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There are many volunteer management databases on the market, and it can be overwhelming! During this Learning Community, get a sneak peek into the administrative side of a few volunteer management databases from a panel of professionals actively using the products. After the panel, there will be an opportunity for additional questions and round table discussion. Please come prepared with questions about databases you are curious in exploring.
Databases & Volunteer Administrators on the Panel:
Volgistics: Sarah Lynch (she/her) serves in the role of Volunteer Programs Manager at Portland Japanese Garden. She is proud to manage a group of around 200 volunteers in a variety of programs that center around Garden education and guest experience. She has been involved in volunteer administration for just over two years. Before joining the Volunteer team at the Garden, Sarah was employed in the arts in New York, working at Christie’s auction house and for a ceramics dealer. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, playing tennis, exploring art museums and galleries, and spending time with family and friends.
Digital Cheetah: Lauren Brown is the Volunteer Engagement Specialist at Oregon Humane Society but is commonly known as the Digital Cheetah Tamer. She joined OHS in April 2023 after a few years of volunteering with both dogs and cats. Before OHS, Lauren worked for 13 years in Higher Education Admissions focusing on recruitment, retention, application review, and admissions data / systems. She is honored and grateful to take what she learned in higher ed and apply it to the OHS Volunteer Management System, Digital Cheetah. She feels a new sense of purpose building a system that supports the people who support the animals at OHS. In her free time, Lauren loves to play, sing, and dance with her 11-month-old daughter, whose first word was "cat."
Better Impact: Jessica Almroth (she/her) is the Volunteer & Academic Program Director at Rose Haven and has been overseeing the volunteer program for 6 years, expanding to a robust internship program as well. Jessica started out at Rose Haven as a volunteer just over 10 years ago!
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.
Join us for "Let Them Lead - Untapping the potential of volunteers with disabilities," a workshop designed specifically for volunteer coordinators in nonprofits.
In this session, we’ll aim to break down many barriers that prevent people with disabilities from successful volunteer experiences. Participants can expect to gain a greater understanding about people with disabilities and how to work effectively with them, learn about the strong business case for engaging the disability population, and create a vision for what meaningful inclusion looks like in their organizations.
Jeremie Ballinger currently serves as Director, Organizational Development for Special Olympics North America. In this role he provides technical assistance and coordinates leadership and professional development for staff and board throughout the North America region which includes about 85 Programs in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
Jeremie has more than twenty years of experience as a nonprofit executive, including positions with the American Red Cross, Kansas City Corporate Challenge, Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis and Special Olympics Missouri. In his spare time, he volunteers with Special Olympics, Cub Scouts and as a youth sports coach, and serves on multiple boards in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri.
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.
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.
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.
Learning Communities are free for NOVAA Members and just $10 for other guests.