President's Message
AL!VE Board President, Michelle Raymer, CVA  This year has been an exciting one for AL!VE! If you weren’t able to join us, check out a recording of the annual meeting where we reviewed our accomplishments and outlined goals for the coming year. I’m so proud of this team of amazing leaders for what we have achieved.
In the discussion of professional development, we often hear and think about identifying mentors who can support us. The sometimes overlooked component of this are peer mentors, the colleagues and professional friends we work alongside. I am very grateful to the people who I consider to be my peer mentors, many of whom I have met volunteering with AL!VE. As she wraps up a year of serving as Past President, after two years as President, and former VP of Marketing, I want to take a moment to thank Megan Vixie for not only her service to AL!VE but also her peer mentorship to me and many others through AL!VE. The amount of behind-the-scenes work put in, and impact that Megan, and others like her, have on AL!VE and those they volunteer with, may not always be readily apparent from the outside. Thank you for your immeasurable contributions! In the coming year I hope to spotlight more of our leaders, so you all can get to know the fantastic people I get to work alongside. I look forward to serving through 2023 with you!
With gratitude to my inspiring peer mentors and this incredible team,
Michelle
Annual Meeting Slide Deck
AL!VE’s annual meeting was held November 30, at 2 PM Eastern. You can view the slide deck and recording here!
AL!VE Board Elections Results
A special thank you to the amazing group of volunteers who volunteered their time and expertise to serve on the Board Development Committee this year: Allyson Drinnon, Faiza Venzant, Mark Smith, Michelle Raymer, and Tim Suda! The slate was approved unanimously via member vote, and are denoted below with asterik. We will be updating our web page shortly.
Our Executive Committee and Board of Directors who will serve in 2023 are:
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Michelle Raymer, CVA– President
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Cathy Thoma, CVA- President Elect
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Christi Brown, CVA- Treasurer
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Nicole Smith, CVA - Secretary
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Ashley Rieser, CVA New- VP of Membership
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Darlene Laird, CVA- VP of Programs & Advocacy
- Chris Woods New - VP of Marketing
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Carol Ayars, CVA New
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Shelli Beck, CVA New
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Julie Booth, CVA New
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Alicia Morris Campbell, CVA
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Jenn Forristal, CVA New
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Jordanya Reeves
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Amanda Schmierer, CVA New
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Allison Schwartz
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Karen Stolt, CVA
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Rebeccah Verhoff-Kiss, CVA New
Congratulations to all and we look forward to their contributions to AL!VE and the profession next year!
AL!VE Service Enterprise Underway
As has been shared in past newsletters, AL!VE has taken on administration of Service Enterprise (SE) from Points of Light. A Service Enterprise is an organization that fundamentally leverages volunteers and their skills to meet their social missions. Research shows that organizations operating at this level are better led, managed, and have the same results as their peers at half the median budget. This makes organizations  attractive to volunteers who know they’ll have a good experience, and to funders who know their dollars will be well spent and go further. Service Enterprise includes an assessment, training, and coaching to help organizations in the change management process to achieve that level of operation. You can learn more by viewing the December AL!VE Academy about Service Enterprise here!
Information will be released soon about the forming of an Advisory Committee to provide stakeholder leadership. Additional opportunities to volunteer and support Service Enterprise are already available, reach out to serviceenterprise@volunteeralive.org to learn more!
Coming in 2023: Presenter Boot Camp!
AL!VE’s Presenter Bootcamp: Launching our first cohort February 2023!
Registration is full, but there is a waitlist if you would like to register. Read on for more details! Are you a volunteer engagement professional seeking to elevate your virtual presentations? Do you have an idea for a topic or lived/professional experience but you don’t know how to turn it into a compelling narrative for a training? Do you freeze when tapped to lead educational content, or need to translate in-person training into engaging virtual experiences? Click below to learn more and register.
January AL!VE Academy
Registration Now Open!
January AL!VE Academy: Create Your Own Career Adventure
Presented by Carrie Hart & Angela Williamson
Monday, January 16, 2-3pm Eastern
Register here to join us!
Searching for something more? Explore your capacity level and select actionable to do's for yourself and others to move your career forward regardless of your starting point. Professionals from beginning a career to those well experienced will walk away with resources and practical lists and achievable goals. It's up to you...choose your own adventure!
February AL!VE Academy: Transforming Disruption to Impact
Presented by Beth Steinhorn, VQ Volunteer Strategies
Thursday, February 16, 2-3 PM Eastern
Register here to attend!
For generations, engaging volunteers has been a vital strategy for communities to solve problems. Yet, events since 2020 have disrupted how people work and volunteer. While disruption can be devastating, it can also be the impetus to release ourselves from the tyranny of “the way we’ve always done things.” If viewed as an opportunity, disruption invites us to revisit, rethink, and reinvent the way we achieve mission. In this session, hear stories of organizations that unlocked that potential and learn from the lessons which you, too, can apply to sustain your organization regardless of what the future holds. This session will highlight some of the key themes running through the new book, Transforming Disruption to Impact: Rethinking Volunteer Engagement for a Rapidly Changing World.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Explore the many disruptions affecting volunteer engagement and nonprofit operations over the past two years.
- Hear exemplary stories of organizations that engaged volunteers impactfully in recent years.
- Glean lessons that they can apply to their own organizations to sustain and even increase impact no matter the circumstances.
Save The Date!
The Annual Hybrid Conference is Coming!
 Dates are confirmed for October 17 (Pacific & Mountain times) and October 18 (Central, Eastern, & Atlantic times) Watch in January’s newsletter for the 2023 theme, registration timeline, and more!
Join an Upcoming Community of Practice!
Upcoming COP Dates: (all times listed in Eastern time) More dates will be added for other COP's, check your calendar for more information in early January
12/19, 2pm, Literacy
12/20, 2pm, Rural Programs
12/28, 1pm, Animal Welfare
1/4, 12pm, Transportation
1/26, 4pm, Museums
Learn more about Communities of Practice and sign up via the AL!VE calendar.
BIG thank you to the COP Facilitators who work hard to manage the logistics, resources, and content for each COP and make sure each conversation is meaningful and helpful for participants. Thank you for your service!
We would like to add a Community of Practice for faith based organizations. If you are interested in facilitating this COP quarterly, please contact Rebeccah,
Expand your Professional Development - Volunteer with AL!VE
We Want YOU!
Time commitment usually entails one meeting a month, with 1-2 hours working independently on a project or with a team. Volunteering with AL!VE looks great on a resume!
Welcome to Ashley Rieser, Amanda Schmierer, Beckah Aisenbrey, Brandy Tolbert & Katelyn Noble who have recently joined committees!
These Committees are seeking AL!VE members to join:
- Marketing: Meets monthly with committee to draft messaging, marketing plans and projects as assigned by the board. Independent work 3-5 hours a month to maintain and update website, create graphics for Social Media, Outreach, Special Projects, etc.
- Membership: Membership Committee members have a 3-5 hourly commitment per month; meet monthly and work on projects independently. Tasks Include: new member calls, developing member benefits, local association mentoring & handbook/development, developing member materials, and presenting member webinars.
Visit our volunteer page to apply and get started!
Membership Dues Increase as of January 1, 2023 - Additional Information
As of January 1, 2023, AL!VE Membership Dues will increase as follows:
Individual or Agency (single) Memberships: from $50 to $75 per year
Agency Memberships & Local Associations: $125 for two full memberships; $60 additional
These rates will go into effect for all new members who join (or those who have lapsed memberships) beginning January 1, 2023. For existing members, the new rate will go into effect when you renew your membership in 2023.
AL!VE will also provide a 'pay what you can' option and the opportunity to donate to AL!VE to establish a fund for those who select 'pay what you can'. Please check out this article addressing equity here. so you may thoughtfully consider these options.
Points of Light Conference Accepting Speaker Proposals Jan 3 - 17
2023 Points of Light
Mark your calendars for June 14-16 in Chicago! Proposals for presenting at the Points of Light conference opens January 3 and closes January 17. Registration information is on the conference site and registration opens in March. To submit a proposal for the conference, visit their website.
Member Benefit: Portfolio Manager
AL!VE Standards for Organizational Volunteer Engagement
 Looking for a subject matter topic for your upcoming DOVIA meeting?
The new AL!VE Standards for Organizational Volunteer Engagement are a great conversation starter and are sure to get your members brainstorming. The standards are designed to be applicable to volunteer engagement professionals at any level of experience and are adaptable enough to be used across different industries.
You’ve already achieved Standard #2 (Professional Volunteer Management and Professional Development) by being an AL!VE member and keeping up-to-date on best practices in the field. Go you! Check out more of the Standards and action steps here.
Want to request a speaker from AL!VE to present a more in-depth look at the standards virtually at your next DOVIA meeting? Let us know.
Don't Miss Emails from AL!VE
We send this newsletter monthly, and an additional 3-4 emails per month. If you didn’t get it in your inbox please check your junk/spam folders (if you find it there right click it and choose Junk/Spam and then select Never Block Domain). If you don’t find it that was you may want to ask your IT to whitelist volunteeralive.org.
You can also try to whitelist at your email level by following the directions linked below (sometimes you may need admin permissions):
Whitelisting for Gmail
Whitelisting for Office 365 Outlook
Whitelisting for Outlook ios
If you need more assistance or haven’t been able to access the email please email manager@volunteeralive.org so that we can follow-up and do another test email after volunteeralive.org has been whitelisted on your account.
CVA Study Group For Spring 2023 Exams - Registration Now Open
The CVA study group is a member benefit from AL!VE open to all AL!VE members preparing  for the SPRING 2023 exam. Pre Registration REQUIRED Register for the study group here.
It will be led by facilitators who have earned their CVA certification.
On January 18th we will review the study resources and an overview of chapters one and two of the textbook.
We will meet every Wednesday at 12:00pm ET for eight weeks from February 1st – March 22nd. The study schedule is based on reading 1-2 chapters of the CVA textbook, discussing those chapters and reviewing sample scenarios during the calls. Interested in the study group, complete this registration link by January 16.
To receive information about the AL!VE study group, fill out this form by January 16 and save the date for the January 18 introduction session at noon EDT.
We will contact you with the zoom login information.
If you are not yet an AL!VE member, you are welcome to attend the first session, but we request you join as an AL!VE member to attend further sessions. (Your 2023 $75 AL!VE membership will also give you a $50 discount to sit for the CCVA Exam!)
Learn more about the certification at an information session hosted by CCVA on December 7. Register here.
Check Our Calendar for These Great Events!
Welcome to Our Newest Members!
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. Sessions scheduled for 2023 will be posted in our next newsletter.
Member socials are also back! Registration and more information will be posted next month, but you can save the dates here:
February 28
May 24
August 9
November 7 read more...
Thank You to Our Renewing Members!
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