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Energize June 2011 Paula J. Beugen |
Is the Corporation for National and Community Service on the Right Track for Volunteerism? After energetically working alongside many others to advance the concepts for what became the National and Community Service Act of 1990, I am stunned by the current state of what is now the Corporation for National and Community Service |
Reason May 2002 Mike Lynch |
Soundbite: Bush's Legions President George W. Bush has pledged to "expand and improve the good efforts of AmeriCorps [and] recruit more than 200,000 new volunteers." A few limited-government types expressed outrage... |
Energize March 2010 Susan J. Ellis |
AmeriCorps and Senior Corps Targeting Volunteer Management The most popular capacity building option among both charities and congregations with social service outreach activities is the addition of a one-year, full-time volunteer with a living stipend (like an AmeriCorps member), with responsibility for volunteer recruitment and management. |
Home Theater April 2, 2009 |
Volunteers to Ease DTV Transition Volunteers connected with a joint public/private service program will help ease the transition from analog to digital television broadcasting for low-income households, minorities, seniors, the disabled, those who live in rural areas, and those who don't speak English. |
Energize May 2009 Paula J. Beugen |
The Role of Volunteer Resources Managers in the Serve America Act: Stay Up-to-Date and Lead There is now a new law that authorizes great expansion of Federally-supported service programs, notably AmeriCorps and several new special Corps and initiatives. The Serve America Act is over 100 pages in length and funds still need to be appropriated. |
Energize December 2009 Susan J. Ellis |
When the Ax Falls: Budget Cutting and Volunteers Can an organization turn to volunteers to fill gaps when budgets are cut and employees laid off? |
Energize February 2014 Susan J. Ellis |
It's Time to Discuss the Complex Relationship of Volunteering and Money We constantly fight the attitude that "volunteers are free," but money is connected to volunteering in complex ways. |
Energize April 2008 Susan Ellis |
Volunteering is Bigger than the Nonprofit Sector The practice of volunteering for government agencies is contrasted with non-profit volunteering programs and a case is made for volunteers in government. |
Energize Susan J. Ellis |
What's Ahead for 2009 in the Volunteerism Community? Here are several ways that the Obama Administration may impact volunteering in the United States, along with some of my own editorial comments. |
Energize November 2010 Susan J. Ellis |
When Volunteers Resist Change Always remember that volunteers bring their own perspectives and stereotypes about volunteerism to their service. Here are some ways of thinking that reflect a lack of training or understanding. |
Energize Susan J. Ellis |
Volunteers and the Quest for Innovation Are we inventing bigger and better Band-Aids for the symptoms rather than eliminating the root causes of seemingly intractable problems? |
Energize February 2006 Susan J. Ellis |
The Fair Labor Standards Act and Other Obstacles to Progress As advocates for volunteer engagement, we need to approach specialized counselors as equal team members, remembering that we, too, have expertise to offer. |
Energize March 2008 Susan J. Ellis |
California Governor "Pumps Up" Volunteering California elevates volunteer management to a state cabinet position. |
Energize December 2006 Susan J. Ellis |
Together We Stand: Volunteers and Volunteer Resource Managers Connected Frontline volunteers and boardroom volunteers are more alike than different, and the principles of effective volunteer administration apply to each group. |
Energize June 2013 Susan J. Ellis |
Stop Volunteers from Being Their Own Worst Enemies Maybe we need to educate volunteers about who they are and how they fit into our organizations. If we wrongly assume that volunteers "get it," we open ourselves to potential problems of various sorts. |
Energize February 2008 Susan J. Ellis |
The Power of Difference For best success, look for volunteers that offer a different skill set than the paid staff. |
Energize November 2012 Susan J. Ellis |
The Perfect Volunteer Storm What can we observe in all of this outpouring of time and effort for the presidential election and for Hurricane Sandy and what implications can we see for calmer times? Let's do some analysis from our volunteer leadership perspective. |
Energize Susan J. Ellis |
Should We Cap the Number of Hours a Volunteer May Serve Each Week? New volunteers may start off gung-ho and promise many hours before they know what they will experience. So I like the practice of setting an initial limit of maximum time until the situation evolves and looks to be successful. |
Energize May 2011 Susan J. Ellis |
Short Attention Spans versus Long-term Causes How can we reconcile the long-term demands of most causes with the "what's-new-today?" push of media attention? How do we continue to recruit the volunteers we need for the long haul? |
Energize October 2011 Susan J. Ellis |
What Leaders of Volunteers Can Do To Gain Executive Attention This month, I am turning the spotlight 180 degrees to examine how leaders of volunteers contribute to the problem of not getting enough attention from higher-ups. |
Energize August 2014 Susan J. Ellis |
Identifying Who Is and Is Not a "Volunteer" I suspect that every reader has engaged in this sort of discussion/debate/argument more than once. |
Energize February 2009 Susan J. Ellis |
"A New Era of Responsibility": An Open Letter to President Obama A call for the President to remember the professional field of volunteer resource management during his presidency. |
Energize December 2011 Susan J. Ellis |
My Personal "State of the World's Volunteering" Report On December 5th, International Volunteer Day, United Nations Volunteers is set to issue its State of the World's Volunteering Report, officially bringing to a close the 2011 International Year of Volunteers + 10. |
Energize May 2013 Susan J. Ellis |
Strategic Volunteer Management: Expanding Your Organization's Brain The problem in volunteer management is not that our organizations are without strategies of various sorts; it's that volunteers are not naturally integrated into those strategies even as an operational tactic. |
Energize April 2013 Susan J. Ellis |
Revisiting the Seven Deadly Sins of Directing Volunteers In the early 1980s, Energize produced a mini-poster with the dramatic title of "The Seven Deadly Sins of Directing Volunteers," which proved extremely popular. We are reappraising them for 2013. |
Energize January 2010 Susan J. Ellis |
Differentiating Volunteering and Working for Pay The distinctions between the two groups are vital because we need both for different reasons. |
Energize June 2008 Susan J. Ellis |
Is the Rising Cost of Gas a Crisis or an Opportunity for Volunteering? I haven't really heard much discussion yet about the effect of gasoline prices today, but it has to be an issue that will soon surface. |
AFP eWire July 24, 2006 |
Women, People in Utah, Most Likely to Volunteer A new study is the first to provide a detailed breakdown of America's giving habits and patterns by state and region, including state-by-state rankings and profiles of volunteering in reach region and state. |
Energize August 2011 Susan J. Ellis |
I'll Never Understand Why Executives Still Don't Understand Here is the most succinct set of arguments for not ignoring volunteer involvement. |
Energize November 2005 Susan J. Ellis |
Strength in Numbers: Engaging Volunteers as Partners in Program Development There is a specific form of volunteer involvement that has great potential as a tool for internal advocacy: activating a visible team of volunteer representatives. |
AFP eWire January 22, 2007 |
Survey Examines Corporate Support of Employee Volunteers in Canada Most corporations and businesses in Canada encourage or accommodate their employee volunteer activities during work hours, although the manner and extent of the support varies widely, according to a new survey. |
AFP eWire March 1, 2004 |
Many Nonprofits Using Volunteers Ineffectively A joint study by the UPS Foundation, the Corporation for National and Community Service and the USA Freedom Corps has revealed that 80 percent of nonprofits rely on volunteers for critical activities, but admit they do not have the resources or knowledge to manage them as they might like. |
Energize September 2006 Susan J. Ellis |
What’s in a Name…or a Title? What's the best title for the person who is designated as the leader of volunteers? |
AFP eWire July 31, 2006 |
Online Volunteering: Factors for Success A new study examines the potential benefits of cultivating online volunteers and the necessary infrastructure and capacity organizations need to effectively employ these volunteers. |
Energize November 2013 Susan J. Ellis |
Education through Celebration on International Volunteer Managers Day It is important to let professional volunteer managers know that the spirit of volunteerism is enhanced and enabled by them -- and it is important to thank them. |
Energize June 2012 Susan J. Ellis |
Why Do We Love Volunteer Satisfaction Surveys? How did we arrive at this particular method of assessing success with volunteers? Do such surveys reveal anything meaningful about the value of volunteer contributions? |
Energize April 2011 Susan J. Ellis |
Celebrate Collective Accomplishments, Not Volunteered Time Volunteer recognition is a powerful tool for leaders of volunteers that remains largely underutilized. |
Job Journal November 9, 2003 Lacy Salter |
The Priceless Rewards of Nonprofit Work That's the real benefit of entering the world of nonprofit organizations. |
Energize February 2012 Susan J. Ellis |
Volunteering is Inherently Political What would happen if we intentionally appealed to the political motivations of prospective volunteers? Instead of recruiting mainly by expressing the needs of our organizations and clients, we might put our work into a broader community perspective. |
Energize April 2005 Susan J. Ellis |
We Can Model True Collaboration Volunteer programs ought to be able to overcome the barriers faced by their sponsoring organizations and find ways to work together. |
Energize April 2012 Susan J. Ellis |
Common Sense and Volunteer Involvement I am very interested in what you have to share as your examples of lack of common sense when it comes to decisions affecting volunteers. |
AFP eWire December 19, 2005 |
Young People's Volunteerism on the Rise More young people in America volunteer than adults, and a strong majority of them are interested in continuing to volunteer well into the future, according to two different surveys. |
Energize November 2014 Susan J. Ellis |
Pulling the Rug Out from Under Volunteer Involvement: Sudden Staff Changes How are major changes communicated to volunteers in your organization? Is there a plan in place for continuity should you leave your job, whether by choice or not? |
Energize September 2012 Susan J. Ellis |
"Why?" Is More Powerful than #@#%! Throughout my years in working with clients and audiences, I have found that asking someone to explain the reason for a particular statement, action, or decision almost always puts things into context and enables forward progress. So it's surprising that we do not ask "why?" more often. |
AFP eWire May 21, 2007 |
Americans Would Rather Visit In-Laws Than Volunteer While Americans overwhelmingly believe that it is important to promote volunteerism, especially among youth, less than half currently contribute their time to a charitable organization. |
Energize July 2006 Susan J. Ellis |
"I Don't Have Time" It's still possible to engage people in more intensive volunteer service, if we pay attention to their needs. |
Energize May 2006 Susan J. Ellis |
Online Spying Can Improve Your Volunteer Management Skills Use the Internet to be a quiet explorer, observing carefully what other non-profit organizations are doing. Educate yourself about approaches and models that you might follow, adapt, or even avoid. |
Energize February 2010 Susan J. Ellis |
Both Receiving and Giving Conspicuous by their absence, particularly in human service agencies, are volunteers with a direct, personal connection to the work of the organization |
Energize December 2007 Susan J. Ellis |
Helper Triage: Volunteer Management in Emergencies It's imperative that citizen volunteers be a subject for consideration in any emergency plan and that at least one authorized person be designated solely to be in charge of volunteer mobilization when a crisis occurs. |
Energize October 2006 Susan J. Ellis |
The Middle Management Barrier Middle managers are vital to how effective the organization's volunteer engagement will be. |