Greetings Volunteer Network Members,
We're off to New Orleans in just under 2 weeks to collect resources and information to share with all of you - our member organizations.
And welcome to Stephanie Gardner, our Volunteer Network summer intern. We plan to keep her busy this summer with several projects including energizing our social networking presence!
~Bet, Lucy & Stephanie The City of Bloomington Volunteer Network
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News from the Network |
The Role of Volunteers in Your Organization
The City of Bloomington Volunteer Network is gauging the level of volunteer
involvement at each of our member organizations and programs. Thank you to everyone who has already completed the survey, but we need to hear from more of you.
Please complete this survey by May 31st.
Take the Survey Now
The survey includes 15 questions and will take approx. 10 minutes to complete.
Save the Date - for Be More Awards 2012 It's on the calendar! Save the date now and begin thinking about who you will nominate. Nominations will begin in December. DATE: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 TIME: 6-8:30 p.m. LOCATION: Buskirk-Chumley Theater
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Upcoming Events & Trainings
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Register for the IU Student Involvement Fair - Sept. 7 The IU Student Involvement Fair Committee is pleased to invite non-profit agencies to the 2011 Student Involvement Fair! The mission of the IU Student Involvement Fair is to provide students with the opportunity to make contact with a wide variety of student organizations, university support services, and community organizations in order to encourage active involvement and enhance their IU experience. Click here to download the registration form. Deadline to reserve a table: 8/19/11.
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Grants, Funding & Recognition Programs
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Cox Engagement Scholarships Beginning in fall of 2011, the Advocates for Community Engagement (ACE) Program will be supported through the Cox Engagement Scholarship Program. Cox Engagement Scholarships will fund 10 new ACEs each year over the next four years, allowing the ACE Program to grow to a total of 40 ACEs by the year 2014-2015. The scholarships reward students who balance work and school in the pursuit of their degrees. The Cox Engagement Scholarship will allow students with a commitment to service to earn 25 percent of the cost of attendance by working in the local community, through partnerships facilitated by the service-learning program within the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Please see the link to the IU news release, New Cox Scholarships for working students created by Indiana University: http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/17493.html
Tom's of Maine 50 States for Good Community Sponsorship Program Deadline: June 21 50 States for Good is a national initiative to support the goodness behind grassroots community projects. Six organizations will share in their $150,000 sponsorship fund, including one organization that will be given $50,000! Their panel of judges will select 20 organizations doing great things in their communities to be voted on by you. http://bit.ly/iMP8DX
Nominate a Woman of Worth Deadline: June 30 Do you know a Woman of Worth? The L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth awards celebrate women everywhere who passionately embody the spirit of volunteerism. Ten Honorees will be selected from across the United States. In addition, one National Women Of Worth Honoree will be selected from the pool of the ten Honorees by an online vote open to the public. L'Oréal Paris will make a $10,000 donation on behalf of each honoree to a charitable organization of her choice (see official rules), and an all-expense paid trip to New York City to be recognized at a gala event. Additionally, one National Honoree selected by the online public vote will receive an additional $25,000 donation to her cause. All honorees will receive national recognition for her cause and volunteer efforts. ELIGIBILITY & CRITERIA
- Be a woman 18 years or older.
- Have a record of exemplary service within her community and the community at large.
- Be able to demonstrate the impact of her work within her community.
- Be aspirational and inspirational to others.
- Demonstrate commitment to her cause.
- Exemplify leadership.
- Non-compensated.
Nominate Now: http://www.womenofworth.com/nominations/home.aspx
Follow the Leader - Win A Prize Participating in Get HandsOn's Follow The Leader campaign is easy. Register online at the Get HandsOn website to Follow the Leader and win awesome prizes in 3 easy steps:
- Pick a Project Playbook
- Complete the Project Playbook
- Tell them how it went
Encourage volunteers and leaders to join the site and use the Project Playbooks for great project ideas in Education, Economy, Environment, and Emergency. Recent winners have won i-pads and cash for their cause. Read here for more prize information.
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Volunteer Resources & Materials
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Serve IT Nonprofit Clinic Opens Applications for New Clients
Deadline: June 3
The Indiana University Serve IT Clinic has opened applications for nonprofit clients for the 2011-2012 academic year. The clinic expects to take on four new clients for the fall semester beginning in September 2011 with potentially more clients added in January 2012.
The mission of the clinic is to provide real-world learning opportunities to IU students while at the same time helping nonprofit organizations in the Monroe County area with their information technology needs on an ongoing basis. Projects completed for the four pilot-phase organizations in the Spring 2011 semester included web and database development, tech support, staff training, and consulting services.
Download the Client Application here. (pdf) or Word file online at http://serveit.soic.indiana.edu The deadline for receiving full consideration is June 3rd, 2011. Applications should be emailed to serveit@indiana.edu.
About Serve IT The Indiana University Serve IT Clinic is an information technology clinic for community nonprofits created by the School of Informatics and Computing in association with SPEA, the Kelley School of Business, United Way of Monroe County, The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, and other University and area community organizations. See http://serveit .soic.indiana.edu for more information.
i-Phone App for Volunteer Recognition The new iRecognize Volunteers app for iPhone provides a unique way to recognize and celebrate those who are creating change in their communities. The free app allows users to share inspiring stories, photos and YouTube videos that showcase how individuals have used their time, talent, voice and money to make a difference.
By downloading the app, you can easily write a tribute or pledge service on behalf of family members, co-workers, neighbors or friends to highlight their contribution to the volunteer service movement. You will become a part of the virtual community of change-makers on Points of Light Institute's Tribute Wall who are committed to demonstrating the power of voluntary action.
Download iRecognize Volunteers today. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/irecognize-volunteers/id431417798?mt=8.
VIP Resources Available Online We had a great turnout for our May Volunteer VIP session on Great Group Projects and Project Leaders. Check out the new resources posted online on the VIP page to add to your resource binder. View resources here.
Tracking Volunteer Time to Boost Your Bottom Line: A Complete Accounting Guide This article was recommended to us by Victoria Laudeman, IU SPEA student, who attended the last Volunteer VIP session. Thanks Victoria! Tracking volunteer time sound like another chore? Actually it can help you meet match requirements, improve your financial statement presentations, and reduce liability. In this article on blueavocado.com, CPA Dennis Walsh of North Carolina explains why and how to include volunteer time in your budgets and financials. Read article here.
New Requirements at IU Encourage Community Involvement If you want to improve your connections to IU student volunteers and service learners, now's the time to get ahead of the curve! Starting this summer (2011), IU Bloomington is instituting a new campus-wide General Education Program which requires all new degree-seeking undergraduates to complete a campus-wide General Education program prior to graduation. The program includes certain English composition, math, arts and humanities, and social and historical studies, among others.
In the Shared Goals section, it is recommended that departments offer students "enriching educational experiences", which may include a service-learning course, internship, community service and community-based action research, fieldwork, capstone project, student teaching, independent research/creative activity program, approved study abroad experience, honors these, show, recital, performance, or advocacy in ones major. So get ready . . . we'll be seeing more community involvement as incoming freshmen begin to realize that they need to meet this requirement.
Federal Budget Cuts Affect Volunteer Service Sector The long, drawn-out budget battles around federal spending for this fiscal year ended on April 8. On the service front, the budget agreement yielded some disappointments but also revealed both the strengths of the service and volunteering sector, as well as the challenges for us going forward in a charged and demanding fiscal environment.
After multiple temporary extensions, Congress ultimately approved a deficit-reduction measure that included $75 million in cuts to the budget for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Fortunately, the Corporation was not eliminated as the House of Representatives had proposed, but there were some reductions:
- The entire CNCS will be subject to a .2 percent rescission
- AmeriCorps state and national was cut by $23 million
- The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) was cut by $12 million
- Learn and Serve America was eliminated
The disappointment in the outcomes of the budget debate are clear, and we will face even more daunting challenges in fiscal year 2012. But the importance of service was also recognized in the outcome. Lawmakers are faced with difficult choices and we will have increasingly constrained resources. It will be incumbent on our sector to demonstrate the high economic and civic value of service and citizenship and the return on investment in the forms of problems solved, impact created and lifelong citizen volunteers cultivated. |
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CALENDAR
| Save the date for these events and opportunities:
| June 6-8 National Conference on Volunteering and Service New Orleans, LA
July 19 Volunteer VIP Session Topic: TBA
Sept. 7 IU Student Involvement Fair
Sept. 17 Volunteer Network Community Volunteer Fair at Farmers' Market
September 30 The Essentials: Volunteer Management Training read more
Oct 12-13 Governor's Conference on Service and Volunteering read more
Dec 6-7 Because Kids Count Conference Indianapolis, IN
Save the Date! April 3, 2012 Be More Awards Buskirk-Chumley Theater
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Useful Links
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| General Resources that may be helpful to your program:
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