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If you have any questions regarding cancelling a registration to an event 
please refer to our Cancellation Policy and contact admin@novaa.org with any questions. 


Upcoming events

  • Member Meetup

    • January 24, 2025
    • 10:00 AM
    • 9355 NE Windsor St, Beaverton, OR 97006-6986
    Register

    This is a great opportunity to exchange ideas, build relationships, and explore ways to enhance our collective impact. Whether you’re new to volunteer management or a seasoned expert, we’d love to have you join us. 

    Coffee and snacks are available for purchase. If this is your first "in person" Member Meet Up, coffee is on us!

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  • Communicating Effectively Across Cultures with Luiza Dreascher

    • February 05, 2025
    • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • 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.

    Show details

  • Volunteer Management 101 Training

    • February 20, 2025
    • February 21, 2025
    • 2 sessions
    • Offered remotely via Zoom
    • 39
    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!

    Show details

  • Volunteer Management 201 Training

    • March 12, 2025
    • March 13, 2025
    • 2 sessions
    • 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.