on a regular basis. This handbook will be available for all local associations to utilize and add their resources.
- A mentoring program to help emerging or struggling local associations. Mentors will work with associations to help with issues that are familiar to many - leadership, declining attendance at meetings, membership, community presence, apathy.
-Building a national network that is of benefit to all to keep updated on the latest in regional, state, or national issues and events.
We will be sending a short survey to all local associations nationwide. Your response is greatly appreciated and will help us all.
Want to be involved in this project? Contact Gretchen Jordan, AL!VE Association Manager
AL!VE Member Welcome Webinars
 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.
New members will get a brief overview of our mission, benefits, activities and committees. Existing members can get a refresher, check in and ask questions. We'll share upcoming announcements, activities, calendar events and trainings.
Webinars will be approximately 30 minutes with an additional 30 minutes allocated for networking or discussion.
Register for an upcoming webinar:
Wednesday, April 24th, 2019; 2pm EST / 11am PST
Monday, June 10th, 2019 : 3 pm EST/11 AM PST
Happy Hour at Points of Light Conference in St Paul!
 
Our seventh annual Happy Hour networking event is scheduled from 7:30-10:00 pm on June 18, just a few blocks from the Points of Light conference. Thanks to our partner Better Impact for co-sponsoring this event!
Come and network, relax, and connect with your colleagues. We'll have light appetizers and a no-host bar (AL!VE members will receive a free drink ticket).
RSVP please! Register here
Where: Location TBA
When: June 18, 7:30 - 10:00
Who: Volunteer Engagement Professionals & Guests
Registration Now Open: 2019 Points of Light Conference
This year’s Points of Light Conference (June 18-20 in St. Paul, MN) will have a strong focus on volunteer engagement leadership, including an exciting plenary and over 40 breakout sessions.
Content for this track is being developed by practitioners in the field, led by the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA).
Register Here
Susan J. Ellis Foundation Provides Grants or Support for Programs
 To honor the legacy of Susan Ellis, Energize Inc has created the Susan J. Ellis Foundation and will, in the coming months, “provide grants or support programs that will expand volunteer administration and support education and research activities in volunteerism” Contributions are being accepted for it at https://www.energizeinc.com/foundation.
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