Northwest Oregon Volunteer Administrators Association upcoming events

Volunteer Management 101 Training (October 07, 2026)

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT

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: Wednesday October 7th, 8 a.m. - Noon

Volunteer Program Development
Recruitment
Understanding Volunteer Motivations
Placement, Orientation, and Training

Day 2: Thursday October 8th, 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: Emily Coleman and Angela Williamson

Emily Coleman, CVA, has been working in volunteer and nonprofit administration since 2004.

Emily has spent 20 years working in nonprofit administration, primarily supporting people experiencing homelessness with Transition Projects. She has a BA in journalism and international relations from Syracuse University and earned her CVA (Certified in Volunteer Administration credential) in 2017. An avid volunteer herself, Emily serves with several organizations around Portland, which included regular breakfast services at Blanchet House for nearly five years before joining the staff team. When not at work, Emily loves walking all over to explore Portland’s incredible natural areas, reading any novel that crosses her path, and playing games. (There are always dice for Yahtzee in her purse.)

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.

Angela Williamson, CVA, helps mission-driven organizations intentionally build places where people know they belong. With nearly 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and volunteer engagement, she combines practical strategy, systems thinking, and a people-centered approach to help organizations strengthen recruitment, engagement, retention, leadership support, and long-term sustainability.

Angela is the founder of Volunteer Engagement Accelerator, where she partners with organizations through assessments, strategic planning, leadership development, training, Service Enterprise implementation, and practical systems that support lasting impact. She also serves as the Volunteer & Community Relations Specialist at the Blood Bank of Delmarva.

A past president of DAVA, NOVAA 101 instructor, recipient of the 2022 AL!VE Impact Award, and frequent speaker, Angela is known for making complex challenges approachable, actionable, and encouraging. Her Welcome Home philosophy helps leaders create experiences where people feel welcomed, valued, connected, and able to contribute meaningfully.

Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference (VMHC) 2026 Host Site (October 20, 2026)

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:30:00 GMT

Northwest Oregon Volunteer Administrators Association (NOVAA) is delighted to serve as a 2026 host site for the Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference (VMHC)!

As a VMHC host site, NOVAA is excited to bring volunteer engagement professionals together in person to experience this nationally recognized conference while connecting with peers in our local community.

VMHC 2026 Host Site Description

Join NOVAA in person for the Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference (VMHC)

DATE: Tuesday, October 20, 2026

TIME: 8:30 AM PST to 2:30 PM PST

LOCATION: CASH Oregon, 919 NE 19th Ave, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232

VMHC is a one-day, conference-style event created specifically for professionals working in volunteer engagement. Presented by Better Impact in support of the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE) and Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada (VMPC), VMHC is one of the largest and most accessible professional development events for volunteer professionals across North America.

Rather than requiring travel to a traditional conference, VMHC brings expert-led sessions directly to you through a flexible hybrid format. You can attend virtually on your own or join NOVAA's local host site to experience the conference alongside other volunteer engagement professionals.

At NOVAA's host site, you'll have the opportunity to:

Participate in live conference sessions
Connect and network with volunteer professionals in our community
Share ideas, challenges, and solutions with peers
Learn practical strategies you can bring back to your organization
Explore current issues in volunteer engagement, including strategy, technology, data, and program sustainability

Come learn, connect, and be inspired with NOVAA and volunteer professionals from across North America without having to travel across the country to attend a conference!

Virtual Learning Community: The World of Volunteer Management Databases (October 29, 2026)

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Back by popular demand!

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.

We'll explore various volunteer CRM Databases so you can make educated decisions about how to best manage your volunteer program!

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. A recording will be sent out post event for later viewing.

Welcome Home, Volunteers: Strategically Building Belonging (November 10, 2026)

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Welcome Home, Volunteers: Strategically Building Belonging

Workshop Summary:

As you plan your spring, make space for a workshop that will elevate not only how you engage volunteers, but how to strategically design their entire experience.

Join us on November 10th for a dynamic, hands-on session led by Angela Williamson: “Welcome Home, Volunteers: Strategically Building Belonging.” This workshop invites you to think both like an architect and a strategist by intentionally building a volunteer engagement structure that is welcoming, effective, and aligned with your mission, and inspires, supports, and sustains your volunteers, and you.

Because thriving volunteer programs aren’t accidental, they’re built through thoughtful planning and design, and volunteer engagement works best when people feel welcomed, prepared, and clear on their impact.

In this interactive session, you’ll move beyond theory and into action. You’ll assess your current volunteer engagement approach, identify strengths and gaps, and begin creating a strategic plan to strengthen your program from the ground up. From establishing a strong foundation of clarity to designing systems that foster belonging and retention, you’ll walk away with both insight and direction.

Participants will be able to:

Identify strengths and gaps in current engagement
Understand how clarity and belonging support retention
Apply practical ideas immediately

This isn’t a sit-and-listen session, it’s a hands-on opportunity to think critically, plan intentionally, and build something sustainable that you can take back to your organization right away. Bring your laptop, your questions, and your creativity.

About Angela Williamson

Angela Williamson, CVA, is a volunteer engagement leader and consultant with nearly 20 years of experience supporting nonprofits, museums, and community organizations. Through Volunteer Engagement Accelerator, she helps organizations strengthen the systems behind recruitment, engagement, retention, leadership support, and long-term sustainability. Angela also serves as the Volunteer & Community Relations Specialist at the Blood Bank of Delmarva. She is a NOVAA 101 instructor, past president of DAVA, recipient of the 2022 AL!VE Impact Award, and a frequent speaker known for practical, encouraging guidance leaders can put into action.