Greater Richmond Association for Volunteer Administration

GRAVA is thrilled to announce we’re bringing the Fixler Group to Richmond for our 2017 Annual Conference! Registration opens in March. Here’s what to do in the meantime.

• Mark your calendars for July 20, 2017.
• Learn more about the Fixler Group and sample some of their great content.
• Download our Sponsorship Flyer to share with your organization. Remember, selecting a $100 Supporting Sponsorship also covers your conference registration – a $40 value!
• Get excited that we’re now offering a 40% discount on conference registration for Americorps members!

More details coming soon – hope to see you there!

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” was a hit by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1967. We were reminded of the importance of keeping our eyes on the mountains during our January workshop. What a wonderful way to start the year! The workshop got us all thinking about the importance of going through the process of creating our own personal philosophy statement in regards to our work with volunteers and what fuels our passion. The statement should provide a context and a guide for our daily work as well as incorporate the ethical core values and principles. We are to consider our roles as leaders and how does that fit with who we are personally in the community, the larger nation and in the world?

So, as you plan for strategic volunteer involvement, advocate for your volunteers, attract and onboard your volunteer workforce, prepare volunteers for their roles, document volunteer impact, manage volunteer performance and acknowledge, celebrate and sustain your volunteers, GRAVA is here to support and help you along the way. It is going to be a great year as we keep our eyes on the mountains!

Excited to hear about progress made on your personal philosophy statements and updates on your professional development at our next meeting!

See you in February,

Melissa M. Gilmore, M Ed., CVA
GRAVA President

Resource List

• Powerpoint
• Cover Sheet
• Questions to spark your thinking
• Core Values and Principles

At our January GRAVA meeting on “Defining Your Philosophy of Leadership,” we were happy to be on Sesame Street, hosted by Community Idea Stations and our board member, Brynn Markham.

Katie Campbell, CVA and immediate past Executive Director of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA), led us through a step by step process to begin developing a personal philosophy statement.

Katie shared the characteristics of a strong personal philosophy statement, and stressed that it is about you, not your organization. It should focus on the present, what you believe about your role as a leader of volunteers, no matter where you work. Your statement should be consistent with our professional core values and principles.  Katie provided this handout  with more details about the value and characteristics of a strong personal philosophy statement.

To get us started on creating our own personal philosophy statement, Katie provided a worksheet with questions to spark our thinking, such as “Why do you do what you do?” and “How does your role as a leader of volunteer engagement fit with who you are a person?”  She encouraged us to start by responding with simple words, phrases and ideas.  She suggested that we use this as a jumping off point and continue to write, revise and reflect on why we engage volunteers, discussing these questions with staff colleagues and finding a GRAVA buddy to further discuss. See Katie’s PowerPoint here.

“The intrinsic elements of service to others do not change – no matter what words we use, what we call ourselves, how we are compensated, or who we are.  Embracing this philosophy means letting go of the notion that there is only one way to operate, one way to climb the mountain, one path to follow.  There are many trails worth exploring and we need not fear we will get lost as long as we keep our eyes on the mountaintop.” ─Katie Campbell, CVA

After Katie’s excellent workshop, Melissa Gilmore, GRAVA president, announced that the group’s professional development scholarship will be renamed the Katie Campbell Professional Development scholarship, in recognition of Katie’s 30+ years of leadership and excellence in volunteer engagement as she retires from her position as Executive Director of CCVA.  Katie also had a gift for all of us as she brought ample books from her library to share and everyone went home with a book to continue our learning.

We captured as many of the amazing Volunteer Managers as we could for a group photo at the end of the meeting, and they all appear very relaxed!  Great job, Judy!

In December we will take a break from our workshop schedule but be sure to mark our January 5, 2017 workshop on your calendar. We will be at the Community Idea Stations, 23 Sesame Street, Richmond 23235.

Hello all GRAVA members and potential members,

I want to tell you why I joined GRAVA and what I get out of attending the monthly meetings. I was new to the nonprofit world when I took over the job as the Field Operations Supervisor at FeedMore. Even though I worked with recruitment of people and management and I was an avid volunteer I needed to know I was heading in the right direction with training, retention, and recruitment.  The person that previously held my job was a member and so I inherited her membership. I have renewed twice since then!

First let me share that I was welcomed into the family of Volunteer Administrators at GRAVA; we have awesome meetings, great trainings and wonderful opportunities to network.  If you are a new member thank you for being a part of this wonderful organization. If you are not just come one time — I think you will be pleased with what is happening.  

I hope to see you at our next meeting!

Tawana

Peer2Peer Mentoring

For those of you that have expressed interest in Peer2Peer Mentoring, please watch your email after the holidays for an update so we can get going in the New Year. If you’re interested in participating in this rewarding program, and haven’t already done so, please email Brynn Markham and let her know. We will work to match you to other GRAVA members relevant to your interests.

GRAVA Scholarship Awarded

Congratulations to Sara Beauchamp, Volunteer Manager with Communities in Schools! Sarah was awarded a $100 scholarship to apply toward the cost of her professional development. She will be participating in coursework at the University of Richmond’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies. Sara will be taking a class on storytelling in the nonprofit sector that she hopes will prepare her for a special project with Communities in Schools that aims to establish a “storybank” for their volunteers’ experiences. We look forward to hearing Sara share more about this after she completes this coursework, in January.  

What Have You Accomplished This Year?

If you’ve completed coursework, earned a certificate or certification, please let us know, so we can share with your fellow GRAVA members. Seeing colleagues accomplish their goals is inspiring and can spur others to do the same. If you’ve completed any kind of professional development, email Brynn Markham, so she can share your accomplishments!

Joy to the World is a classic carol written in 1719 by Issac Watts. While this is almost over 300 years ago, the theme is still very relevant. Joy is defined as the emotion evoked by wellbeing; to experience great pleasure or delight. Can’t we all use more joy in our lives? Isn’t it a great feeling when we can bring joy to someone else?

During the holiday season it is important for us all to reflect on how much joy our volunteers bring to their assigned tasks, the clients they serve and to our organizations as a whole. The passion and drive with which our volunteers fulfill their duties is amazing and should make us, as the leaders of these volunteers, feel joyful and have a spirit of gratitude. Last year in America, 62.6 million people volunteered! Imagine the impact that was felt and the joy that was shared.

The holiday season is a busy time for everyone and volunteer administrators are no exception. My hope for all of you this season is that you take the time to view all the tasks and projects, not as things you have to do, but as things you get to do. Sometimes just framing the way we think about things a little differently can change our perspective and our attitude as we proceed.

Wishing you all the many joys of the season!

See you in January,

Melissa M. Gilmore, M Ed., CVA
GRAVA President