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• Learning Community: Exploring AI within Volunteer Adminstration

  • When
    December 10, 2024
  •  
    9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Location
    Virtual- Zoom

  Register

  

  In this in-person Learning Community, Rayne Schwantes will present about the potential of AI within the volunteer administration realm. Kate McPherson will then help facilitate a discussion amongst the group to hear how others are integrating AI into their volunteer programs, to listen to hesitations, and to answer questions. This is an interactive presentation and discussion where attendees are encouraged to participate throughout the session.

  Session Elements: Exploring Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder

  • Learn how fellow NOVAA members are finding ways to use their time more effectively
  • Use a planning tool that fosters innovation
  • Discover ways AI could make volunteer management easier.

  
  

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  Rayne (she/her), MBA, CVA is the current Co-President of NOVAA and was previously the board secretary for 3 years. She has been in volunteer administration for over 8 years. She started her volunteer management journey as an AmeriCorps member, completing two terms. She has led volunteers in three crucial nonprofit sectors: housing, food, and healthcare. She has a Master's in Business Administration, a Certification in Volunteer Administration, a certificate in nonprofit management, and a certificate in grant writing. She currently works two jobs, both of which are challenging in wonderful ways. She is very active in her community. Along with volunteering on the NOVAA board, she fosters cats and kittens seven days a week with the Columbia Humane Society. She and her partner have several cats and dogs, all of whom are rescues and are now seniors. Their lives revolve around making their retirements the best they can be. This includes finding every spot in NW Portland that has dog treats and pup cups, or cuddling as many of them that will fit on the couch while watching their favorite sitcoms and crocheting. They enjoy taking the dogs for long walks after dinner to explore every corner of the neighborhood. When they are not hanging out with the animals, they are at the stadium rooting for their favorite team, the Thorns, or spending time with friends.

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  As a classroom teacher and as Director of Project Service Leadership, Kate helped students, teachers, schools and districts develop service-learning partnerships that serve the community while enriching student learning. As a founding board member of Serve Washington, she helped launch Washington’s AmeriCorps program in ways that promoted volunteerism and civic engagement across the state.

  As a parent, Kate feels strongly that young people thrive when they feel needed and valued and she loves developing volunteer opportunities that build upon children’s unique skills and interests. Check out her Parent’s Guide to Service to learn more. 

  As a volunteer, Kate currently manages the Portland Community Engagement Collective which is exploring ways to make it easier for all people to find meaningful ways to share their time, talent, treasure and voice.

  Kate loves being retired in Portland, where she especially enjoys music and dancing, pickleball and hanging with friends and family. She also appreciates the easy access to scenic hiking, backpacking, and backcountry skiing.

  Learning Communities are free for NOVAA Members and just $10 for other guests. 

  
  

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• Volunteer Recognition: Building a Culture of Appreciation

  • When
    January 08, 2025
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
  • Location
    Offered remotely via Zoom

  Register

  

  Nationally, volunteers have been more likely to participate in one-time opportunities. Many of our organizations are reliant on consistent, long-term volunteers. So, how can we improve volunteer retention in a meaningful way?

  Join Miranda Martin (she/her) as she guides us through some best practices to build a culture of appreciation. When volunteers feel valued, they are more likely to return and transition into long-term volunteers. During this learning community, learn about different volunteer motivations and how to establish a formal volunteer recognition plan. After the presentation, there will be an opportunity to brainstorm with colleagues through sharing current volunteer appreciation tactics and collaborating to move your volunteer appreciation efforts to the next level!

  Meet Miranda Martin (she/her)
  Miranda is the Volunteer Coordinator for Evergreen Habitat for Humanity, engaging 416 volunteers, who served a combined 21,430 hours in 2023. She has over three years of experience leading, empowering, and showing appreciation to volunteers through her work with Habitat, Friends of Trees, Lions Club, and during her time working in elementary education. Miranda was the 2023 recipient of the Dennis Campbell Outstanding Service Award, given annually to a member of the community for "outstanding service to improving the lives of individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities."  Outside of work, Miranda is an avid outdoor adventurer who finds joy in cooking and creating pottery when she is not wandering through a nearby forest.

  Learning Communities are free for NOVAA Members and only $10 for non-members. 

  We will be offering this Learning Community remotely via Zoom. A link will be sent to registered participants via email. 

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• Board Members: Equipping, Engaging and Educating your Board for Volunteer Service

  • When
    January 14, 2025
  •  
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  

  Join us for " Board Members: Equipping, Engaging and Educating your Board for Volunteer Service!" Is your nonprofit organization seeking to maximize the impact of board members in their volunteer roles? Join this workshop to learn steps you can take to equip, engage and educate board members so they thrive in leading your organization to fulfill its purpose. Attendees will leave with actionable steps to support board members in their role and tools to empower board members to succeed.

  

  

  Sarah Mackey has over 20 years’ experience leading in the nonprofit sector

  and is the Executive Director of Women in Security and Privacy, a nonprofit

  advancing women and underrepresented communities to lead the future of

  privacy and security. Sarah oversees the global organization’s strategic

  planning, operations, volunteer engagement, fundraising, community building

  and programs. She is also a university instructor for nonprofit and social

  justice courses, and is passionate about putting research and theory into

  practice in nonprofit organizations.

  Sarah previously served as the Chief Network Development Officer at

  National Court Appointed Special Advocates/Guardians ad Litem

  (CASA/GAL) Association for Children where she led the national training,

  communications, and technical assistance across the U.S. network. And as

  Vice President, US Transformation & Volunteer Programs with Habitat for

  Humanity International, Sarah led the strategy development, change

  management and implementation for initiatives and services supporting the

  success of 1,200 Habitat for Humanity organizations across the United States.

  Sarah earned a doctorate in public administration, master of public administration, and graduate certificate in nonprofit management from University of Illinois Springfield, and earned a B.A. in economics from Hanover College. Sarah holds professional credentials including Certification in Volunteer Administration (CVA) and Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).  

  Sarah has been honored with the Affiliate Impact Habitat Hero Award from Habitat Illinois, Nonprofit Director of the Year Award and ATHENA Leadership Award from the Springfield (IL) Chamber of Commerce, Woman of the Year Diamond Award from Illinois Women in Leadership, President’s Volunteer Service Award, and multiple Clarion Awards from the Association for Women in Communications. Sarah lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is a volunteer with the National Center for Civil & Human Rights, a board member of Georgia Association for Volunteer Administration, and has volunteered to build homes with Habitat for Humanity in 10 countries around the world.

  
  

  We look forward to seeing you at this NOVAA event, however, if you need to cancel, please refer to our Cancellation Policy and contact admin@novaa.org with any questions.

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• Communicating Effectively Across Cultures with Luiza Dreascher

  • When
    February 05, 2025
  •  
    9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  

  Join us for " Communicating Effectively Across Cultures with Luiza Dreascher!

  When collaborating with individuals from other countries, cultural differences are expected. However, that doesn’t always mean they are easy to recognize or navigate. Each culture has subtle nuances that, when understood, allow us to create synergy with others and accomplish goals more effectively. When these differences are ignored, or you are simply not aware of them, the results can be catastrophic.

  In a multicultural setting, achieving successful communication can be incredibly challenging. Volunteers may not comprehend instructions, or they may not ask important questions about a needed service for fear of not being able to understand the answer. It is also possible they may hesitate to speak up in a meeting worrying that their “thick” accent will not be understood. There is also the concern of others perceiving them as slow, inarticulate, or uneducated – perceptions which inevitably generate feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem in those who do not speak the native language.

  Unfortunately, as our teams become more diverse, so does our level of discomfort in working across differences. Many individuals feel unprepared for such encounters and, as a result, end up widening the diversity gap.

  This two-hour workshop is designed to give participants the skills they need to communicate more effectively with culturally diverse volunteers. More specifically, participants will:

  1) Learn the many mistakes they need to avoid when communicating across

  differences.

  2) Recognize different communication styles and how these styles can cause

  misunderstandings.

  3) Adopt communication techniques that will facilitate their interactions with non-native

  speakers.

  4) Go through cultural incidents (in small groups) to apply what they learned in real-life

  scenarios.

  5) Share the action steps they will implement when interacting with culturally diverse

  volunteers.

  

  Luiza is the President and CEO of Mastering Cultural Differences and has over 20 years of experience in DEI+ and cultural competence development. Her global and domestic diversity expertise has led to publications, speaking invitations, and training opportunities for numerous audiences including multinational corporations, government agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations.

  As a speaker and trainer, she aims to help organizations create a workplace culture where all employees feel valued, respected, and supported, regardless of their background or identity. As a contributing writer, her articles have reached an audience of more than 200 thousand individuals. She has written about strategies for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, the detrimental impact of microaggressions, achieving inclusive religious observance, and age discrimination, how organizations can play a critical role in addressing racial inequities, and how biases and lack of cultural competence keep diversity out. She is the author of Mastering Cultural Differences: Strategies for Leading a Global Workforce where she provides incredible insight into cultural differences impacting today’s diverse workplaces as well as best practices for increased performance in a global economy.

  Luiza's expertise has been showcased on prominent platforms such as ABC, NBC, Fox, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts, and various other media forums.

  

  We look forward to seeing you at this NOVAA event, however, if you need to cancel, please refer to our Cancellation Policy and contact admin@novaa.org with any questions.

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• Volunteer Management 101 Training

  • Start
    February 20, 2025
  •  
  • End
    February 21, 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    2 sessions
  • Location
    Offered remotely via Zoom
  • Spaces left
    45

  Register

  
  

  Are you new to the field? Did "volunteer manager" just get added to your job description? Looking to learn best practices to support your organization's volunteer program?

  This training is for you! Our Volunteer Management 101 Training will help you maintain a thriving volunteer base that gets more work done, builds community support, and increases your organization's effectiveness. Specifically designed to assist anyone new to volunteer management, this typical one-day training has been modified for our remote reality and will take place via Zoom in two 4-hour morning sessions, offering a mix of content presentation, activities, and small group discussions in breakout rooms. The training will cover the following topics:

  Day 1: Thursday, February 20th, 8 a.m. - Noon

  • Volunteer Program Development

  • Recruitment

  • Understanding Volunteer Motivations

  • Placement, Orientation, and Training

  Day 2: Friday, February 21st, 8 a.m. - Noon

  • Risk Management

  • Supervision

  • Volunteer Recognition

  • Breakout Group topics

  
  

  Registration for this event will sign you up for both sessions. Zoom links to join this training remotely will be sent out the week before the event to those who have registered, along with a workbook to be used throughout the training. 

  Trainers: Jenn Forristal and Angela Williamson

  

  In her nearly two decades as a volunteer administrator, Jenn Forristal, CVA has managed programs for thousands of volunteers serving in diverse fields including social services, animal welfare, public media, national service, political campaigns, and professional associations. Currently, she is the Volunteer Resources Manager at OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting).
  
  Jenn earned her Certified in Volunteer Administration (CVA) credential in 2016 and is committed to her own professional development and continued learning, averaging over 50 hours of training annually in topics related to volunteer program management. Additionally, she has training in equity in volunteer program and workplace implementation, and advanced training in equity facilitation. 
  
  Jenn is past board president and a current trainer for the Northwest Oregon Volunteer Administrators Association. Also, she serves as Equity Leader on the board of directors for the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement.

  
  

  Angela Williamson began volunteering in grade school picking up litter at the State Fair with her family, earning a free concert ticket! She continued her volunteering in different capacities and didn't realize there could be a career in leading volunteers until 2007 when she was chosen to be the Volunteer Coordinator at a museum, after being in an education department of a public garden.  Angela has gained experience in the volunteer field in the museum and now in a blood bank.  She has grown the volunteer engagement exponentially in both places.  She has been very involved with the Delaware Association of Volunteer Administrators DAVA (education chair, president, support, etc.) and began a healthcare COP with ALIVE!, participated in the ALIVE! Presenter Bootcamp, and attends webinars and learning sessions regularly. She also presents for DAVA and ALIVE!
  

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• Volunteer Management 201 Training

  • Start
    March 12, 2025
  •  
  • End
    March 13, 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    2 sessions
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  

  This training is for you! Take the next step into the amazing field of volunteer management and join us for Volunteer Management 201!

  This advanced training prepares volunteer managers to tackle the challenging and complex issues of volunteer engagement and program sustainability, to help you build the skills you will need to lead the volunteers.

  This 2-day training is designed for volunteer managers who have completed Volunteer Management 101 or those who are seeking advanced training in the field. Facilitated by Emily Coleman and Jenn Forristal, both of whom have been working in the field of nonprofit and volunteer management for over nine years. This interactive workshop will focus on next-level topics, including: 

  • Equipping Staff to Engage Volunteers
  • Organizational Culture & Communication
  • Cultivating Leadership Volunteers
  • Volunteer Program Evaluation
  • ...and more!

  Volunteer Management 201 builds on the basics of Volunteer Management 101. Volunteer Management 101 is not required in order to take 201, but we do recommend it.

  Day 1: Wednesday, March 12th, 8 a.m. - Noon

  Day 2: Thursday, March 13th, 8 a.m. - Noon

  Registration for this event will sign you up for both sessions. Zoom links to join this training remotely will be sent out the week before the event to those who have registered, along with a workbook to be used throughout the training. 

  
  

  Trainers: Jenn Forristal and Emily Coleman

  
  

  Emily Coleman, CVA, has been working in volunteer and nonprofit administration since 2004 and is very committed to the work of connecting individuals and groups with meaningful, rewarding opportunities to serve and build community.  She is currently the volunteer program supervisor for Transition Projects, an organization supporting the needs of people experiencing homelessness while helping them find and maintain permanent housing. She has also run volunteer programs for youth development organizations, and in healthcare. These varied settings have given Emily insight into how volunteer recruitment, screening and risk management, training and retention need to be adapted to organizational needs.

  An avid volunteer herself, Emily supports several local organizations with her time, experience that further increases her understanding of different styles of volunteer management. She has also served on the NOVAA Board of Directors for four years, as both the fiscal chair and later as the programming chair.

  

  In her nearly two decades as a volunteer administrator, Jenn Forristal, CVA has managed programs for thousands of volunteers serving in diverse fields including social services, animal welfare, public media, national service, political campaigns, and professional associations. Currently, she is the Volunteer Resources Manager at OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting).
  
  Jenn earned her Certified in Volunteer Administration (CVA) credential in 2016 and is committed to her own professional development and continued learning, averaging over 50 hours of training annually in topics related to volunteer program management. Additionally, she has training in equity in volunteer program and workplace implementation, and advanced training in equity facilitation. 

  
  

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