| Dear AL!VE Members, I am deeply honored to serve as the AL!VE Board President for 2025 and am filled with excitement for the growth that lies ahead for the organization. Last year was a testament to our collective strength, with remarkable achievements that you can revisit by watching the recording of the 2024 Annual Meeting.
As AL!VE celebrates its 16th year in 2025, we find ourselves truly coming of age, poised to advance our mission in bold and impactful ways. This year promises to be transformative, with a dedicated board of dedicated professionals working tirelessly to support our members and elevate the profession of volunteer engagement. |
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I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Cathy Thoma for her outstanding leadership and service as our 2024 Board President. Cathy’s dedication and vision have been instrumental and we are deeply appreciative of her service. Additionally, I invite you to join us in honoring Gretchen Jordan on her well-deserved retirement. We will celebrate her remarkable contributions to AL!VE and the volunteer engagement profession on January 15—so please register for this special occasion! Thank you for being an integral part of AL!VE, for your dedication to volunteer engagement, and for your continued support as we embark on this exciting 2025 journey. Let’s make it a year to remember! |
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Honoring and Celebrating Gretchen Jordan, CVA
Join us for a Retirement Happy Hour to celebrate Gretchen Jordan's lifetime of service in volunteerism, leadership and her incredible years of service with AL!VE! Let's come together to honor her dedication and achievements. It will be held on Wednesday, January 15th, at 5:30 PM ET via Zoom. Register below to be part of this special occasion!
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArdeyrqzwsHdaHQkA6IC_8zG-opNA3YZm-
Meeting ID: 846 2535 7672
Passcode: 617434
Lastly, As we embrace a new chapter at AL!VE, you can help us continue Gretchen's legacy. Learn more through the link below. |
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January AL!VE Academy: Growing Your Volunteer Leader Team - January 14, 2025, 2:00 PM Eastern, 90 minutes |
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This interactive session focuses on volunteer empowerment: giving existing volunteer leaders the knowledge and confidence needed to successfully encourage more volunteers within their nonprofit organization to take on leadership roles. The session is also highly useful for staff within nonprofit organizations who are looking to recruit volunteer leaders, or anyone who just wants to learn more about leadership within volunteering. About our presenter: Nicola Lake has extensive experience both working and volunteering in the nonprofit sector, leading on volunteer management and developing training initiatives at a variety of organizations - including the British Red Cross, FoodCycle, and The Royal Photographic Society.
Inspired to help address the needs and challenges of diverse nonprofit organizations, Nicola is currently a Vision for Volunteering Champion and offers a wide range of practical resources and bespoke consultation services via her own company, Resourcevol. Specialising in volunteer recruitment, training, resource design, and process optimization, Nicola is dedicated to empowering volunteers and helping nonprofits achieve their aims. |
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February AL!VE Academy: Proven Strategies for the Recruitment & Retention of Latinx Volunteers (BDEAI) - February 11, 2025, 12:00 PM Eastern, 90 minutes |
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The Latinx population continues to grow. Does your volunteer force represent your Latinx community? Are you looking for ways to engage and retain Latinx volunteers? Is your organization prepared to include more Latinx volunteers? Would you like to learn how volunteerism and the Latinx community intersect?
During our time together, we will start by exploring a cultural awareness of the Latinx community in the USA. Next, we will dive into understanding the Latinx demographics in your community using the latest census data. Then, we'll assess your volunteer program’s current state regarding Latinx representation and strategize for future improvements. Finally, I will share some proven practices for attracting, engaging, recruiting, recognizing, retaining, and supporting Latinx volunteers. By the end of our session, you will be able to: -Assess your organization's current state of Latinx representation
-Plan for the future state of Latinx representation in your volunteer program -Learn tips to recruit and retain Latinx volunteers |
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About Our Presenter: AL!VE 2023 Presenter Bootcamp Graduate
Monica Jasso proudly serves as the El Paso County Volunteer Coordinator, bringing over 25 years of experience with adult learners and nonprofit work. Previously, she spent 14 years with the Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest and now volunteers with BOOST, fostering positive youth development in her community. Born in El Paso, Texas, and a Texas A&M University alumna, Monica is dedicated to advancing social good with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Key milestones in her career include transitioning from the corporate to nonprofit sector, earning a Certificate in Volunteer Administration (CVA), receiving the 2022 Impact Award for exemplary leadership in volunteer engagement, and her recent role as Volunteer Coordinator for El Paso County. A single mother of two, Monica enjoys nature, traveling, movies, thrifting, sci-fi, and foodie adventures in her downtime.
AL!VE Academy Webinars on any BDEAI topic are free for everyone. The general public is welcome to attend, and will receive a copy of the slide deck, recording, and attendance certificate upon request. The webinar recording will be on our home page under 'About Us' / Committment to Community tab.
Learn more about AL!VE membership at our website.
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Emerging Leaders Mentor Program
April - September 2025
AL!VE is dedicated to the professional growth and development of leaders in volunteer engagement. The purpose of the Emerging Leaders Mentor Program is to provide a platform for AL!VE members to connect, share best practices and position themselves as leaders in the field through ongoing professional development and skills building. Participants will be paired with AL!VE Mentors to receive individualized coaching and support as well as monthly mentee peer sessions pertaining to leadership development topics.
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ATTEND: Mentee Goal Setting Session
Thursday, February 20th, 2025
Noon - 1pm PT /3-4pm ET
Zoom link: https://bchd-org.zoom.us/j/88572584729 Are you interested in being a mentee in this next round?
Prior to our mentor program orientation, it is optional for potential mentees to attend a brainstorming session on how to create and workshop goals for the program that you can then share with the mentors at orientation. Sharing these with the mentors at orientation helps them (and us- the facilitators!) best identify who would be the best match for you.
Applications for mentees will open in February, 2025. |
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PayPal Service Fee Adjustment
As we continue to navigate rising operational costs, we want to share an important update regarding transactions made via PayPal.
Effective January 15, 2025, a 3% service fee will be added to all PayPal transactions. This adjustment allows us to offset increased expenses and maintain the quality of services and programs you expect from us.
We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we work to ensure our organization remains sustainable and impactful. Should you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us at executivedirector@volunteeralive.org. |
| We Have a New Mailing Address! Please update your files, especially for membership payments. AL!VE (Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement) 965 Loucks Rd, #1021 York, PA 17404 Should you have questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us at info@volunteeralive.org . Thank you for your cooperation! |
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AL!VE's Presenter Boot Camp: Launching our third cohort in February 2025!
Are you a volunteer engagement professional seeking to elevate your virtual presentations? Do you have an idea for a topic or lived/professional experience but need help turning it into a compelling narrative for training? Do you freeze when tapped to lead educational content or need to translate in-person training into engaging virtual experiences?
AL!VE offers a members-only Presenter Boot Camp, a seven-week course designed to address these needs and more. Professionals at any level can benefit from joining us.
Our training combines webinars with COP-style discussions. Course components are designed to help you put theory into practice and lead you through creating a presentation from scratch.
When you complete the program and present your project, you will be certified as an AL!VE presenter and gain experience that can be applied to CVA certification or recertification.
Before registering, please confirm you can make ALL dates: February 4, 7; 11, 14; 18, 21; 25, 28 March 4, 7;11, 14; 18, 21; 25, 28 Interested in joining Cohort 3? Registration now open and limited to 24 participants. |
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Service Enterprise: A Year in Review
When we reflect back on the amazing impact our Service Enterprise Training and Implementation Partners have had within their communities and the ripple effect of the organizations that have gone through the Service Enterprise Program, achieved their first round of accreditation, or maintained their accreditation it is the embodiment of AL!VE’s Mission.
During our 2024 Program Year we engaged almost 100 organizations in the Service Enterprise Program helping them hang the mirror and reflect on their organization culture and practices for volunteer engagement. We are proud of the 42 organizations that achieved and maintained their 3-year accreditation during this program year.
Congratulations to all of our AL!VE Members and Organizations that have made the commitment to better engage community members as volunteers to effectively deliver your social mission. We are looking forward to engaging more than 100 organizations in 2025. If you want to be one of them, reach out to our National Service Enterprise Administrator, Kayla Paulson, CVA, at ServiceEnterprise@volunteeralive.org.
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| Upcoming Events & Opportunities |
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Upcoming
Communities of Practice: January 15, 3pm - AmeriCorps Senior January 21, 2pm - Rural Programs January 27, 2:30pm - National Networks
January 29, 1pm - Local Associations February 2, 3pm - Food Banks February 13, 1pm - Animal Welfare February 13, 2pm - Local Government
*All times Eastern* |
| Other Upcoming Events:
January 14 - AL!VE Academy: Growing your Volunteer Leader Team January 15 - Retirement Happy Hour for Gretchen Jordan! January 15 - New Volunteer Information Session January 17, 20, February 13 - New CVA Information Sessions
January 21 & February 12 - AL!VE Member Webinars January 28 - Spanish Speaking Leaders of Volunteers Brainstorm Session February 5 - AL!VE CVA Study Group February 11 - AL!VE Academy: Proven Strategies for the Recruitment & Retention of Latinx Volunteers |
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New Year, New Volunteers! Get Connected! Learn how leveraging your skills, or learning new ones can propel the AL!VE mission forward. Join us for a volunteer info session on Weds., Jan. 15 at 3pm ET. |
| Become a 2025 AL!VE Academy Presenter
We are currently seeking proposals for presenters of monthly AL!VE Academy sessions for the second half of 2025, with priority given to presentations containing BDEAI subject matter. |
| Support for
Local Associations in 2025
Happy New Year to all local associations across the nation! We hope you are all energized to continue your work in supporting your local community of volunteer engagement professionals. AL!VE will be with you and looks forward to continuing our support and your participation. |
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Welcome to Our Newest Members! |
Meghan Steineker Madeline Cheek Torria Thomas Emily Kenny Jana Radley Rob Toonkel Katie Caron Holly Klein Demi Bengston Pearl Rothenberger Morgan Thomas Bridgette Blair Katy Rodriguez Botello |
| New to AL!VE or just want to check in?
Find out what's happening or get a quick fix of networking with your peers! New members will get a brief overview of our mission, benefits, activities and committees. We also are giving away some cool door prizes too!
Upcoming Member Webinars:
January 21 & February 12 |
| Thank you to Our
Renewing Members! |
Amanda Schmierer Paige Stein Kristy Judd Ebony Sherod Barbara Hickert Brenda M-H Tuls Cara Madsen Jenny Garver Wayne McAuliffe Shawnia Johnson Jennifer St. Peter Chelsea White Gina Edwards Rebekah Hawthorne Laurel Barrett Jovany Otero David Horwitz Hollis Sweet Suchi Rao |
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Be Sure to Whitelist our Emails! |
We send this newsletter monthly, and an additional 3-4 emails per month. If you didn’t get it in your inbox please check your junk/spam folders (if you find it there right click it and choose Junk/Spam and then select Never Block Domain). If you don’t find it that way you may want to ask your IT to whitelist volunteeralive.org. You can also try to whitelist at your email level by following the directions linked below (sometimes you may need admin permissions): Whitelisting for Gmail
Whitelisting for Office 365 Outlook Whitelisting for Outlook ios If you need more assistance or haven’t been able to access the email please email manager@volunteeralive.org so that we can follow-up and do another test email after volunteeralive.org has been whitelisted on your account. |
| Follow Us on Social Media! |
We are announcing our decision to transition off of “X” (previously Twitter) due to low AL!VE member engagement. Please make sure to follow our accounts for updates on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. |
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