Tuesday Thoughts | 16 April 2024 | Your Greatest Impact

If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll know that I have both a Mission Statement: “To Change the World, By Inspiring Actions, That Amplify My Impact”, and a Motto: “Everyone Must Serve”; that when taken together form the nexus of a world view, that sees me striving to be of service to those who I meet, in their quest to make their Greatest Impact.

This is the third year where I have had the opportunity to share my ‘thoughts’ about Volunteerism, as Canada celebrates #NationalVolunteerWeek (note: our American friends will be celebrating next week). In fact, we’re also getting very close to third anniversary of the very first Tuesday Thought, what I thought would be a one-off rant posted April 27, 2021 (more on that in a couple of weeks).

On April 26, 2022, I introduced readers to #NVW with an edition of this newsletter simply titled National Volunteer Week and then on April 18, 2023, I returned to one of the most important themes of my life and career with National Volunteer Week - The Volunteer Crisis. Lest anyone think that that last statement was hyperbole, I’ll repeat a quote from last year’s piece “My career runs on Volunteers, I have some skin in this game”.

Many long-time readers are probably also wondering where my long-promised book on the subject of impact making is, and when it might be released. To say it is still “in development” is probably overly generous; the trouble with wanting to tell great stories – yours and those of others – is one needs to actually compile all those stories into a first draft.

When I sit down one-on-one with someone, I have the best chance of being able to help them figure out exactly what actions to take to make an impact for the causes they care about; its also fairly simple in small groups, as long as there is a element of safety and trust in the room; scale that outwards and I can, in the right setting do a similar exercise from the stage at a conference or workshop; but if I really want to go global – I mean I am trying to change the world here – the book just needs to happen.

To that end, I’ve created a short printable (free for download from daniellerussell.ca) to help answer some of the most frequently asked questions I get from aspiring volunteers, get your copy of Thoughts on Volunteerism: A Checklist to Help You Make the Most of Your Time, Talents and Resources, to help you make the most of the momentum of National Volunteer Week.

Of course, most days, I don’t get to do anything nearly as immediately impactful as help someone figure out how to best serve our society – those days are truly special, and while I wish they happened more often, I think they’d risk losing their luster – instead, most days I get to do the deep work of helping folks who already have some notion of how they’d like to be of service, make the most efficient and effective use of their time and talents.

As you’ll find in the bio on my LinkedIn profile, “I leverage my training as a CAE and C.Dir and best practices learned through the past decade+ working for Associations and Not-for-Profits to enable Volunteer Leaders to make strategic and targeted contributions to their organizations. I help passionate individuals use their sector specific skills to further their Organization’s Mission and Vision, serving members and stakeholders.”

This is likely also the right place to pause for a second to say, ‘Thank You’. Thank you to all the readers who have joined the #TuesdayThoughts community and are out in the world answering weekly calls to action, taking the small actions that lead to big impacts. Thank you to all the volunteers who touch my life, including my fellow board and committee members – spread across four organizations. And, an extra special thanks to the Board and all of the volunteers of the Canadian Defence Lawyers , I may be ‘paid to care’ but you all make it exceptionally easy to make that caring genuine.

This week, I’m also asking something of you, yes, I am asking that you volunteer your time, for a few hours, a day, a month or two, or even for a few years; you can make a difference. I’m also asking you to take a few moments to support me in my ongoing quest to build my brand, so that I can be of greater service to more people. I’m competing the in the Speaker Slam Brand Builder competition, hoping to win $10,000 in prizes, please take just a few moments to VOTE FOR ME (find the graphic with my face and click on it to lock in your vote, then pick two others you think are great - don't forget to hit "submit").

I’m also incredibly humbled and honoured to have been nominated for not just one, but two CSAE Awards, for the Community Leader Award, and the Empowering Leader Award; yes, I know how it all turns out, but if you’re reading this on publication day – April 16, 2024 – I hope you’ll consider attending the virtual ceremony (registration required) at 1pmEDT.

This week’s call to action is simple, do the deep work to find the way to be of your greatest impact, give of your time and your talents through volunteering to advance the causes and issues you care about.

New and Noteworthy is a collection of things readers of #TuesdayThoughts might find interesting, important, or informative;

📣Other Stuff I Did This Week (shameless self promotion): I'm competing in the Speaker Slam Brand Builder Competition, vying to win $10,000 worth of prizes I hope to use to expand my reach helping everyone to find their path to greatest Impact - Please Vote (daily) | I've released a free printable Thoughts on Volunteerism: A Checklist to Help You Make the Most of Your Time, Talents and Resources (available on my website) | I'm nominated for TWO CSAE Leadership Awards - Community Leader Award and Empowering Leader Award

🗓️Hold These Dates: Tuesday, 16, April 2024 - CSAE Leadership Awards Celebration | April 15-19, 2024 National Volunteer Week | April 15-19, 2024 (Brand Builder) #InspirationWeek | April 20, 2024 Speaker Slam Brand Builder Top 10 Reveal

🌟 What to Do: Nominate someone for an Award from The Change Leadership h/t Yvonne Ruke Akpoveta

📖 What to Read: I cannot recommend enough Maryann Kerr, MA Leadership 's debut book - Tarnished: Let's rethink, reimagine, and co-create a new social impact sector I'm lucky enough to have an extra copy, which I'm happy to pass on to someone who needs to read this book, but has limited financial resources, send me a DM with your mailing address and I will see that its sent with full postage affixed.

📺 What to Watch: This video highlighting the work of the Peel Children's Aid Society featuring Maryann Kerr, MA Leadership | Susan Saganski 's PCMA Canada East President's Message from GMID (video) | Policy Update video from Spinal Cord Injury Ontario | AV-CANADA has an adjustable podium that can make events more inclusive (video) h/t Rob Duncan, CTS

👷🏽♀️ Cool Jobs (Paid and Volunteer): Board Members @ Parent-Child Mother Goose h/t Uma Gopinath | Digital Communications Officer @ Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario h/t Judy Pfeifer, C.Dir | Manager of Government Relations and Communications @ OSWCA/GTSWCA h/t Jack Shand

✒️ Take Note: Call for proposals for the EVENT 2024 h/t Tim Whalen, CMP | CAE Optimize Governance, now also available as a micro-credential | Congratulations to Ruth Abrahamson for nominations for TWO prestigious awards - 2024 AMCI Excellence in Leadership Award AND RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award | Congratulations to my fellow CSAE Leadership Awards nominees, including: Don Andrews , Rebecca Harris, M.A., CAE , Danielle Lamothe, CAE, CTDP , Christine Nielsen , Melissa Stark and other deserving Association professionals

CALL FOR CONTENT: I crowd source 99% of what appears in New and Noteworthy, but I would love the help of the Tuesday Thoughts Community to identify content about you and for you. Got a cool new project? A Job Posting to Fill? Or just something you found interesting? DM me with a link.

I am a Certified Association Executive with over a dozen years of experience in leadership positions across Canada’s Not-for-Profit Sector, with deep ties in the Meetings and Events Industry. I use the art of storytelling in speech and writing to explain ideas, and to inform audiences and readers on a variety of topics. Learn more about how we can collaborate;

🤝 Consulting Services: I offer a suite of consulting services for Associations and Charities, and am interested in working with likeminded organizations on projects that contribute to better governance, leadership and the overall growth and health of Canada’s Association and Not-for-Profit Industries.

🗣️ Speaker/Facilitator: I have spoken to standing room only crowds in the Association and Events sectors, connecting ideas and people; topics include, The Introvert Experience, Imposter Syndrome and Mentorship, EDI: Lived Experience as a BIPOC Woman in Leadership, Minimalism and Essentialism, Finding Your Voice and Building Your Unique Brand, Making and Impact, and the #TuesdayThoughtsFormula.

✍🏽 Contributing Writer: I have written for Industry Publications and Blogs with a focus on the role of Associations, Volunteerism, and the Intersection of Not-for-Profit Management and many current social and economic trends. My inclination towards storytelling lends itself well to the style of Creative Non-Fiction.

⚛️ The Tuesday Thoughts Formula: I am on a mission to inspire actions that amplify my impact, each week I follow the #TuesdayThoughtsForumla to deliver a call to action inspired by relevant stories; new this year, I’m bringing live demonstrations of the formula to the stage to help conference, event and meeting attendees tell their own stories that amplify their ROI of in-person attendance.

💻 Check out my website daniellerussell.ca or email me: danielle@daniellerussell.ca

🚀 I’m on a Mission to Change The World, By Inspiring Actions That Amplify My Impact! Despite my Introverted tendencies, if I have any hope of success this cannot be a solo affair. Join my community where I Connect People and Ideas;

💭 Tuesday Thoughts: Join the #TuesdayThoughts community, subscribe to the Newsletter and get your copy of the #TuesdayThoughtsBook, The Tuesday Thoughts Companion: A Year of Small Actions for Big Impact. Like, Comment and Share to keep the conversation going, and amplify the thoughts that inspire you to action.

🤝 Let’s Be Friends: LinkedIn: Danielle S. Russell, CAE (she/her) | Instagram: @danielle.s.russell