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Energize July 2013 Susan J. Ellis |
Breaking through the Glass Ceiling for Volunteers Fully capable people may already be serving in your existing volunteer corps and ready to be promoted to a higher level of volunteering for the organization (only if they want to). |
AFP eWire January 25, 2011 Brydon M. DeWitt |
The Power of the Volunteer Working with volunteers is not easy. With the right support, however, volunteers can do more than any number of staff can do -- it's just a matter of harnessing their potential. |
Energize November 2007 Susan J. Ellis |
Boards of Directors: Governing at a Distance? What began as a legitimate concern to avoid micro-managing in favor of long-range planning has instead served to distance board members from first-hand understanding of the organizations they lead. |
Energize February 2013 Susan J. Ellis |
The Treasure Trove of Knowledge Philanthropists This month our colleagues at Vantage Point in Vancouver, BC, Canada are releasing a new book, The Abundant Not-for-Profit by Colleen Kelly and Lynda Gerty. Inspirational and practical, the book argues for a transformation in thinking about volunteers. |
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 July 2009 Susan J. Ellis |
The Drive towards "Highly-skilled" and "Pro Bono" Volunteering Skilled or skills-based volunteering is the practice of using work-related knowledge and expertise in a volunteer opportunity |
AFP eWire August 16, 2011 |
Orienting and Training Volunteers for Success All volunteers should go through orientation to the organization and at least some training for their roles as volunteers. |
Energize November 2011 Susan J. Ellis |
Part-time Volunteer Management Means Equally Limited Volunteer Involvement, It is hardly news that the majority of people who lead volunteer involvement are expected to do so part-time. |
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 April 2007 Susan J. Ellis |
I'll Help with That, But Don't Ask me to Lead it! Have you found that it is easier to recruit a volunteer to do frontline, hands-on work than to accept a leadership position on a board of directors, advisory council, or key committee? This is becoming a universal concern, including for professional associations of volunteer program managers. |
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 January 2007 Susan J. Ellis |
Should Volunteer Program Managers Be Volunteers, Too? There's never been a better time to volunteer for a volunteer management network - and that's true in a range of countries around the world, many of whom are nurturing embryo associations right now. |
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 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 2012 Susan J. Ellis |
End-of-Year Reports Can Illuminate Volunteer Achievements The invisibility of volunteers in many agency reports is matched only by the presentation of generally useless information about volunteers in other reports. |
Energize July 2011 Susan J. Ellis |
Needed: A Multi-level Approach to Credentialing Volunteer Management Volunteer management has been an "emerging profession" ever since I've been in the field -- which is now 40 years. |
Energize July 2010 Susan J. Ellis |
The Correlation between Time Donors and Money Donors All research shows that people who volunteer tend to give more money to charity than people who do not. This often-quoted finding only tells part of the philanthropy story. |
Energize October 2012 Susan J. Ellis |
Practicing What We Preach: Volunteers Helping Us, Too One of the enduring mysteries of the volunteer management field is how often those who lead volunteer efforts do not build a team of volunteers to help them in their important work. |
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. |
Energize May 2008 Susan J. Ellis |
It's Volunteers and Money We need to see the issue of resource allocation for volunteers as integral to our work and develop the skills to "make the case" for spending money on volunteers. |
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. |
AFP eWire May 1, 2012 |
Creating Volunteer Opportunities -- The New Role of Fundraisers Think your organization's volunteers and its development office are two separate worlds? Think again, says Emily Davis, author of Fundraising and the Next Generation, new from the AFP Fund Development Series. |
Energize June 2010 Susan J. Ellis |
Reimagining Service: Is Corporate HR Management What We See? If you see volunteer management as just HR management, then you will love Reimagining Service, which promotes the idea of applying private sector human resources practices to nonprofit organizations. |
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. |
The Motley Fool November 1, 2006 Dan Caplinger |
How Charities Do Good Charities have a few lessons for the business world. |
Foundation News & Commentary Jul/Aug 2005 Hechinger & Bobowick |
Governance Matters The 12 principles of governance share some common denominators and enable the board to operate at an exceptional level. |
Energize October 2014 Susan J. Ellis |
Whom Don't We Ask to Volunteer? Consider where you recruit and what your expectations are of what applicants will look like. Don't limit your outreach and you'll be rewarded. |
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? |
Foundation News & Commentary Mar/Apr 2005 Deborah S. Hechinger |
Building Better Boards Congress has focused on compliance, but effective governance requires strong leadership. Foundation boards must step up to the task of working with chief executives to empower foundations to identify critical needs and to fund strong and effective programs. |
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 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 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 January 2012 Susan J. Ellis |
What Would the Perfect Volunteer Involving Organization Look Like? Here is what I think an organization would look like if it practiced everything we preach about creative, welcoming, and effective volunteer management, led by a skilled director of volunteer involvement. |
Energize Susan J. Ellis |
Volunteering and Employability: Cause or Effect? Most of us in volunteer management support the observation that volunteering builds resumes, provides career exploration, and demonstrates each volunteer's abilities, but can we make the case that volunteering directly affects employability? And is that the point? |
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. |
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 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 September 2013 Susan J. Ellis |
What Volunteer Resources Managers Can Teach Human Resources Managers Volunteer resources managers are constantly being told what we can learn from professionals in personnel or human resources. Maybe it's time we tell HR what they can learn from us. |
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. |
HBS Working Knowledge April 4, 2005 Manda Salls |
Why Nonprofits Have a Board Problem Plenty of distinguished people serve on nonprofit boards, but for some reason these directors shrink from leadership, argues Harvard professor Richard Chait. In this Q&A, Chait discusses "Governance as Leadership," his new book on how boards can transform into powerful forces of leadership. |
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 |
HBS Working Knowledge October 18, 2004 Manda Salls |
The Nonprofit Boon from Boomers A new study by the Harvard School of Public Health identifies baby boomers as a great potential source of volunteers in the future. But nonprofits better start making their pitch now. |
Energize October 2006 Susan J. Ellis |
The Middle Management Barrier Middle managers are vital to how effective the organization's volunteer engagement will be. |
Energize March 2009 Susan J. Ellis |
The Difference between Needing and Wanting Volunteers A few measures of true willingness to find the full range of resources to help meet your organization's mission and serve the most people in the best ways. |
AFP eWire May 5, 2006 |
Best Practices in Nonprofit Board Governance in Canada The first national study of Canadian nonprofit boards of directors provides an overview of current practices and identifies key strategies in creating a fully engaged board. |
AFP eWire May 4, 2006 |
Volunteers Still Not Being Used for Maximum Impact A new survey shows that a vast majority of nonprofit organizations are not taking full advantage of the professional skills and knowledge possessed by their volunteers. |
Energize June 2005 Susan J. Ellis |
Mobile Volunteers - `Tis the Season In the past, one simply wished vacationing volunteers a good time and hoped they'd return in a few months. But if the person is going to have access to a computer and the Internet while away, consider a virtual assignment. |
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 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. |
Energize March 2005 Susan J. Ellis |
Recruitment Maxims Volunteer recruitment does not mean wheedling, arm twisting, or asking for a favor. The best approach is that you are sharing an opportunity with prospective volunteers that you don't want them to miss! |