President's Message
AL!VE Board President, Michelle Raymer, CVA  Happy February!
Continuing on the theme of spotlighting more of our leaders, I’d like to give a shout out to Nicole Smith, AL!VE’s Board Secretary.
Nicole is an author, blogger, has her own podcast, and is a champion for the volunteer engagement profession. I’ve known Nicole for a few years now, and I’m still learning new impressive facts about her that don’t surprise me, because (as I recently learned) of course she ran Division I college track too! What I love about volunteering with Nicole is the energy and passion she brings to our work, a constant cheerleader*, lifting up the people around her. She’s currently leading the HR and Policy Committee, and designing and implementing a strategy for recognizing our many dedicated AL!VE volunteers.
If you don’t already know Nicole, I hope you get a chance to connect with her in the coming year!
Many thanks, Nicole!
Michelle
*Impressive fact # 873: Nicole also danced and cheered for a professional sports team
AL!VE Service Enterprise - Ready to Learn More?
Kayla Paulson, Service Enterprise Administrator  February is the month of love. One of the best ways to show your volunteers how much you love them is to invest time and resources into building stronger volunteer engagement practices at your organization. Doing so can maximize the impact that a volunteer’s time and talents can have at your organization. If you want volunteer engagement to be a key strategy for mission delivery at your organization, check out our Service Enterprise Program. This is not a volunteer engagement training, but a change management program that maximizes the capacity and impact of volunteers by taking leadership, volunteer engagement professionals, and staff through a research-based curriculum and change management process to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of volunteer engagement. Organizations that operate as a Service Enterprise can see a return of up to $3-$6 for every $1 invested in their volunteer engagement efforts. Now who doesn’t love that kind of return?!
Learn more about Service Enterprise Program here, or reach out to Kayla Paulson, AL!VE’s Service Enterprise Administrator, at serviceenterprise@volunteeralive.org.
Service Enterprise In Action
Check out our latest blog for Points of Light!
Membership Dues Increase as of January 1, 2023 - Additional Information
As of January 1, 2023, AL!VE Membership Dues and membership levels have changed to:
Individual or Agency (single) Memberships: from $50 to $75 per year
Agency Memberships & Local Associations: $125 for two full memberships; $60 additional
PLEASE NOTE!
If your renewal date was in January or February, you may have already been billed at the old rates. We will honor those renewal rates if you pay in full within 60 days of your renewal, After 60 days, it will go to the new rates. For multiple memberships for more than four individuals, please contact us regarding multiple member discounts.
If you have any questions about your billing please contact us.
AL!VE will also provide a 'pay what you can' option for new members for whom cost is a barrier, for their first year of membership. The opportunity to donate to AL!VE to establish a fund for those who select 'pay what you can' is also now available. For those members who have already donated, we thank you! Please check out this article addressing equity here. so you may thoughtfully consider these options.
Join Us At Our Next AL!VE Academy Sessions!
Registration Now Open!
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.
March AL!VE Academy: Finding Your Spotlight
Presented by Corina Sadler, CVA
March 21, 2-3:30 PM Eastern
Register here.
As leaders in the helping professions we serve a unique purpose within organizations. We are simultaneously advocates for service, champions for staff support and a link to the communities we serve. Join Corina Sadler, CVA as she shares how finding and focusing her spotlight elevated her professional presence and created her unique voice for volunteerism. Learn tips to clarify, showcase and advocate for your career.
This presentation includes discussion on:
- Roadblocks volunteer engagement professionals encounter when working to increase their visibility in the workplace Identifying core values and how to use them to create momentum.
- How to determine what career goals you could set for yourself How to overcome the fear of discussing your wins and successes as a professional Tips for telling your professional story online to reach new eyes and bring your community closer to you.
- How social media can help build a fan base for your work.
Spring 2023 Mentoring Program Starts Soon
Emerging Leaders Mentor Program
April - September 2023
AL!VE is dedicated to the professional growth and development of leaders in volunteer engagement. The purpose of the Emerging Leaders Mentor Program is to provide a platform for AL!VE members to connect, share best practices and position themselves as leaders in the field through ongoing professional development and skills building. Participants will be paired with AL!VE Mentors to receive individualized coaching and support as well as monthly mentee peer sessions pertaining to leadership development topics.
For more information about this program, commitments and requirements, etc., please visit our website here. The mentorship will commence during the months of April - September 2023.
If interested in serving as a mentor, complete the mentor questionnaire here.
Deadline to apply as a mentor: March 3 rd, 2023
If you would like to be a mentee, complete the mentee application here.
Deadline to apply as a mentor: March 24 th, 2023
SAVE THE DATE: Orientation for everyone will take place on Wednesday, April 5th, 12pm PST / 3pm EST.
If you have any questions, please contact Megan Vixie, Mentor Program Facilitator at megan.vixie@bchd.org.
Roll Camera!
 Check out our new member videos! Hear from AL!VE Member Nicole Smith (On the COP Page, here) on the importance of AL!VE membership. Many thanks to Dana Litwin, CVA of Dana Litwin Consulting for producing these videos.
New Research on Strategic Volunteer Engagement
New research has been published about the value of strategic volunteer engagement. If you missed the webinar on February 7, you can view the research, information and webinar recording here:
https://strategicvolunteerengagement.org/
While our profession knows the value of SVE, this is a great opportunity to advocate! Read and know the data, share with your organization, networks, and peers!
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)
You can participate with a group, local association, or attend individually. We will be announcing the topic in early March!
To keep updated on this year's theme, registration and more, sign up here.
AL!VE Standards of Pracitce
Looking for a subject matter topic for your upcoming local association 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 local association/DOVIA meeting? Let us know.
Join an Upcoming Community of Practice!
Upcoming COP Dates
February 21 @ 2:00 PM E, Rural Programs
February 22 @ 1:00 PM E, Animal Welfare
February 27 @ 2:30 PM E, National Networks
February 27 @ 3:00 PM E, AmeriCorps Seniors
March 1 @ 2:00 PM E, Emergency Response
March 9 @ 12:00 PM E, Health Care
March 16 @ 12:00 PM E, Parks & Recreation
March 21 @ 2:00PM E, Rural Programs
March 23 @ 4:00 PM E, Museums
March 27 @3:00 PM E, AmeriCorps Seniors
The Food Bank and Literacy COP facilitators are looking for a volunteer to serve as co-facilitator for their COPs. If you’re interested in co-facilitating those COPs - or any of the COPs - reach out to Rebeccah, our COP lead.
Learn more about Communities of Practice and sign up via the AL!VE calendar.
Upcoming Conferences
America's Service Commissions National Service Training Regional Events
America's Service Commissions, in partnership with state and territorial service commissions, is pleased to announce the dates for our 2023 National Service Training regional events. The theme for the 2023 trainings is “Expanding What's Possible.”
March 21-23, 2023: West · San Diego, CA · Hosted by California Volunteers
May 2-4, 2023: Central · New Orleans, LA · Hosted by Volunteer Louisiana
May 15-17, 2023: East · Charleston, WV · Hosted by Volunteer West Virginia
June 7-8, 2023: Virtual*
Visit www.nationalservicetraining.org for more information.
Points of Light
Mark your calendars for June 14-16 in Chicago! Registration information is on the conference site and registration opens March 1. Certified Service Enterprises should stay tuned for an exclusive discount code.
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.
Member Benefit: Portfolio Manager
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. The next one is March 3. Register from our calendar.
Our first member social is a great time to just hang out, connect and network with your peers! Need to get ideas or share a challenge or success! We will have some door prizes, too! The member social is Feb 28 @ 5 PM E and will last 45 minutes. You can also register from our calendar.
read more...
Thank You to Our Renewing Members!
Stay Up To Date On the Latest from AL!VE
Fill Your Calendar with These Great AL!VE Offerings
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