GRAVA is a professional membership organization that promotes and supports excellence in the management and leadership of volunteers in the Greater Richmond area through professional development, networking, and advocacy. |
| Call To Action! |
Do these RIGHT NOW to maximize your GRAVA membership:
- Register for GRAVA's November Workshop and IVM Celebration on November 6, 2014
- Save the Dates for GRAVA's 2014-2015 Programs
- Check out GRAVA's Buddy Program!
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RSVP for GRAVA's November Workshop & IVM Celebration!
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November's Breakfast Workshop is on Self Care: Steps to Managing your Personal Productivity. The work of a Volunteer Administrator is inspiring and meaningful, yet it is also demanding. Learn how you can best navigate your personal needs to continue to be successful in the role and field you love.  Join us as Elaine Kiziah facilitates a discussion on personal productivity. How to think strategically about using your time, energy and attention to maximize your energy and productivity. Participants will walk away with an informal assessment as well as tips and strategies to address the areas they wish to see changes related to their productivity.  We'll also be celebrating International Volunteer Managers' Day! Indugle in some well-deserved recognition for all that you do to support volunteers, organizations, and the community on a daily basis! We'll enjoy an enhanced breakfast, tasty treats, and members will receive a special gift! Don't miss this special, once-a-year opportunity to celebrate the importatnt work that we do to make our community and world a better place! RSVP today! |
GRAVA Buddy Program is Here!
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The brand new GRAVA Buddy Program is here!
Many of you have expressed interest in a buddy system in which members who are relatively new to the profession would be paired with a more experienced practitioner (or a small group of peers) for regular problem solving sessions. We are excited to say we are going to begin the matching process this November and that buddies will begin their partnerships in the New Year! If you interested let us know before November 10th. Please email aparker@maymont.org. |
Tips & Tools of the Month
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Whom Don't We Ask to Volunteer?
Susan Ellis of Energ!ze examines the potential of volunteers we rarely attract because we do not recognize them as talent pools, or feel they are somehow out of our reach, or are unsure how to approach them. So we never ask them...and we all lose. Click here learn more
Also be sure to check out:
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Testimonial of the Month
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"I want to thank GRAVA for the wealth of knowledge you've brought me these past two years and for how very much you've helped me learn to become a volunteer coordinator
. GRAVA was instrumental in helping me and former Riverside PACE member, Stephanie Workman, create a comprehensive volunteer program that can now grow to the next level.
GRAVA's workshop and presenters have challenged me to think and grow in new ways that have had implications in all my work life, not just the volunteer coordination piece."
Igmara Sanchez Prunier, Chaplain,
Riverside PACE
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Professional Development Opportunities
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Do you want to continue on your professional development journey? We know you do, so be sure to check out the line up of classes offered by Nonprofit Learning Point. Some of our very own GRAVA members are facilitating classes this fall. You can register today for:
Be sure to take advantage of GRAVA's scholarships to pay for these upcoming opportunities! Contact aparker@maymont.org.
We all have volunteers who are are older or retired. Take a look at new research by the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration's Boom Engagement Task Force for practical tools and information!
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| GRAVA Book Club |
Coming Soon: GRAVA Book Club
Do you want to be a part of a GRAVA book club? We are planning to have our first meeting in December at a local coffee shop or library. We will be reading "How Good People Make Tough Choice: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living" by Rushworth M. Kidder. It is a really great book. We are in the process of coming up with a reading schedule, probably a chapter or two to be discussed at each gathering. If you are interested in participating in this book club, please send a message to Melissa Gilmore atgilmoredm@verizon.net. The book is available to order from Barnes and Noble for $11.50 and is also available for the Nook for the same price.
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Message From the President
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For most of my professional life, I have been a one-woman show, "building" vibrant volunteer "programs" from scratch and "managing" them from start to finish.
When I reached a point where putting even one more spinning plate into the air seemed impossible, even suicidal...I did it because that's what I thought it meant to "do a great job". And for most people, that is what it means.......more, more, more!
Burnout just comes with the territory, doesn't it? Then about a year ago, I realized that I had hit my ceiling. On my own, I couldn't do more, couldn't manage more, couldn't accommodate more and still maintain any kind of balance or quality. It was either change...or flatline. Does this sound familiar?
Read the full Message from the President
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October Roundtable Event Recap
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 At GRAVA's October Roundtable, dove in deeper into the discussion on our personal values and how that influences our choices and decisions we make in our professional lives as well as how we interact with others.
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Volunteer Engagement Message Board
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You Asked and We Listened!
GRAVA members have requested a way to communicate and seek real-time answers to important questions and needs related to volunteer administration outside of normally scheduled GRAVA events.
GRAVA has partnered with HandsOn Greater Richmond to bring you the Volunteer Engagement Message Board, powered by ConnectVA.
Learn more and get started!
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See you in November!
Rebecca Butler, PR Chair
GRAVA (Greater Richmond Association for Volunteer Administration) |
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Membership Update
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Thank you to everyone for helping to spread the word about GRAVA. We currently have 57 members and our membership continues to grow! We know membership is a great value at $30/yr! If you have not joined or renewed, now is the time. You won't want to miss any of the upcoming workshops and roundtables that we have planned!
The Become a Member in September Mixer was a big success! The event was held at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on Thursday, September 25th and was very well attended with almost 30 members and guests present. We all enjoyed the speed networking and the chance to meet new colleagues. Congratulations to Whitney Gutherie for winning the tickets to the Forbidden City exhibit. She brought two guests who both joined GRAVA that evening! Also, Shanone Sport won the Kroger gift card door prize. Thanks to everyone who came out and made the event a success!
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2015 CVA Registration
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Registration for the 2015 cycle opened on October 1, 2014.
Professional certification signals a commitment to excellence. It confirms that individuals have the knowledge needed to competently attract, onboard and support volunteers. Certification promotes personal confidence and helps employers hire, verify and reward relevant expertise.
CCVA sponsors the CVA (Certified in Volunteer Administration) credential, the only international professional certification in the field of volunteer resources management.
Be sure to check out GRAVA's CVA study group and scholarships! |
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Scholarships
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GRAVA Scholarships are Available!
Is there a class at Nonprofit Learning Point you would love to take don't have the funds? Or a book you know would help you take your program to the next level? Apply for a GRAVA Scholarship by contacting Melissa Gilmore!
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P.O. Box
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Membership applications, dues, scholarship applications, and all mailed correspondence should be sent to:
P.O. Box 684, Midlothian VA 23113. If you would like to confirm that your recently mailed membership application and check have been received, please send an e-mail to our membership chair, Melissa Gilmore!
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GRAVA is Social
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Collectively, GRAVA members have a lot of valuable knowledge and experience to share. And now we have our very own Facebook page & Twitter feed to capture all this collective wisdom! But it's up to YOU to contribute to the interactivity of these accounts. These social media tools are for posting photos and events, sharing tips, and exchanging information & comments.
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GRAVA Board
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Secretary & Hospitality:
Treasurer:
Public Relations: Professional Development: Membership: Conference: President:
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