For leaders of volunteers and volunteer involvement, updates on news from the field, new volunteer management resources, and a monthly quick tip about successfully engaging volunteers.   
TopQTipQuick Tip for Leading Volunteers

Clarify Staff Expectations in Partnering with Volunteers

The following Quick Tip is excerpted from the book, Leading the Way to Successful Volunteer Involvement: Practical Tools for Busy Executives, by Betty Stallings with Susan J. Ellis.

For all staff to feel comfortable and be effective in partnering with volunteers, they must first have a clear understanding of what is expected of them in this role: clarity of expectations...Consider developing a guide summarizing the various stages of welcoming, working with, and saying good-bye to volunteers, and identifying specific activities that a paid staff member would need to do at each stage. Read more...
May Hot Topic
By Betsy McFarland

Grow Volunteer-Staff Harmony: Plant New Seeds this Spring

When helping volunteer-involving organizations, consultant Betsy McFarland is frequently asked how to handle growing antagonism between volunteers and paid staff, often becoming an "us-versus-them" weed that invades the soil of the organization. In this Hot Topic, Betsy suggests ideas for cultivating collaborative relationships. Read this Month's Hot Topic.  
 
You can subscribe to the Hot Topic as a podcast or  RSS text feed.

News from the Field
 
Energize, Inc. Will Exhibit at MAVA Conference
June 6-9, 2018

 
We are happy to announce that Energize, Inc. will be present at the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) Conference, with this year's theme Volunteer Engagement Leadership: Next Steps and Beyond.

We often recommend MAVA conferences to leaders of volunteers, no matter where they are located, due to the quality and depth of volunteer management sessions offered. So, we are eager to return once again to mingle with others in our field and share our expertise as well.

Please stop by and say hello and peruse our books and materials.

Look for us in the Exhibit Area at these times:
Wednesday, June 6, 2018 
*Exhibit area open - 2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 7, 2018
*Exhibit area open - 8:00 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.

Friday, June 8, 2018
*Exhibit area open - 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 
Spotlight on Resources
 
Ready-to-Go Volunteer Management Seminars
for Your Team

 
By popular demand, Energize, Inc. makes individual seminar modules from the  Everyone Ready® Online Volunteer Management Training Program available for "rental" to professional associations, university faculty, organization trainers, and conference workshop planners looking for a new, cost-effective way to bring high-quality volunteer management information-and internationally 
recognized trainers-to their meeting rooms.
Imagine a meeting of leaders of volunteers where...

Together, your participants view a 60-minute online seminar on a fundamental volunteer management topic, created and presented by a recognized expert trainer in our field.

They complete small group exercises in pauses during the seminar and talk with each other about key issues raised (Don't worry, we'll provide you with a Discussion Guide!).

Then, if you wish, an expert trainer joins your meeting LIVE via Skype for Q&A! Curious? Learn more at the Everyone Ready® website or  Contact us to discuss!
e-Volunteerism The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community
 
New Articles Available
Volume XVIII, Issue 3   
 
e-Volunteerism, our international, subscription-based journal, is now on it's 18th volume year. As always, all previous journal issues are available to subscribers online in the Archives.

Free Access this Month 
 
From the Archives 
Team Building Training Module (II, 2 January 2002) - This Training Design from 2002 was offered by Mary Merrill, founder of Merrill Associates, is a major trainer and author in volunteerism. Mary outlines 2 activities that provide opportunities for leadership, managers, paid staff, volunteers and/or members to build understanding and collaboration by articulating a shared mission and identifying common values. 
 
From the Current Issue
Not Everything that is Voluntary is Volunteering - Definitions are important. But when it comes to volunteerism, a focus on the language we use can often result in a lot of navel gazing and little practical action. In this Points Of View, Rob Jackson looks at the ethical implications that can arise when we aren't clear on the terms we use. Erin R. Spink relates this to actionable advice for anyone working in volunteer engagement. As these two authors clearly point out, not everything that is 'voluntary' is 'volunteering'. 

Subscriber Access Only  
( Subscribe for a full year or 48-hour access)
   
New Postings Since the Last Update
Working With the LGBTQIA Community: Diversity Within the Community - In this e-Volunteerism feature, writer Gerald (Jerry) Pannozzo provides information and resources to enable a better understanding of the individual journeys and stories of others, and to help organizations understand the diversity within the LCBTQIA community. Pannozzo also includes questions about inclusion that may help initiate discussions around this important topic with your organization's leadership, staff, and volunteers.  
 
Stacking Up: How Volunteer Engagement Professionals Compare with Other Key Staff -   This  feature article by MAVA's Karmit Bulman provides a comprehensive review of the important research study, "Stacking Up: How Volunteer Engagement Professionals Compare with Other Key Staff."    
 
What's Coming Up?
In this issue of e-Volunteerism, columns like Along the Web and Research to Practice provide insights into technology tools and highlight important research from Australia and the Netherlands that focuses our attention on non-volunteers, which could be helpful in attracting and retaining new volunteers to your organization.  

As always, the articles from all past issues remain available in the journal
Archives . 
 
You can subscribe to e-Volunteerism for a full year or for 48-hour access. Note that subscribers have full access to the Archives of all previous volume years.
Share-ables
 
Energize Posts on LinkedIn ® 

Perhaps other social media sites suck your time or are too "fluffy," but you see value in connecting with other volunteer management professionals on LinkedIn ® . Follow the Energize, Inc. company page on LinkedIn ®  for more serious discussions in the volunteer management field.
  
 
  
QTipQuick Tip Continued... 
 
To assure success at drafting such a guide, try forming a task force including the top decision-makers (CEO or ED), managers, the director of volunteer involvement, line staff, and representative volunteers to discuss what a staff member needs to do over the course of a volunteer's time in the organization. See below for a list of sample actions that staff are often expected to perform.

Sample Statement of Expectations in Partnering with Volunteers

Staff who partner with volunteers in carrying out our mission are expected to perform the following activities:

1. Interview prospective volunteers
All individuals interested in volunteering with you should be interviewed by you to determine if they are a good match for your position.

2. Provide Orientation and Training
This should be done to ensure that the volunteer is sufficiently prepared for the work they have agreed to perform.

3. One-Month Evaluation
Establish a convenient time, approximately one month after volunteer starts, for a mutual performance appraisal/conversation. The focal point of this discussion is a review and update of the volunteer's position description and the agreement form signed by both parties at the initial interview. Suggest any adjustments and changes to improve the working relationship. If the volunteer is not able to keep his or her commitments or perform the assigned tasks, refer her or him back to the director of volunteer involvement for possible placement into a different position.

4. Ongoing Support
Your goal is to provide resources, guidance, and feedback to enable the volunteer to be successful in his or her work. This should be done in a timely, supportive fashion.

5. Recordkeeping
Remind the volunteer about the importance of keeping monthly time and activity
records, and assess the impact of the efforts of all volunteers for insurance
purposes.

6. Ongoing Recognition
The organization's annual recognition event is a formal acknowledgment of
volunteers but it should always be supplemented by your personal, spontaneous
acts of appreciation at the time good work is done.
 
 
 
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This Quick Tip for Leading Volunteers comes from  Leading the Way to Successful Volunteer Involvement: Practical Tools for Busy Executives Want more volunteer management wisdom? Visit our  Online Bookstore.
Energize, Inc. has been on the Web s ince 1997  offering over 1200 pages of information about successfully involving volunteers in your efforts. Visit our site to learn all about volunteer engagement techniques; find ways to connect with colleagues; gain insight into trends, issues, and even controversy in the field; locate conferences and other professional development opportunities; and more!
 

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