We're here to support you.

We’ve lived with a global pandemic for over two years. It has changed the way we live, work, and socialize. With vaccination rates increasing, we are starting to see glimmers of hope, and the resumption of some of our volunteer programs. And though many in our community are still struggling with the decision whether to vaccinate, we will continue to do our jobs with compassion and respect for all. 

Despite the uncertainty and ambiguity around us, we still take our work very seriously. NOVAA members hold themselves to high standards of ethics and accountability. We recognize that change is inevitable, and growth is always possible. We have learned much from the changes wrought by COVID-19, and the social upheaval that came with it. We accept the responsibility we bear to help create a more equitable and just world.

Behind the scenes at NOVAA, our dedicated board, made up of volunteer leaders ourselves, works hard to ensure that everything NOVAA does and shares is relevant and timely to support this community, especially through this year of so much change. We have been having continuous internal conversations exploring what NOVAA can do to be the most equitable, inclusive, accessible and representative organization possible.

NOVAA has spent the last 18 months reviewing our bylaws, evaluating our budget to identify areas in which we can offer financial support options, and working to hire a consultant to audit our practices (including the bylaws, and beyond) and help us create a sustainable equity action plan. Through these efforts, we also identified the need to include a DEI Chair position to the board that will ensure we are prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in our work, and cultivate a committee to support expanding representation within the volunteer management community.  

We encourage you to review our new DEI webpage, read the NOVAA DEI Statement, contact the DEI Committee, and find ways to get involved.

It’s an ongoing process and we do not have “results” yet but we wanted to share what we are doing to work toward our goals of acknowledging the impacts of -- and actively working to uproot the systems of racism and white supremacy that permeates close to every facet of our society.

Let’s continue to support each other. We are here for you - please reach out to us if you have  any questions, concerns, suggestions or feedback