Alison Stevens (she/her/elle)’s Post

It's National Volunteer Appreciation Week, a celebration placing the spotlight on inspiring figures whose invaluable seeds of kindness through volunteering are bettering the community and our world in general. Ideas to Observe National Volunteer Week: - Get involved: Do more than applaud; let your impact be felt. Look around your own community to find various ways in which you can lend your support. - Spread the Word: Volunteers are often overlooked. Be part of the movement to call on more volunteers by using your social media handles to share the message. - Say Thank You: Appreciating volunteers goes a long way to making them feel good about their impact and driving them to do more.

🌍 Celebrate International Volunteer Day! 💖 Today, we honor the incredible power of kindness and selflessness. Volunteering connects us to communities, fosters change, and creates hope. Whether it’s lending a helping hand, sharing your skills, or simply offering your time, every act of giving makes a world of difference. Why volunteer? ✨ Build stronger communities ✨ Support those in need ✨ Learn, grow, and connect Let’s celebrate the volunteers who inspire us and commit to making an impact, one action at a time. 💡 How will you give back today? Share your stories in the comments! #InternationalVolunteerDay #GiveBack #CommunityMatters #BeTheChange

Did you know: As many as 30% of association members have either volunteered in the past or are currently volunteering at their association, according to new research from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). The takeaway? Volunteers make up a significant — and valued — portion of an association's workforce at any given time. When you rely on volunteers to advance your association's mission, effective volunteer management is critical. But there are also barriers to it, including finding the right people to contribute, fully utilizing their skills, interests, and availability, and measuring outcomes when committee assignments are complete. Here are three best practices drawn from ASAE's research and how Lineup can help you follow them. https://lnkd.in/e5VjCucv

#MondayMusings This week's theme for the Volunteer Impact campaign is pricing volunteer time. Scholar Lewis Hyde observes that in fairy tales, when a gift is priced or counted, it loses its magic. Assigning a price to volunteer time can be useful, but it also entails consequences that are worth considering. One consequence is the commodification of community. Pricing and counting volunteerism takes what is relational and interdependent and transforms it into something that is transactional and independent. It reduces acts of community to the same principles of profit and production that guide so much of our day-to-day lives. That reduction is a type of fragmentation of community. We lose something of the whole when we put it into practice, especially when we do so without question. We can mitigate these consequences by taking a critical look at our volunteer valuation strategies. Determine when and where it is appropriate - and when it is not. Share what makes volunteerism vibrant and dynamic, messy and powerful, even (and especially) if it can't be priced. If you're just seeing this for the first time, welcome! This content is part of a Volunteer Impact campaign I'm hosting on LinkedIn during April for National Volunteer Month. Follow me or #VolunteerImpact to access the content, which will be posted each weekday. (To follow a hashtag: click on #volunteerimpact, and then click on 'Follow'.) Join in the conversation by sharing your ideas and questions in the comments. #socialimpact #corporatesocialresponsibility #nonprofitmanagement

You know what day it is: #MeetYourMatch Monday! For those of you planning to attend as a FREE guest/ potential volunteer, please remember that we run from noon to 4 pm. When we say 4PM, be aware that we start packing up then. We have exactly an hour to clear up before the gym is turned over to the Youth Programs. If you show up at 3:55 and expect to take your time, you may be disappointed. Also, be aware that we can't control parking. The YMCA is still operational during our volunteer fair, so they will have their usual traffic, plus us. Are you taking the bus? You're good. If you are attending as a participant in the fair, please note that we have access to the gym starting at 11. You have an hour to set up, and an hour to pack up and cede the gym to its regularly scheduled activities, so please plan your display accordingly. Being considerate guests means being thorough and time-aware. It's a volunteer fair, not Laser Floyd. Any difficulties, please seek out one of the friendly Volunteer Peterborough members, who will happy to help you out. We are really, really looking forward to this. We want everyone to have a great experience, and sometimes that means planning ahead. Event details here, if you haven't already committed them to memory: https://buff.ly/3UmCoH5 See you there! YMCA Balsillie Branch, Noon to 4pm THIS WEDNESDAY! (May 8th) #volunteerfair #volunteerrecruitment #communitybuilding #meetyourmatch #planahead #volunteersrock

Do you look after volunteers in local governments? If you do, come join us at this informative session!

This week's blog post topic: Use Facebook and LinkedIn to appreciate the volunteers in your organization. Volunteers are the heart and soul of countless organizations. They make a huge daily impact in community organizations, professional associations, service clubs and more. There are many ways to honor these dedicated individuals – from plaques to award dinners to simple notes of thanks. Consider using social media as one of the ways in which you appreciate volunteers in your organization. Here's some examples of ways you can honor them on either Facebook or LinkedIn: ❤️ Write a post honoring the volunteer. Reference their contributions and share specifics about the results they achieved. ❤️ Comment on some of the posts the volunteer has shared about the organization. Not only will the volunteer appreciate your kind words, but it will help raise awareness about your organization. ❤️ For Facebook, write a review on the Facebook business page for the organization where the person volunteers. In your review, make a point of referencing the volunteer and their involvement in the organization. ❤️ For LinkedIn, write a recommendation for the volunteer. Commend them for how well they conducted themselves in their volunteer role. You need to be connected with them on LinkedIn to recommend them. How are you using Facebook, LinkedIn, or other social media sites to appreciate the volunteers in your organization? Read more on this topic in my blog post: https://lnkd.in/gr4SPvkq #volunteering #appreciation #socialmedia

April is Volunteer Month – Let's Make a Difference Together! It's time to roll up our sleeves, lend a helping hand, and make a positive impact in our communities because April is Volunteer Month! This month, we celebrate the spirit of giving back and recognize the invaluable contributions of volunteers everywhere. Here's why volunteering matters: Planting Seeds of Change: Volunteering allows us to plant seeds of change and nurture a brighter future for all. Building Stronger Communities: When we come together to volunteer, we strengthen the bonds that unite us and build stronger, more resilient communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Empowering Action: Volunteering empowers us to be agents of change in our own lives and the lives of others. Through our actions, we can inspire hope, spread kindness, and create positive ripple effects that extend far beyond ourselves. Celebrating Generosity: Volunteer Month is a time to celebrate the generosity of spirit that drives volunteers to step forward and make a difference, no matter how big or small their contributions may be. So, how can you get involved? Click the link below to find out how. https://buff.ly/49Q4vVE Together, let's make Volunteer Month a time of meaningful action, compassion, and solidarity. Every act of kindness, no matter how small, has the power to create positive change and leave a lasting impact. #smilesforsuccess #sfs #giveasmile #VolunteerMonth #MakeADifference #CommunityStrong

When does sharing lived experience become volunteering? Our latest blog post explores how engaging lived experiences in policy-making shapes the future. Learn about benefits, challenges, &support needed to transform these contributions into meaningful volunteer roles. Read here: https://ow.ly/wvP150StENB

We had so much fun last time that Priya came to DOVIA-LA to teach a workshop, and there's still time to sign up for this month's session! DOVIA-LA July Meeting: Retention - Being Intentional about Valuing Volunteers Join the DOVIA-LA community for a meeting focused on volunteer retention. Discuss challenges, share solutions, and gain valuable insights from our speaker, Priya Sodha. When: July 19 at 1pm-3pm Where: Virtually on Zoom Who: Anyone passionate about volunteer management Why Attend? Volunteer retention is a top challenge for many organizations. Let’s work together to understand and overcome these hurdles. What to Expect: - Workshop by Priya Sodha: "Volunteer Retention: Being Intentional about Valuing Volunteers" - Discuss current challenges in volunteer retention - Network and support from the DOVIA-LA community Learning Outcomes: - Understanding shifts in volunteerism in 2024 - Improving communication and empathy to enhance retention - Practical tools for direct volunteer work Register now and don’t miss out! Free for members and open to all. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/gtHhqd5n