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Following the Playbook Executing a Successful Annual Meeting

Presenter: Ken Culp, III

Most organizations hold an annual meeting, recognition banquet or coordinate a major fundraising event.  Often times, these events become routine, mundane and lack purpose and originality.  This workshop centers around "following the playbook," a guide to designing and executing a successful
annual meeting, recognition banquet or fund-raising event.  Factors to consider include:  pre-session planning, pre-game activities, in the huddle, the kick-off, half-time activities, moving the ball down the field, post-game, the coach's role and the quarterback's role.  This workshop will help meeting planners focus on the steps and factors necessary to ensuring a successful and meaningful annual meeting, recognition banquet or fundraising event.

Grant Writing and Management

Presenter: Nic Baker

As organizations compete for funds, it is essential to write grants that stand out and most effectively present your organization's qualifications. This workshop provides specific, practical techniques to strengthen your applications and make it more compelling for the evaluator. It includes lectures, practical "real-world" exercises, and handouts to help you apply the information to current and future efforts.


Hitting the Mark with Crafting your Speech:Organizing your information so that your listeners can actually USE what you've said!

Presenter: Jody Cross

Have you ever had trouble getting started with preparing a presentation, not feeling sure where to begin?  Does it ever feel overwhelming to try to take many years of experience and reduce it down to one coherent speech, wondering how much detail to cover?  Then this interactive, results oriented session is for you!  A natural next step after the keynote session concept of 'connecting with your audience' is what to do with that info you discover about them and how to include it and their perspectives in choosing your content from start to finish.  Accomplishing this is the key to audience members taking action when they leave your presentations.


How the Olympics Inspired Me to Be a Better Volunteer Manager

Presenter: Carol Dixon

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games used 25,000 volunteers. I was one of the screeners that processed the 70,000 application forms. During the games I was a lead volunteer at the Athletes Village. This presentation will include stories, photos and video clips that tell the story of that adventure and how it changed the way I manage volunteers now.

Improving Volunteer Engagement

Presenter: Erin Spink

The session is geared to experienced Volunteer Engagement professionals who are looking for new, research-based information, to accurately evaluate and refresh their program and organizational culture.Using the only academic research in the world, you’ll learn about engagement theories, what real engagement can do and how it applies to volunteers. Walking away, you’ll not only know a lot more about engagement, you’ll also have in hand an evaluation tool to measure aspects of volunteer engagement in your organization and ideas on how to take volunteer engagement to the next level.


Joint Commission

Presenter: Virginia McCollum

An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standard-setting and accrediting body in health care. The overarching purpose of The Joint Commission is to improve the safety and quality of health care provided to the public. 

Through visits to health care organizations, The Joint Commission assesses and surveys patient care as well as employee’s and volunteer’s competency to do our jobs. Joint Commission accreditation is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.

A representative of The Joint Commission will lead this session to discuss Joint Commission standards regarding health care volunteer programs.

Leveraging Human Resources to Manage Volunteer Talent

Presenter: Megan Vixie

Managing people is an art.  Learn how Human Resources can be a strategic partner in management fundamentals such as recruitment, strategic planning, and supervision to better serve your volunteers and their supervisors. Ally HR and Volunteer Services and break down silos to align policies and procedures, collaborate on strategic objectives and share information to serve the overall talent of the agency.  Unite to manage your agency’s talent successfully, whether they receive a pay check or not!


Maintaining Motivation in Today’s Volunteers

Presenter: Heidi Haugen 

Today’s volunteers are have less time and yet more opportunities to serve.  Training volunteers who don’t stay costs precious time and good will.  So how can volunteer managers ensure that their volunteers remain happily motivated to remain with the organization?  In this workshop, participants will learn the latest in volunteer motivation and retention.  Using points of contact analysis, they will learn to better establish a motivating atmosphere for volunteers.  Finally, they will learn tips to attract and motivate both short- and long term volunteers.


Making Ethical Decisions in Volunteer and Service Programs

Presenter: Ken Culp, III

Decision-making is an important aspect of my professions, including volunteer administration.  The easiest decisions that face us are those of “right” versus “wrong” or “black” versus “white.”  However, when dealing with people and programs that serve people, the real issue is not generally “right or wrong” or “black or white” but rather, “right versus right” or discerning varying shades of gray.  Increasingly, “perception” and “judgment” are called into play.  This workshop will provide volunteer administrators with a tool whereby they may render a decision on issues that are not “black or white” while still considering the ethics of their position.


Members, Volunteers or Leaders: Which does your organization have? Which does it need?

Presenter: Ken Culp,III

Is your organization driven by members, volunteers or leaders?  Do you recruit volunteers, or try to press members into volunteer service?  Are the terms “members” and “volunteers” synonymous and interchangeable?  Do they overlap?  Are they exclusive?  This workshop will focus on both the differences and similarities between members, volunteers and leaders and will explore strategies to utilize to increase the involvement of all.  Could your organization benefit by increased levels of volunteer involvement; a larger membership; a stronger leadership base?  Does one automatically imply the other?  Proven strategies that volunteer administrators can implement to utilize to recruit volunteers, members and leaders will be shared.


Motivation and Retention Strategies for Reaching Volunteers Across Generations

Presenter: Stephanie McCabe

This research examined how best to motivate and retain volunteers from the Y, X, Boomer, and Senior generations.  Study findings suggest the importance of attunement to generational motivation factors for initial recruitment and the importance of traditional motivation theories for retention of volunteers.

The Philosophy of Volunteering
Presenter: Rob Jackson and Tony Goodrow

There is nothing as practical as a good theory.  In this workshop you’ll have the chance to explore what you believe about volunteering - what it is, what it isn’t, why you think that – and consider what this might mean for your work as a volunteer manager.  The workshop will be highly interactive and is always a bit provocative and a lot of fun.

Putting it All Together:  Understanding your Supervisory Style

Presenters: Zeeda Magnuson and Katie Walsh

Have you ever wondered why people do the things they do?  We all have a varied background of experiences, expectations, and knowledge base. Information presented will assist volunteer managers to identify their own work style in order to engage with these varied backgrounds. In order to effectively recruit, supervise, reward and retain volunteers, join us for this interactive session.  Participants will learn more about motivation styles and how best to work with each.  It is easier to motivate others, once we know our own style.

Ready for Anything: Preparing Your Volunteer Program for Disasters

Presenters: Lisa Joyslin and Theresa Moerbitz

You know how to run your organization’s volunteer program on a day-to-day basis. But what if the unthinkable happened – what if a disaster struck your community? Would your volunteer program be prepared for an influx of calls and volunteer inquiries? Do you have policies in place for utilizing volunteers in a disaster situation? In this interactive session, you’ll learn from volunteer management staff at the American Red Cross about preparing your volunteer program for an emergency in your community, and you’ll walk away with a new understanding of managing volunteers in times of disaster.


Raising Money With Volunteers

Presenters: Adam Faitek, Stacy Opitz, and Lori-Anne Williams

This year, AccountAbility Minnesota raised over $20,000 through volunteers by involving them in a “4@$40” campaign – doubling the number of donors to the organization and nearly doubling AccountAbility Minnesota’s overall individual income. Learn what techniques worked (and what didn’t) in this effort, and share your ideas for raising money from – and with – those closest to your organization.


Recruiting and Engaging Pro Bono Volunteers (How to get something for nothing!)

Presenter: Ken Culp,III

Volunteers that provide pro bono service, leadership or expertise to a program or effort are an effective means for volunteer administrators to work smarter.  Pro bono volunteers provide talents, skills, expertise, abilities, leadership and resources to specialized programs that most non-profit organizations could not afford.  Allowing professional volunteers to meet their desired leadership goals while simultaneously meeting the desired outcome of the program requires effective communication with the corporation and the pro bono volunteer.   Utilizing position descriptions, planning aids, fact sheets and the appropriate vernacular will empower volunteer administrators to engage the expertise of pro bono volunteers.


Recruiting Volunteers for Leadership Roles

Presenter: Heidi Haugen 

Volunteers serving in leadership roles seem to be increasingly difficult to find.  In this workshop, participants will learn a seven step process that will help them to find the RIGHT volunteer for their leadership roles.  Participants will also learn how to highlight the benefits of leadership roles, to negotiate the commitment needed for leadership roles and to reward leaders in original ways.


Samaritans at the Gate: Influencing leadership to invest in volunteerism

Presenters: Jay Haapala, Austine Vaughn, and Patty Ahl

Right now, there are more people who want to support your mission than you can imagine.  They’re out there, but your organization doesn’t have the capacity to find and engage them.  The first step to capitalize on this support is a strategic decision to make an investment in your capacity for community engagement, and it needs to come from organizational leadership.  In this session we will provide the information and tools you’ll need to understand and make the case for an increased investment to your board and staff.

Set-up, Keep-up and Wrap-Up your Program Goals with Volgistics

Presenters: Jean Nierenhausen, Karen Kendall, and Gayle Cmiel 

This session is for those who want to communicate efficiently, build relationships, manage risk and report outcomes, using Volgistics as their data management tool.  The Minnesota Historical Society staff will share how they use Volgistics in accomplishing these goals.  The second half of this session will be a group discussion.  Bring your tips, tricks and questions. We’ll learn from one another. If you have questions you would like to include in the group discussion, please email them to: volunteerservices@mnhs.org


Social Media; The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Presenter: Bethany Mammenga

In this session, you’ll learn about the basics of social media and volunteerism. What tools are available? What are the risks and how should I handle them? How much time does it really take to manage? How can I use social media to recruit, recognize and retain volunteers for my organization? We’ll explore examples of the good, the bad and the ugly in social media, and work through scenarios to plan for your organization’s volunteer engagement social media plan.


Supporting Families in Serving Others: Building and Effective Family Volunteer Program

Presenter: Jenny Friedman

Creating a successful, sustainable family volunteer program can bring more volunteers to your organization, increase loyalty and financial contributions, and position your organization as a model for how to support and engage families as they seek to serve others together. Learn how to develop fun, creative family volunteer projects (as well as enrich your existing opportunities), and discover strategies for recruiting family volunteers and effectively preparing them to serve. You’ll also find out how to create materials that help families learn from and reflect on their volunteer experience, making it richer and more meaningful. This session will include a panel of volunteer coordinators who have successfully used families as volunteers, including Barb Tiggemann from DARTS, Ingrid Henry from Kids ‘n Kinship and Jess Swanson from Second Harvest Heartland.


The New Volunteer Workforce: Exploring Trends and Changes in Volunteerism

Presenter: Katie Bull

This session will offer concise key findings about current trends in volunteerism from recent research.   The Minnesota Association on Volunteer Administration (MAVA) will share practical tips on how to successfully incorporate skills based volunteers, involve volunteers in leadership roles, use volunteering to gain workforce skills, and prepare for the potential of the silver tsunami and the Millennials who are volunteering in record breaking numbers.  Participants will share their own experiences and discuss trends impacting volunteerism throughout the nation and the world.


The Ultimate Volunteer Leader’s Challenge: Managing a Movement

Presenters: Melissa Eystad and Lee George

What if you suddenly had people all over the world who wanted to help you achieve your organization’s mission? Would your skills in volunteer engagement and management be up to the task? How could you help the organization turn this interest into a productive resource to continue to grow and sustain the movement?


The Scarce Resources Model for Measuring the ROI of Volunteer Engagement

Presenter: Tony Goodrow

It’s common wisdom in the business world that “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. The Scarce Resources ROI method of measurement is a unique approach that gives a whole new yard stick to help demonstrate the successes of volunteer deployment in organizations.  Much more than hours and numbers of volunteers, it can help you demonstrate a much more meaningful assessment of the worth of volunteer contributions toward the organization’s mission and your ability to manage organizational resources.


Those You Serve Can Be Your Best Volunteers

Presenters: Lisa Stordahl and Cassie Clark

Our agencies are made to serve others – but how can they serve us in return? Through the combined use of presentations and small groups, attendees will identify specific ways that their agency can turn clients into volunteers. Attendees will identify areas in their organization where clients could serve as volunteers regardless of their current or previous involvement in the organization. These volunteers are often able to provide greater support to organizations and require less training as they are more familiar with the operations of the agency. We believe that turning clients into volunteers has a long-term, positive impact on organizations, which we will demonstrate with an example of our Youth Advisory Board. We will also show how clients-turned-volunteers often have a greater and longer commitment than volunteers found through other means and propose a few reasons why that may be.


True Colors

Presenter: Carol Dixon

True Colors is a fun personality assessment tool. In this session you will learn more about yourself enabling you to interact best with others. Using many examples from her long career in healthcare Carol will take you through a series of steps that will have you self identify your true color. We all
have to work with many different people and having this knowledge will add to your toolbox of how to avoid conflict and solve interpersonal difficulties.

Using a Time Bank to Engage Volunteers and Expand Organizational Capacity

Presenters: Katherine Ramundt and Jennifer Harveland

A time bank is a community of people who join together to exchange services.  Time banks are based on the belief that everyone is an asset and people seek out services more readily if there is an opportunity to reciprocate. Time banking can benefit an organization by providing a method to involve more volunteers, expand organizational capacity, and build community in many ways.  This session will explore what a time bank is, how it is being used by non-profit social services agency Family Service Rochester, resources for starting one, and how the FSR model can be implemented elsewhere.


Using Sales Techniques to Maximize Recruitment

Presenter: Jay Haapala

"Sales" can be a dirty word to volunteer program administrators, but in reality we are selling our organizations and causes to potential supporters every day.  The decision of a potential volunteer to donate his or her time is very much like the decision to purchase a product or service.  It’s an emotional decision as much as it is a logical one.  The same techniques used by for-profit salespeople can be ethically applied to your volunteer recruitment efforts, and are likely to increase both your efficiency and effectiveness.


Volunteerism 2020 and Beyond

Presenters: Mary Quirk and Polly Roach

In 25 years, less than half of the US population will be age 20-75, the prime years for volunteering.  In 40 years, the majority of the US residents will be from communities of color.  In our state, we are already tracking shifts as volunteer programs adapt to changes in their volunteers and communities.  Attend this session to hear emerging results of MAVA’s 2013 Survey on the Status of Volunteer Programs in a Shifting Environment and learn about long-range population projections on who will be available to volunteer in the future. Through world café style discussion, use what you have learned at the MAVA conference to share factors you see affecting volunteerism in 2020 and beyond, and discuss how our field can prepare to respond to coming changes.

Volunteerism in the 21st Century: Voicecasting
 
Presenter: Michael Koecheler

Through the use of the most widely embraced social networking tool ever (The Telephone) participants will learn how easy it is to inspire, encourage & empower their existing volunteer pool.  Most volunteer managers have hundreds of volunteers define as “Active & ready to serve”. This is a POWERFUL force of people with a tremendously diverse skill set, which is not only able, but poised and willing to meet the ever growing needs of our communities.  The problem has always been… “How do I connect volunteers with urgent needs in a simple, cost effective, instantaneous way?


Volunteer Impact Leadership Training

The Volunteer Impact trainings are practical and insightful, and address universal topics for any leader of volunteers or any group working with volunteers. They provide the tools needed to ensure that volunteer programs support the organization’s mission and expand the organization’s overall impact and outreach. Sessions are facilitated by seasoned practitioners and include practical information designed to benefit volunteer leaders, whether you are new to the field, or expanding your existing expertise.Participants can select from the individual modules listed below or attend all of the sessions. When you complete all eight workshops, MAVA will present you with a Certificate in Volunteer Leadership. If you are new to the field or are looking for rejuvenation in your career, please join us.

Conference attendees are encouraged to pre-register for any modules of the Volunteer Impact Leadership Training they plan to attend at the conference, as space is limited.  Pre-registration may be done on the main conference registration form or by emailing office@mavanetwork.org.

Volunteer Impact Leadership Training Series: Capturing Volunteer Motivation and Conducting Effective Interviews

Presenter: Elizabeth Ellis

Understanding why people volunteer undefined and then learning how to tailor your interaction and your volunteer opportunities to embrace and support these motivational differences, is the focus of this module. You’ll also learn a basic process and skills necessary to screen volunteers to quickly and effectively determine their volunteer motivation.

Volunteer Impact Leadership Training: Planning for Retention

Presenter: Elizabeth Ellis

Recruiting and training volunteers can be time-consuming. Learn what you can do as an organization related to planning and organizational development that will increase your ability to retain volunteers, including how to design top-notch volunteer position descriptions.

Volunteer Impact Leadership Training:Recruiting Volunteers

Presenter: Shelli Beck

This module helps your organization describe and identify the kind of people who will be the right volunteers for you undefined and then develop ways to effectively reach potential volunteers with a compelling message.

Volunteer Impact Leadership Training Series: Supervising Volunteers

Presenter: Heather Thormodson

Effective volunteer efforts depend on effective direction and positive, constructive, timely supervision. Learn what it takes to be a successful volunteer supervisor, and what your organization can do to support this key process.

Volunteer Impact Leadership Training Series: Recognizing Volunteers

Presenter: Karen Kendall

Regardless of their motivation for volunteering, all volunteers need and deserve recognition and appreciation for their efforts. This module will explore formal and informal forms of volunteer recognition and essential guidelines to make sure your efforts are on track.

Volunteer Impact Leadership Training Series: Managing Risk

Presenter: Janene Riedeman

This module explores how to identify, evaluate and manage risk as it relates to your volunteer program, from liability incidents to emergency situations. Learn how to diminish risks using preventive strategies and techniques, and what kinds of policies and procedures should be communicated to your volunteers to manage risk factors.

Volunteer Impact Leadership Training Series: Positioning Your Volunteer Program for Success

Presenter: Terry Straub

Developing a successful volunteer program that contributes to your overall organization depends on a solid internal process and interaction with key management and staff. Learn how to “vision” your ideal volunteer program and build the internal relationships you need to make sure your volunteer program supports your organizational goals, and is supported by your organization.

Volunteer Impact Leadership Training Series: Singing Your Praises…Measuring Your Impact

Presenter: Charlotte Strei

In this module, you’ll learn the conceptual framework and tools to help evaluate and track the impact of your volunteer program.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Managing Volunteers' Accident and Liability Risks

Presenter: William Henry

When volunteers are injured, injure someone else or damage property, the results can include not only the direct harm to those involved, but also interruption of the organization’s work,  a negative effect on staff and volunteer morale, possible damage to the organization’s reputation, and increased insurance costs. In this interactive workshop, you  will learn how to  identify the accident and liability risks specific to your organization, how to minimize them, and when something happens despite your best efforts, how to deal with it. Just as important, you will learn how to keep the risk management effort going strong, even as staff and volunteers come and go.


What is Keeping Your CEO Awake at Night?

Panel Moderator: Judie Russell
Panelists: Cathy Hartle, Jon Pratt, Greg Voss, Amy Wagner

Panel  presentation of experts in nonprofit management to explore the future challenges facing our organizations and how community engagement can play a role in preparing them to thrive.  Participants will learn valuable information to prepare them to lead within.

Where are We Going? Destination Volunteerism in a Rural Setting

Presenter: Heather Thormodson
Is your volunteer program on the map? Are you considered a “destination”? This session will explore the adventure of bringing new volunteers from across the United States to your own backyard.  Join the discussion and follow a road map to expand your volunteer program in a very non-traditional manner. Hop in the driver’s seat and take the wheel to an exciting new adventure! Are you ready for your next road trip? Driving gloves required.

Yoga

Presenter: Angela Vincent 

Give your mind a break and let your body move!
Bring clothes that you can move in.


Youth Matter!  Introducing Youth into Volunteerism

Presenter: Faiza Kanji

As our current work and volunteer labor forces age, youth are increasingly becoming the focus of our plans to engage a new generation of volunteers. Learn how we can set them up for success in their careers as volunteers, because youth matter.