Education & Reading Programs Community of Practice is a group of professionals with the interest of improving reading levels for youth and adults. We convene bimonthly to offer support, share best practices, provide a safe space for discussion, and networking.  

For more information contact Brandy Tolbert, Facilitator.  Register from our calendar on the next available date.

2025:  January 6, March 3, May 5, July 7

What You Don't Know is Holding You Back:
The Case for Professional Development (at any stage)

Click here to register for the next meeting.

Not an AL!VE Member? Join Now

Want to try before you buy? Email info@volunteeralive.org to try your first session free.

Building a Lasting Foundation for Volunteer Engagement

Brought to you by:
Better Impact and Verified First 

The 2025 Central Illinois Volunteerism Conference is happening on Friday, July 11 at the University of Illinois Springfield in Springfield, Illinois. This year’s theme is Strategic Volunteerism: Connecting Passion with Purpose. Whether you work with volunteers, lead a nonprofit, or just care about strengthening your community, this one-day conference offers fresh insights, actionable tools, and meaningful connections to help you make an even greater impact.

July AL!VE Academy: A Person-and-Situation Approach to Skills-Based Volunteering: Lessons From the Psychology of Volunteerism with Joshua Braverman Ph.D. - Tuesday, July 15th, 2025 @ 12:30 PM - 90 minutes

Many people are familiar with the “typical” forms of volunteerism where people receive training or orientation after signing up for the volunteer opportunity. The present dissertation focused on Skills-Based-Volunteerism, where volunteers use their pre-existing skills or talents to volunteer. As Skills-Based Volunteers may have a larger impact within their organization(s), it is important to understand how different they are from Non-Skills-Based Volunteers. Using the Current Population Survey (United States Census Bureau, 2017), Study One examined the characteristics of Skills-Based Volunteers, and the ways that they differ from Non-Skills Based Volunteers. Study One found that Skills-Based Volunteers reported more frequent volunteering (and doing so for more hours) and were more involved with a diverse subset of other prosocial behaviors (e.g., voting, attending community meetings, and working with one’s neighbors to improve their community) than were Non-Skills-Based Volunteers. In Studies Two and Three, I collected original data to understand whether considering the Skills-Oriented nature of volunteerism may lead to divergence from the findings from the existing psychology of volunteering, specifically whether the psychological characteristics known to predict volunteerism extend to Skills-Based Volunteerism. In Study Two, I found that for the most part, the psychological constructs known to predict volunteerism (e.g., personality, motivations, and social norms) tended to function similarly for Skills-Based and Non-Skills-Based Volunteering. In a follow-up survey, Study Three extended this result by finding that the psychological constructs also predict future volunteerism similarly for Skills-Based and Non-Skills-Based Volunteering (three to six months later).  Overall, this program of research made it clear that the existing psychology of volunteering does extend to Skills-Based-Volunteering. Volunteer managers can use the present research as evidence to apply existing volunteer management practices to Skills-Based Volunteering. However, future research should continue to investigate whether there are novel psychological characteristics relevant to Skills-Based Volunteering, especially surrounding one’s education, profession, and/or workplace.

This virtual Community of Practice supports volunteer engagement professionals managing programs in and across rural communities. These monthly peer-to-peer sessions address some of the challenges that come with operating in geographic areas with lower population numbers and that are located outside of more suburban and urban areas. Members use these sessions to troubleshoot issues, to give and receive support, and to share strategies, best practices, and resources for effective volunteer program management.

2025 Meetings will be held (All times 2 PM Eastern):
January 21, February 18, March 18,
April 15, May 20, June 17,
July 15, August 19, September 16,
October 21, November 18, December 16

Click here to join the next meeting.

COP's are an exclusive AL!VE member benefit.  Anyone is welcome to attend the first COP meeting, but after the first meeting we ask you become a member.  Learn more here. 

Enhance your professional development and support the profession of volunteer engagement at the same time! Join us for an AL!VE New Volunteer Information Session! This session is your opportunity to learn more about AL!VE, our mission, and how you can get involved. Whether you’re interested in sharing your skills, learning new ones, or connecting with a community of like-minded professionals, we have opportunities for you! Don’t miss this chance to join a dynamic organization that supports leaders in volunteer engagement nationwide. We can’t wait to meet you and explore how we can make an impact together!
 

From Recruitment to Readiness:
How Volunteer Lethbridge Built a Community Volunteer Management Model That Works

• Member benefits
• Resources & where to find them
• Association goals for 2025
• Discuss what's happening in the field on a regional or national level
• Bring your own topic - have a question you need to discuss? We're happy to connect.

From Guidelines to Action: Helping Organisations Improve Volunteer Management

Meetings will be held bimonthly (every 2 months).  Following meetings will be 10 AM Pacific, 1 PM Eastern:   

2025:  February 13, April 10, June 12, Aug 14, Oct 9, Dec 11

The COP - Animal Welfare is designed to include a broad range of animal welfare organizations such as animal shelters, rescue groups, foster-based programs, sanctuaries, direct care for animals, and humane education programs. The objective of this COP is to connect volunteer engagement professionals within these organizations to share resources and best practices. This informal venue encourages open discussions for anyone seeking or offering advice in tackling the unique challenges facing volunteer leaders in the animal welfare field.

Communities of Practice are an AL!VE member benefit; however, anyone is welcome to attend their first meeting with out being a member.  After your first meeting, you must join as a member to attend subsequent meetings.  You can learn more here.

Let's talk about Government volunteer programs.  This community of practice discusses the challenge and successes of operating a volunteer program within a government structure.

All times 2 PM Eastern for 1 hour.

2025: Feb 13, Apr 10, Jun 12, Aug 14, Oct 9, Dec 11

Communities of Practice are an AL!VE member benefit; however, anyone is welcome to attend their first meeting with out being a member. NAVPLG members can attend anytime for free as part of our partnership

After your first meeting, we request you join as a member to attend subsequent meetings.  Learn more about membership here.

*note* When you register, you will automatically be registered for all the future COP dates (listed below) and reminders will be sent - the COP will use the same zoom link. 
​You may opt out by emailing manager@volunteeralive.org