Microvolunteering?!?

I originally heard about microvolunteering on a podcast a while back.  The idea that we might be able to use short intervals of time to help an organization with some of their needs sounded novel at the time.  For example, if your plane gets delayed and you have a couple extra minutes of free time you hadn't planned on having, then you could sign on to a website or use a mobile phone app to see if there were any projects you could contribute to in your extra 15 minutes.

To be quite honest, the jury is still out for me on this approach to volunteering.  I can see how it may help make volunteering more accessible to some people, but will it do so at the detriment of the relationship that is typically built between the organization and the volunteer?  I would love to hear your thoughts on this idea.  A couple of links with more info are below.

• NPR Article on Mocrovolunteering
• Extraordinaries Website-built the mobile phone app
• Urbantastic-Microvolunteering site in Canada
  

Being invited into a circle of...Support!

An ongoing experience in the Advanced Volunteer Management Institute was the Support Circle.  Introduced early on, we were explicitly told that many of us will love this experience, some will enjoy it, and others will just not…but to tolerate it because you never know what will come of it.

As a result of an icebreaker exercise…we were split up into groups of four.  In other words, it was random luck that brought the four of us together…but what luck it was.  We were four women from different sectors of the field from all across the country who ended up being a huge support to each other throughout the pre-conference institute.

We met four times over the course of the three days and each time a different person was allowed to talk about the issues that she was facing in her position.  After her narrative, we then had the opportunity to ask questions, give support, and share our input into her situation.  It was such a great experience not only to have others give input into my situation, but to be able to provide support for others in the field.  Sometimes it takes looking another’s program to spur me on to strive for the full potential that mine can reach.

I am excited about the possibility of supporting each other from afar after the conference…and also about thinking about how something like this can be created on a local level in my community.  It’s different from a mentoring relationship as there is not a perceived hierarchy in the relationships…it’s about a mutual give and take…and can be formed with folks of similar as well as differing levels of experience.

Thanks to my partners in this group for making it a great experience for me to be a part of!!!

Overview Day 1 of the Advanced Volunteer Management Institute

It wasn’t a long day per see…but it was crammed full of so much information that by 5 o’clock I was ready for bed.  Of course trying to get over being sick probably contributed to the fatigue as well.  Just a brief overview here.  I will go into more detail about some of the material presented in later posts.

Went to pick up registration and saw many people with these pretty reusable grocery totes along the way…hoping secretly that it might be the conference bag…and to my pleasant surprise it was!  Thanks Target !!!

From conference registration walked over to the institute registration.  It was amazing to walk along the streets of San Francisco…definitely different from Louisiana in so many ways!!!  Mingled with some people over pastries and then found our way to the opening session.  First was a welcome by several different people.  A noteworthy stat from the welcome:

Over 4500 people registered for the conference!  Wow!!!

We were also introduced to the idea of support circles during the morning and we met through an exercise the three other people that would make up our circle for our time together.  We met together two other times throughout the day sharing some of our joys and struggles with our job currently and get input from each other about strategies to approach these issues.

The meat of the morning session consisted of each of the faculty members presenting their hot button issue of the moment in Volunteer Management, which Linda Graff called Issues on the “Top of the Mind”.  I will go into more detail in another post about the session—it was a hoot!!! and I think quite therapeutic for all of us as I think we all individually think about these issues, so seeing the collective body admit can normalize the struggle. 

• Susan Ellis spoke of the pull/push we are getting to promote/participate in single days of service v. engaging highly skilled volunteers.
  
• Rick Lynch spoke of the overlooked and missing component to our volunteer programs of strategy.
  
• Betty Stallings couldn’t pick just one…so she came up with her top five with #2 being “clarity in the role of the manager/direcor/coordinator of volunteer resources plays in the organization” and #1 being “the impact of executive and board leadership on the success of the volunteer program.”
  
• Martin Cowling spoke of the impact of the global recession on volunteer management.
  
• Steve McCurley spoke of having fun in volunteer management.
  

Over lunch we were treated to a welcome from Points of Light/Hands On Network and an update about the merger.

After lunch began the sessions.  I attended two by Steve McCurley.  The first was Ethical Issues in Volunteer Management and the second was Building Credibility with Line Staff.

With all that and meeting tons of new people from all over the country/world…it was a full day!  Thanks to everyone I have met so far for sharing your knowledge and experience.  I seriously don’t know how I have never made it to this conference before, but you can bet it won’t be my last!!!

More about the individual sessions later.  We are starting the institute way early this morning because the First Lady is speaking at the opening session this evening, thus needing more time for extra security procedures.

Day before...National Conference on Volunteer and Service

How fitting to really kick this blog off with my first trip out to the National Conference on Volunteering and Service.  I am going out a day early to attend the Advanced Volunteer Management Institute.  I am so excited to be able to learn from some of the leaders in the field.  The faculty for the AVMI is a list of ROCKSTARS including Susan Ellis, Martin Cowling, Betty Stallings, and Linda Graff.

I will be sharing what I am learning all week both here and on my twitter feed (@volunteerwords).  Feel free to comment or reply back.  Would love to hear what you are thinking!  Also check out other NCVS related content at http://ncvs.blogspot.com/, http://twitter.com/ncvs and by searching #NCVS on Twitter.

Class starts some crazy early hour in the morning so I will catch you on the flipside!

Powell's written words

Let's Renew America Together

Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.

By COLIN POWELL

published in The Wall Street Journal - Opinion Section on January 17, 2009 

Next week marks a fresh start for our nation. Whatever one's political leanings, each presidential inauguration is an opportunity for Americans to renew the energy required to deal with the challenges we face -- never more so than when the challenges we face are without precedent.

Over the course of their transition, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden have spoken with confidence and acted with competence. They've unveiled their plans for governing -- plans that recognize it will require federal money to solve our economic problems at home, and diplomatic and military skill to meet our obligations abroad.

But they also realize an equally important truth. While government has a role to play in restoring the American dream at home and rekindling the dream that is America abroad, there are limits to its ability to restore our sense of purpose as a nation. That task falls to us. Particularly in hard times like these, we are charged with living up to our shared responsibility to one another.

My experience is that in times of need, the American people recognize that when one of our fellow citizens is suffering, those of us with the power to ease or eliminate that suffering should come forward. This is not a time to retreat to our homes and wait until it's safe to emerge. It is the time to give more, to step forward and serve our fellow citizens, and to reach into the reservoir of this nation's unrivaled capacity for good.

That's why, at this moment of great purpose, Mr. Obama has chosen the eve of his inauguration to launch "Renew America Together," his call for all Americans to make an ongoing commitment to better the lives of others in their communities and their country. It's fitting that he will do this on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day when we honor the legacy of a man who lived his life in service to others and believed that "everybody can be great, because anybody can serve."

That's the beautiful simplicity of service. When I was a young man, I chose to devote my life to serving my country. I spent decades under her flag as a soldier, and later as a diplomat. In my time as a private citizen, my wife, Alma, and I have made service a part of our lives by founding "America's Promise," an alliance that connects our young people to mentors who teach them the skills they need to grow.

Each of these mentors proves that King was right. You don't have to wear the uniform of this country to serve others. You don't have to work in government. And you don't have to start a foundation. At a time when so many of our countrymen are in need, everyone has the power to help.

Pause for a moment, and ask yourself what you can contribute to the life of this nation. Perhaps you can find an hour each week to volunteer in a soup kitchen or help a child learn to read. Maybe you and your friends can spare an afternoon a month to clean up your local park or prepare care packages for our soldiers stationed in far-flung corners of the globe.

With our hectic lives, it might seem daunting to find convenient means of serving others in a way that matters to you. That's why Mr. Obama's team has unveiled an exciting new tool to facilitate that connection.

USAservice.org is an online community that makes service easy and accessible. Even amidst the busiest of schedules, there is always a moment to log on and find a cause you care about in your own community. It's also easy for organizers to post and publicize projects. Already, Americans have used USAservice.org to create more than 5,000 events across the country.

What these participants will discover, if they haven't already, is that service is a two-way street of mutual benefit. By enriching the lives of others, you get back more than you give.

Barack Obama is asking us to join him on Monday in making a renewed and enduring commitment to enriching the lives of others. If we answer that call, I have every confidence that we as a people will ignite a new national sense of purpose necessary to meet the great need of this hour.

Powell's press conference announcing President Obama's Service Initiative

not sure where this will go

i started the twitter feed @volunteerwords a couple of weeks ago to encourage folks who were volunteering!  i know that in my position as a volunteer manager, i don't get to say thanks enough to my own volunteers, so i figured that there were plenty of people out there volunteering that might need some extra encouragement.  i know i have felt under-appreciated as a volunteer in the past.  anyway...just with some quotes of encouragement and finding folks tweeting about their volunteer work i set out to work!  but i have been getting some feedback that i want to capture and share with others as well...hence starting the blog.  hopefully this can be a place for conversation about volunteering and volunterism!