Greater Richmond Association for Volunteer Administration

June 6, 2019
8:30-10:30am
Community Foundation for a greater Richmond
3409 W Moore St
Richmond, VA 23230

Presenter: Presented by Stephanie Glenn

8 STRATEGIES FOR CREATING A MORE INCLUSIVE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Do volunteers at your organization represent the racial and ethnic diversity of the community you serve? The answer, for most governments and nonprofit organizations, is “no.”  But this can change.  Join GRAVA on June 6^th  to learn 8 strategies for creating a more inclusive volunteer program at your organization. These strategies serve as a starting point for volunteer engagement leaders who are seeking concrete next steps for better engaging volunteers from diverse and immigrant communities.

Stephanie Glenn is formally the program  manager for HandsOn Greater Richmond which is a service of the Community Foundation.  Currently in a new role as Senior Program Officer for Educational Success.  Stephanie has 16 years’ experience in nonprofit with specialization of volunteer management.  She’s a volunteer’s volunteers as she serves on several boards and volunteers herself as a mentor to youth. Stephanie has dedicated her career to making a change in communities where individuals and families need systematic change.

When Katie Campbell is presenting at a GRAVA meeting, you know you’re going to learn a ton and leave ready to take on the world.

Katie shared the results of two recent national research projects with implications for the field of volunteer engagement. The first (conducted by the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration) focused on job equity for volunteer engagement professionals and the second (conducted by Verified Volunteers and Volunteer Match) examines volunteer screening trends and how technology will impact our work in the future. You can view the slides here.

Here are some of the members’ takeaways:

• To test people skills, put recruit with a small group and include some “difficult” people.

• “Energy and enthusiasm are the tonic that get things done.”

• VEP’s are highly regarded, but treated differently.

• Number of skills CEOs think Volunteer Managers need over how they are the first to be let go in a crunch. Volunteer Managers were rated highest in 4 out of 6 skills. “Advocate for your position by framing your impact.”

• Hiring managers expect a lot from Volunteer Managers without the fiscal compensation.

• “I love getting access to great websites I wouldn’t find on my own.”

• “I learned about the “Adverse Action” process.”

• “Ah-ha! The HR position and the Volunteer Administrator position are closely aligned; there is so much overlap.”

• It’s great that the intuitive inclination toward structured screening is supported by data and trends! This helps to support the perception of our field as a profession!

• (4 people commented) The #1 method to retain volunteers through recognition is by giving training and special projects.

• Volunteer Managers are highly valued, but still the first to be cut at budget time. We are still not advocating well enough for our profession.

• The acknowledgement from CEOs that there is in fact, a “disconnect”.

• Use slack (https://slack.com) for volunteers – great data is out there to focus work around! (NOTE: there are other apps like Basecamp that coordinate tasks, texts, communication in one spot)

April 4, 2019
8:30-10:30am
GoochlandCares
2999 River Road West
Goochland, VA 23063

Presenter: Presented by Katie Campbell, CVA – Skye Consulting

This session will share the results of 2 recent national research projects with implications for the field of volunteer engagement. The first (conducted by the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration) focused on job equity for volunteer engagement professionals – that’s you! The second (conducted by Verified Volunteers and Volunteer Match) examines volunteer screening trends and how technology will impact our work in the future. Come listen to the data, and leave enlightened and inspired to use it!

March 7, 2019
8:30-10:30am
Maymont Park – Garden Hall
1701 Hampton St
Richmond, VA 23220

Presenter: Panel with Keith Reynolds

Keith Reynolds, Co-Founder of Synapse, will be joining us to share the Synapse story and explain how Synapse creates Connections, Collaboration and Contributions all around the Richmond, Charlottesville and Coastal Virginia communities! Joined by several Synapse members and “Hub Leaders”, Keith will tell his personal story of how he came to be in the position to create and build upon the unique vision of Synapse. After Keith shares the Synapse story, several of the Synapse members and leaders will explain the various ways that the Synapse community has impacted their personal and professional lives. Finally, the Synapse panel will provide information about how GRAVA members can experience and explore the Synapse network of “Hubs” by “Hub Hopping” with them in the near future! If you appreciate a good story, you don’t want to miss this “Hopportunity”!

February 7, 2019
8:30-10:30am
Community Foundation for a greater Richmond
3409 W Moore St
Richmond, VA 23230

Presenter: Roundtable led by Ellen Costlow

National Volunteer Week is April 7-13, 2019!
Volunteers keep our organizations moving forward, not just by sharing their time and talents but by opening their hearts. How can we say thank you in a way that truly resonates and expresses our gratitude? Join us for an interactive roundtable discussion on volunteer recognition! Please bring examples of anything you’ve done to recognize volunteers in the past and come ready to share ideas.

January 3, 2019
8:30-10:30am
Westminster Canterbury
1600 Westbrook Ave
Richmond, VA 23227

Presenter: Panel led by Kate Bausman

Many of the challenges we face in society and attempt to address in our roles as community members, community service professionals, and policy makers are deeply intertwined with other factors. For example, our access to education impacts our economic stability, which can impact our access to healthy foods, safe housing, and healthcare.

Collective Impact recognizes the connection between different areas of life and understands that a multi-sectoral approach with shared leadership between community members and service providers is needed to address the larger underlying context that lays the foundation for thriving communities and neighbors. Through utilizing the Collective Impact model, resident voices are utilized in decision making, organizations are better able to collaborate, and resources are more effectively utilized. Join us for a panel discussion on Collective Impact initiatives in the Richmond Area.

The presenter for our November “Self-Care” program was Suzanne Vinson of Silver Tree Art. Suzanne is a wife, mother, chaplain/minister, author and artist. She encouraged us to close our eyes and breathe as she read an essay, Breathe In, Breathe Out from My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachel Remen, M.D. Then a poem from her own book, Broken Wide Whole, was read aloud by several members of our group, as we sat in the light dimmed room.

We then were given several choices of small art projects to work on. A popular one was coloring matchsticks from matchbooks with Suzanne’s designs on them, and think about the ways in which we “light up” the world in our roles as volunteer managers.

Suzanne brought buttons, matchboxes, and cards with her whimsical watercolor designs and sayings for members to take home with them, as well as their own handiwork.

St. Joseph’s Villa hosted our event. Members learned a lot about St. Joseph’s Villa, their campus and mission. Tours were offered after the program by Kathy Perun.