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Recognition Idea
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Potlucks for Staff and VolunteersI like to hold potlucks at the office and invite volunteers to make them feel like part of the team. The volunteers are asked to bring only a big appetite.
Submitted by Nazia A. Hossain
Share Your Recognition Idea
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| Volunteerism Quote |
The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.- John Ruskin Share Your Quote
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Energize Volunteer Management Update
June 2011
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 June Hot Topic: Is the Corporation for National and Community Service on the Right Track for Volunteerism?
The U.S. Corporation for National and Community Service is experiencing rough waters: severe budget cuts and a very recent leadership change. Guest contributor Paula Beugen wonders if the Corporation needs a serious makeover no matter the budget. Read Paula's concerns about the future of the agency charged with "supporting the American culture of citizenship, service and responsibility."
Read this Month's Hot Topic
You can subscribe to the Hot Topic as a podcast or RSS text feed - or listen to the audio online.
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We're Not Going to See You in New Orleans
For the first time in more than 15 years, Energize will not be participating in this year's National Conference on Volunteering and Service being held in New Orleans next week. We will miss seeing many of our friends and colleagues, but felt we needed to take a break from this event. Last year's conference in New York City raised significant concerns about the direction the Corporation was taking the event - focusing predominantly on its own programs and initiatives while marginalizing the needs of the greater volunteer management community.
Instead, Susan keynoted the New Zealand National Conference on Volunteering and is currently traveling to four cities in Australia to conduct training. She will post highlights and photos to Energize's page on Facebook. Some very exciting things are happening overseas (which Energize will of course share in various ways) and it seemed more productive to focus on international exchange right now than look inward in the U.S. For example, many countries around the world are using the United Nations "International Year of Volunteers + 10" (IYV+10)as a springboard to various conferences and research. The American conference is not even mentioning IYV+10.
On a positive note, the annual Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) conference last month was once again a success, coincidentally inviting Andy Fryar from Australia as its keynote speaker. Energize joins with others in urging MAVA to broaden its outreach and intentionally become a national event. Bravo to them for their continuing leadership in the field.
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Happy Volunteers' Week to the UK
Cheers to everyone in the UK celebrating Volunteers' Week during the 1st through the 7th of June, 2011. The Week plays a huge part in raising the profile of the millions of volunteers who regularly contribute to society, while inspiring others to get involved too. If you want to see how they do it UK style, you can follow the week's celebration on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/volunteersweek.
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New in Our Online Journal: e-Volunteerism
The current issue of e-Volunteerism, our international subscription journal, is Volume XI, Issue 3. New article posted since the last Update:
Note that the current Points of View essay, Paying to Play: Charging Fees to Volunteers, by Susan J. Ellis and Steve McCurley is available to all site visitors free of charge each quarter, as a sample of the journal's contents and to elicit wider response.
Subscribe to e-Volunteerism for a full year or for 48-hour access. Note that subscribers have full access to the Archives of all eleven volume years.
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Susan's Tip of the Month: Multi-tasking as a Volunteer Recruitment Tool
In today's time-deprived world, one way to cope is to get good at "multi-tasking" - doing more than one thing at once. Some practices, such as texting and driving, are downright dangerous. But, listening to a book on tape while driving is a way to use time productively.
The volunteer world can put multi-tasking to excellent use as an attractive recruiting pitch. Here are some examples:
- Feeling bad or guilty that you are not spending enough quality time with your children? Why not volunteer together as a family? You'll all get to know each other in new ways while also being active citizens.
- Looking for someone special but worried about the safety of singles bars? Volunteer for a cause you love and meet other people who share your passions.
- Want to expand your resume with new skills and experience? Think of volunteering as a classroom in which you learn all sorts of new things while also doing good for others.
- Sitting at your desk to each lunch but know you should do more exercise? Walk a few blocks and come eat lunch with our residents. They will enjoy the company and you'll get fit!
- Love the arts but can't afford a ticket? Volunteer for the [museum, ballet, etc.] and get behind the scenes. Best of all, you'll be supporting the cultural opportunities you want everyone to have.
- Always watch a favorite television show every week or never miss our team's games? There's a homebound senior who shares your interest and would love to watch the show or game with you. So go sit in someone else's living room to do what you'd be doing anyway - but double the impact by spending time with a new friend.
- Newly retired and missing a regular schedule? We can help! Structure your week with a volunteer commitment. Move from "retirement" to "redirection."
- Do you drive past our agency every day going to and from work? Why not stop for an hour and help one of our children with homework? Maybe you'll even miss rush hour traffic!
In each case, you are recruiting for an existing volunteer position, but explaining it to a prospective volunteer in terms of his or her personal interests. You're saying "this service is important, AND it can help you, too." It's not selfish. People want to be of service but don't think they have the time. Show them that they can multitask in new ways!
View the archives of these Updates since 2008 - Susan's monthly Quick Tips are listed there for you.
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About Us
Energize empowers and inspires leaders of volunteers worldwide. Our specialty is creating and selecting the most relevant, innovative resources in volunteer management. We're advocates for the power of volunteers and for the recognition of the leaders who unleash it.
Energize, Inc.
5450 Wissahickon Ave. C-13
Philadelphia PA 19144 USA
Phone: 215-438-8342
Fax: 215-438-0434
info@energizeinc.com
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