Taking Time to Retool

10 March 2010

By Penny Kern I’m still cleaning out drawers. After almost twenty years in the volunteer manager business, I don’t think this chore is going to end any time soon. Anyway, I found a packet from a workshop I did in 1992. It was on leadership and on the very first page there was a [...]

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Fun Dinner with Two Creative Women Entrepreneurs

10 March 2010

Last night I had dinner at Cafe Gratitude with Jennifer Lee, creator of the Right Brain Business Plan and Kimberly Wilson, the creator of the eco-fashion line, TranquiliT. They're also two of my three co-collaborators on the creative women entrepreneurs retreat. Very inspiring ladies!

I am just finishing up Jenn's Right Brain Business Plan e-course, which was super fun, interesting and clarifying for me as I chart out the next phase of my business, Big Vision Consulting. I highly recommend you take her e-course the next time she offers it, and look for the Right-Brain Business Plan full-length and full-color book that will be published in early 2011. She also sells a Right Brain Business Plan e-book.

While at dinner, Kimberly showed me one of the very pretty pink infinity scarves that will be a part of the TranquiliT Spring collection, that you can see a sneak peak of here. In addition to being an eco-fashion designer, Kimberly is also an author of two books. She was in the Bay Area to promote her newest book, Tranquilista: Mastering the Art of Enlightened and Mindful Play, which I enjoyed very much.

As I mentioned last month, I am trying out being an affiliate for both women's businesses (the Right Brain Business Plan and TranquiliT) as a way to support writing Have Fun Do Good, and producing the Big Vision Podcast.

You can learn more about Kimberly's work by reading my November 2009 interview with her on Have Fun Do Good, or listening to it on the Big Vision Podcast. You can learn more about Jennifer's work by reading my January 2009 interview with her on Have Fun Do Good, or listening to it on the Big Vision Podcast.

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National Volunteer Week Ideas: A Book Is A Great Way to Say Thanks

10 March 2010

Volunteers should be recognized and celebrated, and with National Volunteer Week right around the corner, the gift of a customized book is the perfect way to show appreciation. The Book Company has put together a cool package for nonprofits that want to communicate in a meaningful way — with a personal messages on the inside page [...] Related posts:

1. National Volunteer Week Is April 19-25: Are You Ready?
2. 2010 Webinar Calendar: 13 Great Ways to Strengthen Your Volunteer Program
3. Cash for Caring: Pepsi Puts Up Blog, Lots of $$$, for Ideas that Refresh Our Communities

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Developing the Art of Photography

09 March 2010

by Alec Hartman Digital cameras make photography easy these days, and many, many people take good pictures. So, what makes a photograph really interesting and lifts it above the level of others? Personally, I don’t think it’s the number of pixels your camera has or how many lenses you use. Someone with a point-and-shoot [...]

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Engaging Pro Bono Tech: Interview with Jonathan Feinstein, imc²

08 March 2010

Our first application for mobile devices, VolunteerMatch for iPhone, is now available in the App Store and at iTunes. For the first time, individuals are able to find and sign up for your VolunteerMatch opportunities on the go. We’re especially pleased to have produced our latest release with the pro bono contribution of imc², a brand [...] Related posts:

1. Engaging Pro Bono Lawyers
2. VolunteerMatch Interview: Martin J. Cowling
3. Nick Hart Interview with Greg Baldwin

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Sustaininability in the Nonprofit World

08 March 2010

By Patricia Kimball According to Wikipedia (“the free encyclopedia”), sustainability is the capacity to endure. While most commonly associated with environmental concerns, we hear it often in the nonprofit world, as well. The last question on most grant applications asks the applicant organization to explain how they will sustain their project once the funding [...]

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The elephant in the room

08 March 2010

I happen to think that Volunteer Management is a profession. A profession in its infancy perhaps but a profession none the less. But then I would say that because I'm biased! But actually, am I right? Is there a big elephant in the room that we just don't want to see?

Is volunteer management a profession? Something that you need a certain set of skills that takes years of experience to perfect, that only a certain type of person could do? Or is it something that actually, anyone with a basic understanding of people skills (or even actually none!) can do?

Surely if we were a profession AVM, or something like it, would have been set up a long time ago and be akin to the CIPD or Institute of Fundraising by now?

Wouldn't a lot more CEOs have a volunteer management background as opposed to a fundraising or campaigning background? Wouldn't volunteers mainly be managed by people who know how to manage and support volunteers rather than junior members of organisations with little or no management experience? Surely organisations would ensure that volunteer management is properly resourced?

I started a new job towards the end of last year. In my new role, I've had the privilege to meet a number of organisations who involve volunteers in their projects. Without these volunteers they wouldn't be in existence. Google Haringey Shed, Cathja, Kensington & Chelsea Mental Health Carers and you can see the amazing work these organisations do.

These people transform lives. They are the embodiment of the spirit of volunteering. I bang on that the reason why we involve volunteers is to help our organisations do more. (I think my board are sick of hearing me say that!).

read more

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WEEKLY NEWS DIGEST (March 1-7, 2010)

08 March 2010

GENERAL “‘The Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis.” By Jeremy Rifkin. Huffington Post. March 1, 2010. While our radio talk shows and 24-hour cable TV news programs incessantly play off the political rift between conservative and liberal ideologies, the deeper conflict in America has always been the cultural divide between [...]

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How to Help Chilean Earthquake Survivors

06 March 2010

Last Saturday, February 27th, Chile was hit with an 8.8 magnitude earthquake. Yesterday it experienced a 6.6 magnitude aftershock.

If you're looking for ways to help the earthquake's survivors, the sites and blogs below have posted lists of relief organizations working in Chile:

• Chile's 8.8 earthquake: How you can help in the The Kindness section of The USA Today
• Nonprofits Working in Chile on Guidestar
• Chile Earthquake Relief: How You Can Help on HuffPost Impact
• How to Help in Chile on The Nation's Act Now! blog

Check each relief organizations' individual site for ways to support their work.

The Mozilla Blog has a list of organizations you can text donations to in their post, Earthquake in Chile: How to Help. Interestingly, mobile giving for Chile hasn't raised money as rapidly as it did for Haiti, according to the post, Chile earthquake relief: Cellphone donations struggle compared to Haiti on the Christian Science Monitor's Global News Blog.

In their post, Responding to the Earthquake in Chile, Idealist.org suggests checking the CrisisCommons Wiki for ways to help.

Finally, Angela Perkey, author of the Change the World, Change Your Life blog, writes about Cost-free Ways to Help Chile. One that I thought was lovely was:

"If you know of anyone with relatives in Chile, offer to bring them dinner or do anything else you can to provide some comfort and show that you care."

What are other ideas for how to help Chilean earthquake survivors?

Flickr photo credit: Puro Chile, es tu cielo azulado uploaded by Diego Salgado.

Cross-posted from BlogHer.com.

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Make it easy for your volunteers to build your brand.

05 March 2010

By Emily Brackett If your organization relies heavily on volunteers, make sure there is a system for easily maintaining your brand standards. Your brand is an extremely valuable asset, and you want to ensure that your volunteers value, maintain and promote your brand identity correctly. If you’re lucky enough to attract volunteers, you should feel confident that [...]

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So What Is Service-Learning?

03 March 2010

by Matt Robinson To help youth learn valuable lessons is a privilege. To be able to help one’s community is also a privilege. To be able to do both, and to know that the return to all will be compounded—that is service-learning. For those unfamiliar with the term, service-learning is a teaching strategy through which students are [...]

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What Does Patrick Corvington Need to Know?

03 March 2010

America has a new top promoter for volunteering, and his name is Patrick Corvington. On February 18, Corvington was sworn in as the new CEO for the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that is the nation’s largest grantmaker for service and volunteering. He takes over from interim chief Nicola Goren, who helped [...] Related posts:

1. Political Winds: National Service Programs Get Huge Funding Boost in 2010 Fed Budget
2. Service Brief: Serve.gov Decision a Victory for Smart Government and Social Enterprise
3. Slim Rise in U.S. Volunteer Rates No Match for Huge Rise in Federal Spending on Volunteering

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Student Volunteers: A National Profile

26 February 2010

To celebrate Student Volunteering Week 2010 (22-28 February), Volunteering England commissioned a piece of research to increase knowledge and information about students volunteering in the UK. This analysis of student volunteering was carried out with respondents to wave two of the Futuretrack survey. Respondents were full-time students at UK Higher Education Institutions enrolled on an undergraduate degree programme. Respondents were surveyed during summer and autumn 2007 to record their experiences of their first year at university or college. Key findings include:

 

• 15.3% of undergraduates reported that they volunteered with a charity in their first year of studies;
• Volunteering rates were highest among students studying medicine/dentistry and social sciences;
• Students at higher ranking universities (ranked by entry tariff points) reported the highest volunteering rates;
• Volunteering rates were higher among some minority groups, including most ethnic minority students, students with a disability and those with caring responsibilities;
• Students who volunteer were more likely to take part in other extracurricular activities (both on and off campus);
• The most common reason for volunteering is to help someone or the community.

You can download a copy of the research bulletin at: http://www.volunteering.org.uk/WhatWeDo/Student+Volunteering/

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Proud to be a Gypsy

26 February 2010

by Vicki Schmidt Some of my best friends are Chief Officers in urban, fulltime “round-the-clock” staffed Fire Departments. Another coalition of friends are career firefighters in fully staffed shift-scheduled union Departments. And then there are my firefighter friends and fire instructor colleagues who, like me, rarely see the inside of a fire department crisp with professional [...]

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Exceptions to the Rule, Part 1: You Don’t Have to Be a 501c to Use VolunteerMatch

25 February 2010

When it comes to the safety and privacy of the volunteers, we don’t joke around. That’s why our policies on who can use VolunteerMatch.org are some of the strictest in the business. Today our Web service is used by some 75,000 participating organizations. And while 9 in 10 of our member organizations are official 501(c)s, not [...] Related posts:

1. After Haiti: 4 Things Organizations Involved in Disaster Preparedness Should Be Doing at VolunteerMatch
2. Growing Good: MLK Day Volunteer Opportunities Explode at VolunteerMatch
3. Conference Captures: Nonprofits Speak Out About VolunteerMatch

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When Expectations May Not Become Reality

24 February 2010

by Ann Swain In all parts of our world, there are many people with the greatest desire to offer their expertise in a volunteer capacity. In preparing for retirement, I often ask the prospective retiree, ‘do you have a plan?’ If they don’t indicate a plan for their retirement, I will always suggest volunteering. [...]

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The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

24 February 2010

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for volunteer groups, was created in 2002 to recognise the outstanding contributions made by voluntary organisations in local communities across the UK.

To date, 750 groups have received the Award from Her Majesty; however, we are continually striving to recognise more of those who are operating to the highest standard. Previously, groups may not have been nominated because they, or those in a position to nominate them, are unaware of their eligibility for this prestigious Honour.

As part of our work to reach people who know such groups in their area, I write to request your support in sharing information about The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service with other members of your organisation - at a national and/or regional level. In doing so, we would like to encourage nominations from members of the public, someone who has benefited from the group or indeed someone in your organisation who has recognised outstanding voluntary work.

 For further information about the Award, please go to  www.direct.gov.uk/thequeensawardforvoluntaryservice

 

Martyn Lewis CBE,

Chairman of The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service committee

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21 Ways Volunteers Can Help with Your Web Site

23 February 2010

Guest post by Monique Cuvelier, CEO, Talance, Inc. Reprinted with permission from Talance, Inc. As any charitable organization knows, volunteers are superstars. They give love and expertise and don’t ask for a dime in return. They can be especially helpful if your organization has a website. Bearing in mind that an entire Web development project is long-term [...] Related posts:

1. 2010 Webinar Calendar: 13 Great Ways to Strengthen Your Volunteer Program
2. Social Sharing and Volunteering: How Are Volunteers Spreading Opportunities?
3. New Study: Volunteers Give 10x As Much Money As Non-Volunteers

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How Do You Make Time to Play Every Day?

23 February 2010

I'm on Day 5 of my Have Fun Do Good Daily Practice: Move, Play, Reflect, Connect, and once again the biggest challenge for me is making time to play. It was easy to play over the weekend, but fitting it into the work week is proving challenging.

I know this is very commencement speech-ish, but I looked up the definition of play in the dictionary. The definition I found the most intriguing was:

a : recreational activity; especially : the spontaneous activity of children

which led me to the definition of spontaneous:

1 : proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint

and the etymology of recreation:

from recreare to create anew, restore, refresh

Isn't it interesting that we associate play with children's natural tendency to spend time creating new experiences? Do we play less as we get older because we learn to not follow our natural feelings, and to regard new experiences as risky?

If I ask myself in this moment what I naturally want to do that would restore and refresh me, I can think of lots of things like: bake a new cookie recipe, read one of the new books I got from the library, or go to a yoga class I've always wanted to check out, but I don't have the time.

Are we really only meant to play on the weekend? My question for you is, how do you make time to play every day?

Flickr photo credit: Play with Me!! uploaded by Ryan Carr

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A New Role for Me…and for UMaine Cooperative Extension

22 February 2010

by Jen Lobley, M.ED, CVA Having been with UMaine Cooperative Extension for almost 10 years working in the area of 4-H Youth Development, I now find myself with a new challenge. I have recently been named Statewide Extension Educator for Volunteer Development. Cooperative Extension provides research-based information from the Land-Grant University through a variety [...]

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