News You Can Use

January 2024

In This Issue:

• News You Can Use Frequency Changes
• 2024 Membership Payments Now Due
• Open Office Hours for Members
• Membership Maximizer Workshop
• Invitation to Participate in the Nonprofit Personal & Professional Development Needs Survey
• Resources
• Important Dates

News You Can Use Frequency Changes

Moving forward, the News You Can Use will now be sent every other month instead of monthly, and will be chalk full of membership and event information, important dates, resources, VFC updates, and more! We are doing this because we want to include more information for members in each newsletter and provide less duplication of information each month. Additionally, you will have important dates to add to your calendar further in advance.

Future editions will be sent in early March, May, July, September, and November.

2024 Membership Payments Now Due

Renewal information and invoices were mailed last week

Membership renewal information and invoices were mailed last week! Membership payments should be made by Friday, February 16th to ensure timely access to services.

If you have any questions on membership, membership benefits or anything else - please do not hesitate to reach out to Brad Creighton, Community Engagement Director, at [email protected].

Open Office Hours for Members

Starting Wednesday, January 10th!

One of the new membership benefits we are offering in 2024 is open office hours with our Community Engagement duo, Brad and Melissa! What does this mean exactly? Well, it means dedicated open office hours for drop-in support at designated times throughout the month. Of course, you can contact us anytime, and we'll help you as quickly as we are able, but open office hours are dedicated time for supporting you (our members)!

Open office hours will happen once per week on a rotating basis between Brad and Melissa. You can connect with us during office hours by calling us, emailing us, messaging us on Microsoft Teams, sending us a Teams or Zoom meeting link, or by stopping by the office! More on how to do each of these below.

How to connect with us during open office hours:

1. Call us at the office: 920-832-9360
2. Email us: Brad - [email protected]; Melissa - [email protected]
3. Send us a message in Microsoft Teams Chat: To do so, select Chat on the left side of Teams and then New chat to start a new chat. Next, type the corresponding email address you want to invite to chat in the "To" field and select the name from the drop-down menu
4. Send us a Microsoft Teams or Zoom meeting link using the corresponding email address from above
5. Or stop by our office, which is located at 2616 S. Oneida Street, Appleton

See the open office hour schedules below (also listed in the Important Dates section at the bottom of the email)!

Membership Maximizer Workshop

Wednesday, January 24 | 9-10 AM | Appleton Area School District Welcome Center

Are you curious about what your membership fee covers? Or do you want to know how to get the most out of your membership with us? If you answered yes to either of these questions, we invite you to join Brad and Melissa for our Membership Maximizer on Wednesday, January 24th from 9 to 10 AM at Appleton Area School District Welcome Center (2701 N. Oneida St., Suite C1, Appleton). We will share all the benefits of membership, talk about how to best use them, and answer all of your questions.

Anyone from your organization is welcome to attend, though we ask that no more than two people attend to allow for more organizations to participate. Please register using the button below.

BONUS:

Each attendee will be entered to win a pair of tickets to see CLUE at the Fox Cities P.A.C. on Tuesday, March 19th at 7:30 PM!

Thanks to Appleton Area School District for hosting this Member Workshop!!

Invitation to Participate in the Nonprofit Personal & Professional Development Needs Survey

Published by the Helen Bader Institute (HBI) for Nonprofit Management at UW-Milwaukee

Why Your Participation Matters:

Your insights and experiences are invaluable to us at HBI. This Survey is designed to understand better the specific challenges, aspirations, and developmental needs you face in your roles. The feedback gathered will directly influence the development of HBI's tailored programs, workshops, and support systems that aim to enhance both your professional and personal growth.

About the Survey:

• Target Audience: All nonprofit employees and volunteers across various roles and levels throughout Wisconsin.
• Content: The Survey consists of questions related to professional skills, leadership development, work-life balance, stress management, and career aspirations, among others.
• Format: Each question offers multiple answer choices, allowing for a nuanced understanding of your needs and preferences.
• Time Commitment: The Survey should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.

How to Participate:

• Link to Survey: https://bit.ly/ProfPersDevSurvey (also via the button below)
• Deadline for Completion: February 3, 2024
• Confidentiality: Please be assured that your responses will be kept confidential and will be used solely to enhance our development programs.

Your Voice Matters:

As members of our nonprofit community, your well-being and professional growth are at the heart of what we do at HBI. This is an opportunity for your voice to be heard and shape future support and development initiatives.

We strongly encourage anyone in the nonprofit sector to participate in this Survey. Please pass this along to your colleagues, employees, and volunteers. Your honest feedback will be instrumental in helping us create an environment where everyone can thrive and achieve their full potential.

Thank you in advance for your valuable input and continued dedication to bettering the communities throughout Wisconsin. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance with the Survey.

Douglas Ihrke

Executive Director, Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Resources

The below resources have been curated by our Community Engagement Department

Local and statewide volunteer engagement resources:

• VAC (Volunteer Action Council) - Fox Cities: VAC is made up of Volunteer Coordinators, Agency Directors, Volunteers, and other individuals committed to promoting volunteer management. This group meets monthly to discuss topics related to all things volunteering. To learn more about becoming a member or to contact VAC, email [email protected].
• GoVol (Greater Oshkosh Leaders of Volunteers) - Oshkosh: GoVol is currently undergoing some changes due to Mike Lueder stepping down as GoVol's leader. Amy Reese of the Oshkosh Area United Way is now leading the group. Contact Amy with questions at [email protected].
• BAMVS (Bay Area Managers of Volunteer Services) - Green Bay area: BAMVS is an association serving as a network of managers of volunteer programs and key volunteers. Facebook: facebook.com/BAMVSGB; Email: [email protected].
• WVCA (Wisconsin Volunteer Coordinators Association) - Statewide: WVCA is a statewide professional organization advocating for coordinators of volunteer services through support, resources and educational development. Annual Conference: May 8-10, 2024 in Wisconsin Rapids. Learn more about WVCA at wvca.org.

Important Dates

Important dates to add to your calendar

More dates to come!

This issue of News You Can Use is made possible by

Community First Credit Union

Volunteer Fox Cities would like to thank Community First Credit Union for the donation of our office space and for all the work they do to support volunteerism in the community!

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