Fueling Volunteer Passion: Empowering Volunteers to Self-Motivate
Learn to help volunteers to better understand their own (sometimes changing) motivations for volunteering.
Volunteer Management Hot Topics with Susan J. Ellis
en-usSeptember 26, 2019
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Volunteer Management Hot Topics with Susan J. Ellis
These Hot Topics are podcasted by Susan J. Ellis, internationally-recognized author and trainer in volunteerism and President of Energize, Inc. Through her travels and interactions throughout the world, she talks about the current issues (i.e., news, technology, politics, media image, etc.) in the volunteer management field. If you're a volunteer or work with volunteers, listen each month to stay on the cutting edge. If you think that you or your business need-not-apply - or, should we say, listen - you will find that these topics can definitely relate to you, too! So sit back, relax, listen, and get ready to be energized - (pun intended). Want to read some more of Susan's previous hot topics? Check them out at http://www.energizeinc.com/hot-topics-and-news.
en-us139 Episodes
Episodes (139)
Lessons Learned About Leading Volunteers From a Volunteering Working Mom
Tap into your own volunteer experiences to strengthen the way you lead community involvement.
The Times They Are a Changin’—Even for Volunteers
Rob Jackson considers the challenges of taking volunteers through a change process—why can’t we use the same process for paid employees?
How Volunteer Action in 2018 Can Focus Us for 2019
Energize President Susan J. Ellis highlights volunteer impact on several major events of 2018 and advises us how to keep volunteers in the limelight in 2019.
Seeking Funder Support for Volunteer Engagement? Assess Your Approach!
Funding specifically for the support of engaging volunteers remains elusive. Betsy McFarland proposes ways for leaders of volunteers to approach potential funders that may lead to more success.
Volunteers? Donors? Let’s Call Them All Supporters!
Find out why Energize consultant Sheri Wilensky Burke firmly believes organizations need to stop making a distinction between volunteers and financial contributors and start thinking of them all as supporters.
Leaders of Volunteers: Stop Being So Bloody Nice!
Rob Jackson officially introduces himself as part of "Team Energize" and explains why he strongly feels leaders of volunteers need to take off the halo once in a while!
Volunteer Management Hot Topics with Susan J. Ellis
en-usSeptember 25, 2018
Good News: Today and Tomorrow for Energize, Inc.
As summer comes to an end in the U.S. and the northern hemisphere, President Susan J. Ellis rallies the Energize “troops,” giving us a positive update on her health, future plans, and the status of Energize, today and tomorrow.
Leader or Liability: Are Leaders Sabotaging Volunteer Engagement?
With a fresh perspective after changing careers, Andy Fryar discovers that many leaders of volunteers inadvertently sabotage their own volunteer engagement programs. He shares some of the most common mistakes he has seen out in the field.
What Is the New National Alliance for Volunteer Engagement and What Will It Mean for Us?
Betsy McFarland announces an exciting new chapter for volunteer engagement in the United States—the development of a national body charged with bringing about unity and collaboration among networks, organizations, and individuals, driving a national conversation about the power and potential of volunteer engagement, and encouraging collective action for nationwide engagement strategies.
Volunteer Management Hot Topics with Susan J. Ellis
en-usJune 28, 2018
Bribing volunteers: Should we be incentivising people for their time?
For several years now the practice of incentivising people to volunteer has become increasingly common. But is this the right approach? Some argue these incentives amount to nothing more than bribes, whilst others herald their success. What can this debate teach us about motivation in the modern age?
Grow Volunteer-Staff Harmony: Plant New Seeds this Spring
When helping volunteer-involving organizations, consultant Betsy McFarland is frequently asked how to handle growing antagonism between volunteers and paid staff, often becoming an “us-versus-them” weed that invades the soil of the organization. In this Hot Topic, Betsy suggests ideas for cultivating collaborative relationships.
Don’t Just Recognize Volunteers, Invest in Them…and Yourself
As the season of national volunteer recognition events get underway, Sheri Wilensky Burke, associate director of the EveryoneReady® online volunteer management skill-building program, challenges leaders to recognize volunteers and their talents by investing in their development, what Sheri terms as “volunteer evolvement.”
Letting Fear Prevent Volunteer Involvement is Too Risky
This month guest writer Jayne Cravens challenges the belief that risk and fear should prohibit organizations from involving volunteers. Do volunteers really differ from paid staff when it comes to risk management? How can organizations build safety into volunteer engagement?
Leaders of Volunteers: Will You “Be the Voice” for Our Profession?
The theme of International Volunteer Managers Day 2017 (November 5) is "Be the Voice!" What does this call to action mean and how can each of us speak out effectively on behalf of our profession and the volunteers we lead? Consider what you "say" in actions as well as words.
Are You in a Volunteer Management Silo?
The principles and daily tasks of effective volunteer engagement are universal, no matter the setting. Yet, those of us who publish or plan conferences for the field find it a hard sell to attract an audience as diverse as the field itself. Find inspiration outside the familiar.
Three Great Days: Reflections after the Summit on Volunteer Engagement Leadership
Susan came to the 2017 National Summit on Volunteer Engagement Leadership last month with cautious hope and left with enthusiastic optimism. Read her reflections and consider our shared responsibility for moving the profession of volunteer management forward again.
The “Social Compact” and Voluntary Action Are the Foundation of Democracy -- Even Today
On July 4th, Americans celebrate the concept of independence. We should recognize that the founders were also defining co-dependence or inter-dependence as the basis for the "common good" of their wished-for democracy. Both citizen volunteering and taxes are implied in this social contract.
Find the Money for Priceless Conferencing
Do you only go to conferences if your employer covers the costs? Do you value your own professional development enough to pay for it yourself? Once you're at an event, are you doing everything you can to make it priceless for your learning and enjoyment? Susan offers a lot of tips to broaden your perspective.
That Pesky Word “Volunteer”
Are we giving recognition to all the people who are actually volunteers? To some who are not? We cannot assume the word volunteer means the same thing to everyone – and have to communicate effectively exactly what we mean when we use it.